A question we get every day is what are the fees and what do they include? This is a great question and one we are happy to explain. Association fees, homeowner fees or assessments as they may be called, cover in part, the cost associated with owning property. These are day-to-day necessities such as water, sewer, trash pickup, and maintaining buildings and grounds. At Ocean Creek, they also pay for those extra amenities and services that we enjoy like recreational facilities, cable TV, and Internet (is that for enjoyment or a necessity?).
In Ocean Creek we have two levels of associations; the Master Property Owner’s Association (MPOA), and the six individuals associations: the Garden Homes, the Tennis Villas, the Greens, the Lodges, Tower North and Tower South.
The MPOA fee is approximately $221 a month, paid quarterly. That pays for the security which is 24/7 with a guard at the gate and a rover, maintaining the 57 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and trees, the tennis center, the Beach Club, walks, the six common pools, high speed Internet that is available anywhere on the property.
The balance of the fee ranges from approximately $180 to $545 a month. These fees are determined by each of the six associations and vary based on the number of bedrooms or size of the property. These fees pay for Cable TV (with about 70 channels and HBO), monthly pest control, trash pickup, the maintenance of the building exteriors, elevators, halls or fences, and the insurance for the buildings (Tower North bills for the actual insurance premium annually). These fees also pay for the building managers and the building staff who mop the lobbies, clean the hallways and elevators, the walkways, parking decks, all the common areas. Tower North and Tower South also maintain their own pools and the cooling towers for each building.
So, to make a fair comparison take out a piece of paper and write down how much you spend each month for each of these items: insurance, cable TV or satellite, Internet, water, waste, trash, pest control, yard care, maintaining the outside of your house, etc. When we completed this exercise, we exceeded the average fee at Ocean Creek with just the first four items, (it did not begin to cover what we spent on house and yard maintenance) and we did not have a pool, tennis courts or security.
When you consider all that is involved, association fees can be a real bargain. Associations, especially large & healthy associations like Ocean Creek have much greater buying power than individual homeowners. The pooling of resources also enables owners to have a lot more fun; like taking a walk on the beach, a swim in the pool or playing tennis instead of mowing the grass or pulling weeds.
It’s easy living!