I am continuing my Tomball TX first time home buyer series. In this post we are going to talk about home owners associations. On a regular basis I have people asking me to find them a home that is not in a homeowner’s association. Usually this is someone moving here from another state and usually the area that they are moving from has zoning in affect.
I am going to tell you why I don’t think that is a good idea living in the Tomball area.The problem with not buying in a subdivision in Tomball TX is that WE DO NOT HAVE ZONING IN Tomball TX. Since we don’t have zoning it is a free for all. People can build whatever they want wherever they want it. It is not uncommon to see a nice home next to a trailer on cinder blocks in unrestricted areas. You do have protection in the City of Tomball but much of the Tomball market area is not actually in the city of Tomball.
I will never forget when I found out that the Houston area did not have zoning. We moved to the area in 1996 and as I was taking the classes to get my real estate license one of the instructors nonchalantly said “well you know we don’t have zoning in the Houston area”. I almost fell off my chair. I had thought every area was zoned. Well that is not the case the Houston area is one of the few large cities if not the only large city that does not have zoning.
I have lived in three different states besides Texas. Those states being Kansas, Colorado and North Carolina. All of the areas I lived in had zoning so it was no big deal not living in a home owners association (HOA). I was a little apprehensive about living in a HOA and having someone telling me what I could and couldn’t do with my own house. The longer I have lived here I have realized the value of living in a HOA. By having deed restrictions it helps me to maintain my property values. To give you an example a few years ago my husband worked with someone who bought out in the country in a non-restricted area. The guy loved it until the house next door was sold and the new owner decided to make it in to a salvage yard. His property values took a nose dive when the salvage yard opened.
The good news is that there is just about something for everyone as far as homeowner’s associations go. There are associations with all kinds of restrictions such as in master planned communities and there are HOA’s that allow you to have mobile homes. In Tomball you can find subdivisions all the way between the two extremes. There are not many country subdivisions left in Tomball. There are a few scattered around but if you want country living you might want to look at Magnolia.
The HOA’s fees also vary greatly. I have seen fees as low as $10 a year and as high as $1500. There are even a few subdivisions that have deed restrictions but no fees. Most of the suburb HOA’s have similar restrictions. If there is something in particular you are interested in doing it is a good idea to look the deed restrictions over before you ever put an offer on a house. It is a fairly easy process to get the deed restrictions; usually you can get them from a local title company. It is important to decide what kind of restrictions you are looking for and find your home in a HOA that meets your needs.
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If you are buying or relocating to Tomball Texas and need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.
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I also give my buyers a copy of the deed restrictions before pursuing the property. It makes total sense and can alleviate a lot of time and headache when read beforehand. Thanks for reminding me!
I am a firm believer in HOAs of some sort. I think HOAs can go to an extreme with lawns and trashcans but there is a place for everything. Homes are an investment and HOAs help protect that investment.