> The HOA can have a huge impact on your property values and the overall desirability of the community.

Just tacking onto this for an affirmatory personal anecdote; the condo complex I live in has been in pretty desperate need of repairs for about a decade now but the HOA board has continually put off the repairs and projects in favor of keeping dues low because they didn't want to pay for it. Now that the chickens have come home to roost, the repairs are badly needed and we are faced with a massive special assessment that is hurting resale value to the tune of almost a hundred grand per unit. It is truly staggering, shocking incompetence on the part of the board. We are selling to leave the state as we're in a high COL area and will still be able to afford a nice house elsewhere with the sale proceeds, but having the value cut by almost 20% because of the board's incompetence hurts a lot.

Hold your HOA accountable for every penny you can. Even your $3.50 overcharge.