re: HOA fees and liens

Don't pay them. If you have a mortgage, they won't pay it off to move into first position. They will just keep piling up and when you sell, you can settle with them. It will probably show up on your credit, though. Also, I had a guy in the CC of LA that kept getting letters from the HOA, he didn't know because his girlfriend lived in the house. When I called to see what he owed, they went a filed the liens. If I wouldn't have called, they would not have filed the liens. You may want to check with the courthouse to see if they have filed on other properties in the subdivision. A large percentage of HOA's are just bullies and will try to scare you into paying. Many won't spend the $100 or so to file it. The issue comes into play if they contact your mortgage holder and then they start escrowing it. You will be screwed then. They will charge you and collect what is in arrears, plus two additional months.