34 replies to this topic

[anonymous]

Hi,

I am considering the purchase of a John Laing condo home. Any feedback from others? Any comments from people already living in the condos or others residing in The Parkway are greatly appreciated!

[Farley]

Always familiarize yourself with all the extra costs. Home Owner's Association dues, what that includes and how often it can be raised. Know the CC&Rs well and make sure that you can live with the rules and regulations that will affect you.

Will the association paint your exterior when needed or will they decide when you must paint. Do they maintain the roof?

In addition to the cost of a home and the property taxes, it is important to understand everything to which you are agreeing. Including such things as where you can park and where your guests can park, etc.

Is there a Mello Roos fee?

Just things to consider from my point of view.

[bishmasterb]

Hello,

We've lived in the Parkway for about six months and really like it. There are lots of trails, bridges, ponds and playgrounds. It's a really great atmosphere for families.

I checked out the Parkway website and it looks like new homes are available between $400K and $700K, so $260 for a condo seems reasonable in that context.

I pay $93 in HOA dues each month which includes front yard maintenance, so I assume your HOA dues might be a little lower since you won't have individual front yards.

Farley's right to check out the CC&Rs carefully due to the common structure nature of condominiums. Probably nothing terribly surprising, but it's always better to know in advance.

BTW, the Parkway is really strict on parking in general, no parking at night on any streets, all vehicles have to be in a driveway.

Good luck!

[kanda]

QUOTE

BTW, the Parkway is really strict on parking in general, no parking at night on any streets, all vehicles have to be in a driveway.

Someone told me that this is actually a Folsom city ordinance (but obviously it isn't strictly enforced elsewhere, if so).

Does anyone know if that's actually true? No overnight parking on the street anywhere? That's hard for me to believe.

[Terry]

There is no Folsom City ordinance that prohibits on-street parking overnight. However, municipal code prohibits leaving a vehicle parked on the street for more than 72 hours straight. That code is used to prevent on-street "camping" by motor homes and/or permanent parking of underused vehicles, which can be unsightly and a nuisance to the neighborhood. The high-end communities in Folsom (Parkway for example) prohibit overnight street parking as part of their CC&Rs.

[kanda]

Thanks, Terry. That just didn't sound possible to me. 72 hours sounds much more reasonable.

[Farley]

Lots of areas have CC&R's but they are very difficult to enforce if one is not in a HOA and paying dues. I prefer Natoma Station, where there are no homeowner's association dues and no management company. We rely on the neighbors to live up to the CC&R's and by and large they do.

I have lived in both situations. One is like living in a police state with spies looking for every little breach of the CC&R's. The opposite is living in an area where people take care of their properties and maintain the property values of the entire neighborhood.

When one household is in violation of the CC&R's, a few neighbors might speak to the residents; however, they are not summoned to a hearing and threatened with fines, if they do not abide by the CC&R's.

I lived 8 years in a HOA, and like many of the former homeowners who sold and moved, I said, "Never again." HOA's are not for everybody! And I am one of the most fussy people when it comes to home and yard maintenance.

[clearwater]

QUOTE (kanda @ Jun 30 2004, 11:02 AM)

Thanks, Terry. That just didn't sound possible to me. 72 hours sounds much more reasonable.

Despite the City ordinance, some HOA can and do impose their own rules. This is especially true when one lives in a development that has PRIVATE streets that are maintained by the HOA and not the city.
Just be sure to read the CCR BEFORE you sign the papers, and find out if there is an active HOA or if the CCR are just old unenforcable recommendations.

[Steve Heard]

Always try to stay on the good side of HOA's. They can issue citations and fines, and in some cases, foreclose if you owe them money.

[bishmasterb]

Steve is right. The best strategy is pay them on time, do the little annoying things they ask without complaining and be nice to all of your immediate neighbors. AND don't ever report your neighbors for silly little infractions of the rules, and perhaps they won't report you. Funny how that works.

[Harsha]

The parkway HOA also requires us to do stupid things, they want me to paint my dish the color of the house(ahhhh....). is this legal, how to find if we signed anything to this regard? anyone else having the same experience..

Bish - Are you saying we should obey to everything they say?

[bishmasterb]

harsha,

Yes the HOA will make you do silly things, no doubt about it. Example: I was talking to a neighbor just last night who told me they made him remove several cantaloupe-sized white rocks he had placed near his fence which were barely visible (I had never noticed them).

I had to paint my satellite dish as well. It is legal. All homeowners signed the Parkway CC&Rs (that huge 3 ring binder that you didn't read?). If you've lost your copy I'm sure the HOA will replace it for a fee; or I'd be happy to let you read mine (if I can find it!).

Am I saying that you should do every silly thing that they ask? Of course not! Just be sure to pick your battles, because the rules are stacked against you. "I fought the HOA, and the HOA won," will be your lament.

Also, it's worth repeating, a lot of complaints to the HOA come from homeowners...so never, ever file a complaint against a neighbor (anyone in the Parkway) without at least trying to solve that problem with your neighbor directly first. That door swings both ways, and hopefully you will find fewer trivial complaints lodged against you.

Where do you live in the Parkway?

[Harsha]

Bish,

Thanks for the reply. I live in the the trails (John Laing). I moved in a few months back and am pretty satisfied with the home except for minor stuff like these. where do you live?

- Harsha (On his way to paint the dish;(

[Farley]

I much prefer a location with a little variety. The idea of total conformity is not appealing to me.

It is not hard to paint a dish, but why? Conform, Conform, Conform.

[bishmasterb]

harsha,

We live in a Centex home, can't remember the name of the tract though! On a culdesac right near the trails that separate the two neighborhoods.

farley,

Yes, HOAs have pros and cons; right now for me, the pros outweigh the cons (and its also hard to find a non-HOA new home tract). Conformity can be troubling to some, but for me at this point in my life, making my house look different is pretty far down my list of priorities (I'm wearing khaki pants and a blue dress shirt right now, just so you have some context to how "different" I look!). Later in life, I will absolutely want my own spread with no rules, and no one telling me what I can or can't do.

Currently I don't have to worry about my neighbor painting their house pink or replacing their lawn with painted rocks. The aesthetics are taken care of for me.