HOA Hours

Since the topic of an HOA continues to be brought up in every meeting and update, we asked a former HOA Board president of a 300+ home community to provide a conservative estimate of volunteers and number of hours to run an HOA well. We then identified three HOA’s within Lynden, but outside of Homestead, to compare fees and expenses.  There were actually a few surprises.

Below is an estimate of the size of a proposed board and the number of hours required to run the association with committees. The question we need to ask: Are there enough people in Homestead that will step forward to manage these functions? 

These are conservative numbers considering the Board and Committees must process requests and quotes, meet and talk to the property management company, attorneys, vendors, and Homestead management.

There is a minimum of 2 people per committee to ensure no single person is making important decisions on their own.  And there is no less than 7 board members based on size of our community and need for an odd number of board members. 

Estimated HOA Board Size                               Number of Members                  Hours/Month/Person                      Total Hours/Month

Minimum 7 board members                                            7                                                    7                                                       49

determined by number of homes

& number of committees required

Committee Assignments             

Landscaping: Manages contractors,                               3                                                 10                                                        30

repairs, budgets, quotes

HOA Architectural: 76-100 arch requests                       5                                                 30                                                      150

per year; painting, roofs, landscaping,

estimated at 6-8 per month

Budget: Plan annual budget, may                                     5                                                  2                                                        10

include reserve studies & investments                                                                                                                                                                     

Publications: Create newsletter &                                     2                                                 5                                                         10

manage website

Annual Meeting: Plan meeting,                                         3                                                 5                                                          15

create agenda including upcoming

major projects, each board to

present reports, send notice to members

Legal: Work with lawyers on liens,                                   2                                                10                                                        20

collections, lawsuits, etc.

Total Volunteer Hours per Month:                                                                                                                                                  284

We spoke with members from the three HOAs outside Homestead, for comparison.  Two of the HOA’s have companies (Windermere and Porchlight) managing specific responsibilities (paying bills, collecting fees, budget, financial reports, organizing meetings, monitoring code violations, insurance and reserve studies) which the members said they preferred. Following are their basic stats:

1. A 30-home HOA off of Double Ditch Rd – Monthly fee $178 for lawn care which includes property management ($6,000/year). One meeting per year, members said they vote to accept minutes, but did not recall being asked for suggestions for budget.
2. A 24-home HOA off of Aaron Drive – Monthly fee $80 for lawn care only (no property management), same person has run Board for years, annual meeting, and the members we spoke with had never seen a budget or heard about elections.
3. 40+ home HOA in northwest Lynden – Monthly fee $85 for lawn care, playground, snow removal, and property management. Bi-annual meetings.

We also called each property management company and they were very helpful in explaining the services provided, allowing each HOA to customize what they needed to follow state laws.  If you’re curious about those laws, click this link: https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=64.38 

Our purpose for this post is to remind all of us that having an HOA is not as simple as we’re being told. It’s going to require a willingness to collaborate and compromise to choose wisely in protecting our properties.  We will also need an informed, majority vote on what type of representation will work best for Homestead as many of us have not had a positive experience with HOA’s. 

Bottom line: We live here, this is our home, let’s not rush into this very important decision!  Nor allow someone who does not live here, decide for us.