Rob Harding

Typically, a home owners association is put into place in order to protect the rights and interests of property owners within a particular community. These associations were originally used only in condo developments and part of the purpose was to collect fees in order to maintain the grounds and property. Many single family home developments later adopted the same rules and regulations and suddenly cities all over instituted homeowners associations in new developments. Are they always needed, however? Here are the major pros and cons of a homeowner's association.

One value of having a homeowners association is that they force your neighbors to keep up with property maintenance on their homes. They can't leave broken down cars out front, they can't have weeds growing all over, and they need to keep the house painted and maintained - to say the least.

This type of regulation helps to keep property values as high as possible, unlike unregulated neighborhoods where a few families might neglect their property, collect junk, never cut their grass, etc., thereby reducing everyone else's property value.

An association also uses some of the collected fees to maintain the common area such as pools, tennis courts, club house, grounds, and might even cut your front lawn and maintain flower beds, etc.

Of course, not everyone is a fan of being managed by an HOA. Homeowners complain they are nitpicked with letters and citations complaining about the tiniest infraction. People complain that they receive letters that are so vague they aren't even sure what they did wrong.

Some developments want you to conform to a certain style of fencing, or choosing paint colors from a pre-approved color chart. They also want to dictate where you can put lawn furniture out front and out back and what styles it can be. Some will fine you if you have "cheap" plastic furniture.

Many HOAs increase their fees without notice, and this is a major problem with many homeowners who don't see any value at all in paying more to receive the same or fewer services. This total lack of control over these monthly expenses can turn people away from even considering to purchase in one of these communities. HOAs have the right to increase fees anytime if they have a viable financial need.

Certain organizations have such stringent regulations that it's like living in a condo. Even things like window treatments that face the street must adhere to their regulations as far as colors and styles. Air conditioning units can't be visible. Commercial vehicles are not allowed - even high end cars with commercial plates! All vehicles must be put in garages overnight.

These stringent rules can drive many people away. And, most of these rules aren't even fully disclosed until you pass papers, at which point you are then presented with a huge manual in small print with all the rules you need to adhere to.

Before buying property anywhere that is managed with an HOA, go around and talk to neighbors. They'll be more than happy to tell you the truth.

It is a buyers market, a sellers market, how confusing is that when you are buying real estate in a slow market.

The real estate agent needs to tell the buyer that it is a buyers market. But the agent usually works for the seller. So what does she tell the seller? She will tell the seller the same thing if she is honest.

The buyer will have the upper hand. They always will in a buyers market, because they can offer less and the seller can either accept the offer or wait, perhaps a very long time, for another offer. If the seller is not in a hurry, they may decline the offer and just wait. But how long will they wait? It may actually be for years.

Often we hear about houses on the market selling within thirty to sixty days, or in a slow market we will hear that it is taking twice as long, or longer. Well, it is taking a lot longer in so many areas of the country, that they are not even letting people know how long a house sits on the market. The only way to know for sure is if you are a real estate agent who subscribes to the mls, which is the multiple listing service. Not every real estate agent does. The ones who have this access can easily see exactly how many days a home has been on the market. It is often hundreds of days in this slow market.

Whenever you are purchasing real estate, you should never be in a hurry. Yes, you may be one of many in line to purchase that perfect home. But if you wait and examine all of the facts, trying to realize what the other offers could be, you will win out in the bidding.

Even in a slow market, the buyer may need to bite the bullet and offer more. You can often light a fire under the seller by offering more.

Sometimes one has to think of being in the sellers shoes. What would you do if you were the seller and you were offered half of what you are asking for your house? If you think of it this way, and it is not easy to put yourself in those shoes, not even in your imagination, you will usually know what the sellers answer is going to be. And, of course, it always depends on the circumstances of the seller. Sometimes there has been a death in the family, so the heirs just want to sell the house and be rid of it. Sometimes they do not. If there has been an ugly divorce, and the house is the only thing left to divide, that might be a time factor. But usually people do not have any intentions of just giving their dear assets away, no matter what the circumstances.

So if you are buying real estate in a slow market, you do have the upper hand, but you may have to walk a mile in the shoes of the seller to really know what he or she will accept.

It is a buyers market, a sellers market, how confusing is that when you are buying real estate in a slow market.

The real estate agent needs to tell the buyer that it is a buyers market. But the agent usually works for the seller. So what does she tell the seller? She will tell the seller the same thing if she is honest.

The buyer will have the upper hand. They always will in a buyers market, because they can offer less and the seller can either accept the offer or wait, perhaps a very long time, for another offer. If the seller is not in a hurry, they may decline the offer and just wait. But how long will they wait? It may actually be for years.

