Smart homeowners choose to live in communities managed by a homeowners association, for good reasons. Not only does an HOA protect the property value of your home, but you also reap many other benefits from having advocates who safeguard your interests.

An HOA functions at its best when its board, active volunteers, and an experienced management company work together to deliver the following benefits:

1. HOAs preserve the well-being of the community and protect property values by delivering a broad range of services and providing a safe, well-maintained living environment.
2. HOA regulations are a critical defense against neighborhood degradation, and an effective means to maintain community aesthetic, architectural, and cleanliness standards in order to protect property values.
3. HOAs lessen the need for local government oversight of housing conditions. Most municipalities do not have the authority or manpower to monitor housing. An HOA ensures against the deterioration that plagues many non-HOA communities.
4. Homeowners in HOAs have a vested interest in reporting and correcting problems from architectural and building code violations to illegal parking and landscaping issues. It is the regulations provided and enforced by the HOA that enable such vigilance.
5. HOA leaders live in their communities and better understand the needs of the homeowners and residents, from the delivery of core services and amenities to decisions that affect the future of the community.
6. HOAs promote a higher level of civic involvement than municipalities in terms of voting, meeting attendance and volunteerism. An informed citizenry, working together, is better able to invest in and protect its assets.
7. By definition, planned communities offer a more efficient use of land to address the growing issue of urban sprawl associated with unplanned development. The vision of the HOA board ensures the most efficient and cost-effective long-term planning.
8. Land-use efficiencies can make homes more affordable, a benefit for first-time home buyers, retirees and low- and moderate-income families. HOAs work with the original landowners and builders to ensure the most efficient use of space.
9. Many HOAs maintain swimming pools, tennis courts, playgrounds, and other amenities that most Americans cannot afford on their own. These features create a common lifestyle and sense of purpose that makes a neighborhood feel like a community.
10. Associations offer a sense of community, an important contribution in an increasingly transient society. Just as the American Constitution creates a shared system of values and encourages patriotism, an HOA does this on a more intimate, local level.

Judi Phares, President and CEO of CMA

Judi M. Phares is a member and past President of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of CAI, and chaired the Community Association Managers International Certification Board (CAMICB). Phares also served as past Chair PCAM® – Ethics Committee and is past Chair of the Texas Community Association Advocates, Inc., the public policy voice for property owner associations in Texas, as well as being previously involved in the PCAM program as an instructor. Phares was honored as a recipient of the Prestigious Barbara Keenan Byrd Award for her Exceptionally valuable contribution to Community Association Management Certification. Her company, CMA, is the winner of the prestigious American Business Ethics Award and the Greater Dallas Business Ethics Award, which honor companies that demonstrate a firm commitment to ethical business practices in everyday operations, management philosophies, and responses to crises or challenges.