Homeowner's Associations (HOA's) are difficult to ignore in some cities, and in other cities, they're hard to come by. Condos aren't the only time HOA's are found. You'll find a lot of planned development and gated communities that also have homeowner's associations.

Annual or monthly fees will be required.

Buyers that may not have lived in an area where homeowner associations may not know what to expect.

1. Homes May Be Out of Compliance

A major worry, and one that many buyers don't know about, is a home for sale may not be in HOA compliance. This might mean that the buyer has to make costly repairs, or it may mean that the existing problems can be ignored.

Buyers need to know what the rules are and if they have to make changes to comply with current HOA rules.

2. Some HOA's Offer a Lot of Benefits

Homeowner associations aren't always a bad choice. You'll have to pay fees, but you'll also have the comfort of a community road as well as some nice benefits.

"You will find many condo buildings with incredible Homeowner’s Associations (HOA’s) that will more than likely cover items such as maintenance of the building and upkeep of the property, as well as insurance and even internet and cable in some cases," writes http://www.homeguidemyrtlebeach.com.

Buyers want to ask what is included in their HOA fees because they may be receiving a lot of benefits that they don't know about.

3. Fees Can and Do Change

Buyers are at the mercy of the HOA rules. The rules dictate what can and can't be done in an association. Fees are one of the rules that buyers need to pay most attention to because it may mean that the buyer needs to pay more money in the future.

A few of the questions that buyers should be asking are:

• How are fee increases set?

• How large is the HOA reserve fund?

• How often can fees increase?

Buyers will be paying the entirety of the fees whether or not they use facilities. If the association includes a park and you don't use the park, you won't be able to reduce your fees because you don't use the park.

4. Meeting Minutes Are Held

HOA meetings are held, and these meetings are very important to view before buying. Buyers have a right to ask to see the minutes, and this means that they'll be able to see:

• Past and current conflicts

• Processes of the HOA

Buyers will be able to see if the HOA sued anyone in the past. Buyers also have the right of being able to talk to current owners to see how they feel about the association. This allows buyers to get a sense of what the association entails and the issues that may exist.

HOAs may also be undermanaged, and this is a bad thing. Buyers need to know that the fees they pay are going to what they're supposed to go to under the HOA rules.