The senior community of Laguna Woods Village is all about the “Country Club” amenities it offers. These include the 27 hole championship golf course ($8 for residents), the fact that it is a gate guarded community – AND – one of the Top 10 safest cities in America! The Horse stables, 7 clubhouses, 5 swimming pools, tennis courts, 2 state of the art fitness centers, and only 7 miles to Laguna Beach, California. But how much is all this going to cost me? Good question! The HOA dues for Laguna Woods Village are $528 per month for a Co-op and $553 per month for a Condo. Besides all of the fabulous amenities mentioned above (and that is only a partial list), they also cover the following:
- Building Insurance (fire and damage other than earthquake)
- Cable television
- Water
- Trash pickup
- Exterior building maintenance (painting and roof care)
- Grounds maintenance
- Plumbing and electric repair
- Appliance repair and replacement (Co-op only)
- Free Bus transportation, Maintenance of streets, sewers, exterior lighting, Around-the-clock security, Full replacement fire & hazard insurance on buildings
- NO MELLO ROOS
The only thing more residents pay for is electricity, phone, and property taxes.
The “average” HOA dues for other condo developments in South Orange County are $275 per month. To compare what you get for your dues in Laguna Woods Village verses what you get in other condo developments, please see the chart below. For further comparison purposes, I have also included a Single Family home. I think you will find the differences striking!
As you can see from the Chart below (when all expenses have been added up) – Laguna Woods Village is actually $87 cheaper per month than the average South County Condo! And $112 cheaper per month than an average Single Family Home!
Furthermore, the average price of a Laguna Woods Condo is $205,000 verses $317,000 for a condo in South Orange County. That is a difference of $112,000! That extra $112,000 mortgage (at a 30 year fixed rate @ 5.2% interest) would run you an extra $615 per month! You add this extra mortgage amount to the cost of the HOA dues of $275 and you get $890 – So Laguna Woods Village is actually $362 cheaper per month! That is a big difference!
So when you add it all up, the expenses in Laguna Woods Village are actually less than they would be in a similar South Orange County Condo or Single Family Home.
HOA Check List – Monthly Expenses
* Please note the average price of a L.W.V. Condo with GOOD LOCATION and GOOD CONDITION is $205,000. The average price of a Standard Condo in South Orange County is $317,000 in a same “good location” and “good condition.” That means your mortgage would be $112,000 more or monthly, $615 more per month for the same condo, basically…
** A new roof is needed every 20 years and costs an average of $15,000. A home needs to be painted every 10 years at an average cost of $8,000 – This totals $31,000 over 20 years or $1,550 yr. or $129 mo.
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Internal plumbing repairs are covered in United Mutual (co-ops) but not in Third Mutual. External repairs are paid by the mutuals.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:14 am
Thank you Dave for the comment, you are absolutely right!
November 25th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Dear Patrick,
Residents of Laguna Woods Village enjoy high speed Internet access for the low cost of $20.95 a month, much less than Cox or
AT&T.
Any room addition or patio enclosure insurance must be paid by the owner in Third Mutual. The mutual does not provide fire and extended coverage or such additions.
Thank you for your excellent article, Patrick. Our location west of the freeway and in the path of cooling ocean breezes adds significantly to the value of our property, as does the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park bordering on our western perimeter, because it guards us against any future development on those 6,800 acres once slated for the Irvine Company’s huge Laguna Laurel Project that would have been a disaster for
Laguna Woods Village. We owe Donald Bren a huge debt for helping us Keep it Wild forever.
November 26th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Hi, Thank you! I would now go on this blog every day!
Bottomless
December 6th, 2009 at 5:00 am
Hi there Bottomless.
Thanks for all this interesting and inspiring information.
I was wondering if the HOA Dues were payable online.
I have searched the internet without success in answer to this question.
Thanks in anticipation
Aharon
January 24th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Not at this time. Payable only by check, automatic debit, or in person at the Community Center.