I am looking at buying a townhome ( new built). Its only 5 townhomes and they are considered condos. Reviewing the disclosures, because this is a new built, there is no hoa set up, no financials or reserves. What they disclosed was : condo fees will be $200/month and cover outside maintenance, insurance, snow removal, etc. with 5 units they will get $1k/month and they are budgeting cost will be $11.8k/month. So basically the hoa will barely cover the cost of expenses. Im really interested in this property but this scares me. Also builder is saying the 5 owners will get together once the 5 units are sold and decide on how to run the hoa . Anyone’s been part of a small community like this? Pros, cons? Is this usual?
Annual Budget Report
Fiscal Year: 2025–2026
Use of Funds – Operating Expenses
Category – Annual Allocation
• Utilities (Water, Sewer, Garbage, Street Lighting) – $4,000
• Yard Care (Mowing, Fertilization, Weeding, General Maintenance) – $1,200
• Snow Removal (Including Ice Melt for Sidewalks) – $800
• Insurance Premium (Property and Liability Coverage) – $5,460
• Pest Control Services (Quarterly Treatments) – $360
• State Business Entity Renewal – $10
• Bank Account Maintenance (Checking Fees) – $40
Total Operating Expenses: $11,870
Sources of Funds
• Monthly HOA Dues ($200 per Unit × 5 Units × 12 Months) – $12,000
Total Projected Income: $12,000
Budget Notes:
The proposed annual budget ensures adequate coverage for all necessary operational expenses while maintaining a modest surplus of $130/month to account for unforeseen or incidental costs that will be considered reserves. The HOA does have an HOA transfer fee of 0.5% but it does not apply to the initial purchase of the new construction.
Buying a condo/townhome no organized hoa
byu/Sabrun21 inrealestateinvesting
Posted by Sabrun21
1 Comment
That seems unusual. Usually the builder sets up and runs the hoa and then has gradually diminishing control until all or most units are sold and then control is by the new owners.