I know there is a ton to learn about being a homeowner and I’ve been slowly learning things. I’ve always been pretty handy with little repairs around the place and I used to fix things on my own at my rentals if they were really easy because it was normally simpler for me to do it than to wait for someone to come. But I have had to learn more things now that I don’t have a landlord since I don’t want to pay for someone to do things that I can try to do on my own. For example, I’ve had to learn some basic plumbing things to try to fix a slow drain. I’m also looking at replacing a bathroom faucet since that wasn’t done in the renovation, but that will need to be done by a handyman since that is a bit more involved than what I’ve been figuring out.
But besides the homeowner stuff that I’ve been learning regarding maintenance and repairs, I’m also learning about being in a condo building and having an HOA. I know other people have complained a lot about HOAs and how they micromanage every little thing, but I think I’m pretty lucky with my HOA. I did have to get their approval for the renovation and it wasn’t the quickest process, but it wasn’t too difficult. And I’ve had to get approval to replace my front door lock since that needs to match the existing lock, but I was able to find almost an identical match and got it approved so I can either try to replace it myself or hire someone to do that. We don’t have a lot of amenities here, but the HOA does a good job of maintaining common spaces like the courtyard. And they do the gardening in the little backyard area that I have.
I know there are a lot of things I can learn about how the HOA works, and I have plenty of time to figure things out, but I want to know as much as I can so I can understand how things get done. And the best way for me to do that is to attend the HOA meetings. I’ve only been able to attend a few of them, including the meeting I attended where they discussed my renovation plans so they could be approved. Sometimes the meetings conflict with other meetings, and I just can’t attend. But just like the different union meetings I try to go to, I make every effort I can to attend the HOA meetings.
So when an emergency meeting was called earlier this week, I made sure to make time in my day to be a part of it. I don’t know if any meetings before the pandemic were done in person, but every meeting since I bought my place has been over Zoom so at least it’s usually easy to attend even if I have other things I need to do at the same time. This meeting was an emergency meeting because the HOA board was looking to hire a new HOA management company after ending the contract with the current management company. There were a few different issues with the current management company, some of which I experienced myself. I had delays with getting my renovation approved because of the management company. I also had delays with other responses I had been waiting for from them. I tried to not be frustrated, but I did want to get faster responses so I could get things done and not keep waiting. And it was actually reassuring to hear that others had the same issues as me so I wasn’t odd for being frustrated with the waiting.
I didn’t really say too much in this meeting since I don’t know anything about HOA management companies. But it was interesting hearing about the different options and what exactly the management company does versus the HOA board. And by the end of the meeting, a new management company was agreed upon and we have all been emailed to set things up with them so we can have a smooth transition. Even though it’s only been a day, I’ve already had a good experience because I asked for approval for something I have been waiting on and it was approved within an hour! So I think this is a good sign of things to come!
I’m sure I’ll continue to learn more and more about home ownership and the HOA as time goes on. I’ve almost been a homeowner for a year now, although I’ve only been living here for just under 6 months. I’ve learned a lot so far, but I can’t wait to see what else I will learn about because I know it will only be things that benefit me going forward.
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