New Construction

What do HOA and community fees on a new build actually pay for?

By Steve Lockhart

The short answer

New construction in Las Vegas is overwhelmingly HOA living, and the dues are part of the true cost of the home.

Full answer

New construction in Las Vegas is overwhelmingly HOA living, and the dues are part of the true cost of the home. In master-planned communities you may pay two associations: the neighborhood HOA for your immediate area, and a master association for the district-wide parks, trails, gates, and amenities. Both appear in your monthly cost, and both can increase.

What the fees buy varies widely. At one end, a small HOA covers little more than common landscaping and insurance. At the other, a master-planned community maintains parks, pools, fitness centers, gates, and neighborhood services. New communities budget for what exists today and what is coming, and as amenities and maintenance mature, fees tend to rise, which is why the reserve study and budget matter.

Before you fall in love with the amenities, read the documents: the current fee schedule, the budget, the reserve study, and the CC&Rs, the rules that govern everything from paint colors to rentals. Ask what the fees include, whether a master association sits on top, whether fees are scheduled to increase, and whether special assessments are on the horizon. The monthly cost of the community is part of the purchase price.

Go a little deeper

Frequently asked

Questions people often follow up on

Why do HOA fees on new communities go up?

New associations start lean and mature: amenities come online, landscaping grows in, and maintenance and reserve funding become real costs as the community fills. Fees typically rise through buildout and then settle. The master association in a large community adds a second layer and a second increase path.

What are CC&Rs and why should I read them?

CC&Rs, the covenants, conditions, and restrictions, are the community's rulebook: what you can build, paint, park, and rent, and how the board operates. They govern daily life in an HOA community, so reading them before you buy beats discovering the rules after closing.

Can I negotiate HOA fees on a new build?

The fees themselves are set by the association budget, not the sales sheet, so they are not usually negotiable. Some builders offer to pay HOA dues for a period as an incentive, which is real savings, but the underlying fee structure stays what the association runs on.

The Lockhart Method

Your Home | My Strategy | Proven Results

My strategy: price the community like part of the home. I pull the neighborhood and master association fees, the budget, and the CC&Rs into the total comparison, so the monthly cost you plan to carry includes the parks, the gates, and the fine print, not just the mortgage.

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