Often we hear about houses on the market selling within thirty to sixty days, or in a slow market we will hear that it is taking twice as long, or longer. Well, it is taking a lot longer in so many areas of the country, that they are not even letting people know how long a house sits on the market. The only way to know for sure is if you are a real estate agent who subscribes to the mls, which is the multiple listing service. Not every real estate agent does. The ones who have this access can easily see exactly how many days a home has been on the market. It is often hundreds of days in this slow market.

Whenever you are purchasing real estate, you should never be in a hurry. Yes, you may be one of many in line to purchase that perfect home. But if you wait and examine all of the facts, trying to realize what the other offers could be, you will win out in the bidding.

Even in a slow market, the buyer may need to bite the bullet and offer more. You can often light a fire under the seller by offering more.

Sometimes one has to think of being in the sellers shoes. What would you do if you were the seller and you were offered half of what you are asking for your house? If you think of it this way, and it is not easy to put yourself in those shoes, not even in your imagination, you will usually know what the sellers answer is going to be. And, of course, it always depends on the circumstances of the seller. Sometimes there has been a death in the family, so the heirs just want to sell the house and be rid of it. Sometimes they do not. If there has been an ugly divorce, and the house is the only thing left to divide, that might be a time factor. But usually people do not have any intentions of just giving their dear assets away, no matter what the circumstances.

So if you are buying real estate in a slow market, you do have the upper hand, but you may have to walk a mile in the shoes of the seller to really know what he or she will accept.

Have you taken a look at our new patio homes? Located NE of Denver, just north
of Reunion and south of Brighton, at 120th Ave and Mobile Street. Really some
great prices on our new patio homes in a gated golf course community.

As far as home improvements go, landscaping is a solid investment - in fact, a well designed outdoor project can offer a better return than most of those inside the house. Good landscaping can add between seven and 15 per cent value to your home and has a recovery value of 100 to 200 percent, so shell out now and get it back when you sell.

Many realtors will tell you that a well designed landscape will help you sell your house faster. With today's explosion of subdivisions, where many of the homes look similar from the outside, landscaping can set your home apart from a neighborhood of clones.

But the key to a profitable landscape is the design, so start with a plan. A poorly designed layout could end up costing you more time and money: without proper planning, that lovely deck you've laid may crack in next winter's frost. So before you go running into the yard with your pick and shovel, get out your paper and pencil.

First consider what you want to use the area for. If you want to have an outdoor kitchen area or pool then your design will look quite different from someone looking for a vegetable garden or a private refuge. There are plenty of garden magazines on the market; study them to get a good idea of what you like and don't like. Even if you aren't planning on doing the whole yard now, plan what you'd like to see eventually. Otherwise you may find yourself ripping up this year's hard work because it interferes with next year's project.

Plan for your level of maintenance. Think about whether you want a garden that requires a lot of work or something a little easier to deal with. After you put all this work into the design you don't want to watch it go to waste. If you don't have time to maintain it yourself you might want to hire someone to take care of it for you, but look into those costs before you start planting.

Which brings us to the ever popular topic of budgets - it's important to start out with an idea of how much you have to spend, because it's easy to get carried away out there and there's no shortage of lovely plants, features and furniture to sink your hard-earned cash into. Be realistic: you might not be able to put in both the pool and the outdoor kitchen this year, but you've got your plan. You know it's coming.

The next step is to sketch out your yard. Divide it into sections and map out what you would like where. Call your utility company and map areas with underground wires and pipes. Identify areas that have special needs (drainage issues, acidic soil, shade and full sun). Next, add the feature that need to "hardscaped", like patios, fences, fountains, pools and walkways. Depending on the complexity of your design you may want to consider involving a professional, at least to look at your design. If you are undertaking any structural projects it might be wise to have the plans vetted by an engineer. In any case, consult local building codes and do your research. You want to ensure that your hardscaping is appropriate for your particular location and climate concerns.

When deciding on plants, refer back to your sketch to match your greenery with its preferred light and soil conditions. Use marking paint or chalk to mark out planned features and bedding areas in your yard. This will give you a basic idea of whether your design works spatially. You may need to play with the width of the beds or paths to make the plan more visually appealing.

Before you plant, lay your plants out in their place and take a good look. Does the layout look crowded? Try to visualize the final size of the plant. Make sure you leave them enough room, even if your garden feels a little sparse to begin with. It's better to have a little room between them now rather than ending up with some plants being overpowered by others when they are full-grown.

And now you're ready to go! It may seem like a lot of work to get started, but a well planned design will ensure that you maximize your investment and create a beautiful space that you (or the next owners) will enjoy for years to come.