There are many acronyms in the real estate world, but what exactly is a home owners association, otherwise known as HOA?
An HOA is NOT applicable to condos, it is usually just for townhomes and single family homes. In Arlington, an HOA is rare. Not unheard of, but rare. Many of the properties with a homeowners association are recently built (within the last 10 years). An HOA is primarily there to keep the neighborhood in conformity, maintain common areas and arrange things like snow and trash removal if trash isn’t taken care of by the County. They don’t have authorization to say who can sell or buy, but can keep the owners in check as far as use, pets (no livestock), what can be parked outside, etc. The reason the majority of Arlington HOAs are recent is because they’re on small developed plots of land or side streets where many homes share a common space or street and there needs to be some kind of management over that shared area.
Be sure to review the listing carefully. If you purchase or sell a property within an HOA, a buyer has a 3-day review period for any and all HOA documents, including an inspection to check for violations.
Here’s a quick list of the some of the neighborhoods in Arlington with an HOA (this doesn’t include civic associations):
Dominion Green (22204)
Lacey Lane (22205)
Farrington Ridge (22207)
Woodmont (22207)
Spy Hill/Spy Hill Boulevard (22203)
Chain Bridge Forest (22207)
Black Oaks (22207)
Greenbrier Village (22205)
Enclave of Ballston (22203)
Lorcom Ridge (22207)
Majestic Oak (22204)
Potomac Crest (22207)
The Woods at Chain Bridge (22207)