• What is a Homeowners Association?
• What are my annual homeowner dues used for?
• Who determines what the dues are spent on?
• Is an invoice or bill sent for my annual homeowners' dues?
• I do not want to be in the Homeowners Association. Can I voluntarily withdraw?
• What happens if I do not pay my annual homeowner dues?
• I thought my dues were included in my mortgage payment. Why am I getting a separate bill?
• Who handles the affairs of the Homeowners Association and is responsible for making decisions for the Association?
• What is the purpose of the Board of Directors?
• Who elects the Board of Directors and how often are they elected?
• I would like to address the Board of Directors at a meeting. How do I do that?
• I am interested in serving on the Board or on a committee. How can I get involved?
• I want to install a fence on my property. What do I do?
• Why do I have to get permission to make changes to my property? I should have the right to do whatever I want since it is my house!
• Can I put up a mini satellite dish?
• I would like to put a storage shed in my back yard. Do I need permission, and if so, how do I go about getting permission?
• What will happen if I install a fence, storage shed (or make any exterior alteration, improvement, or modification) and I do not get permission from the Architectural Control Committee?
• My neighbor will not mow his grass or keep his yard in an orderly manner. What can I do?
• My heating and air conditioning system is broken. Does the homeowners association take care of this repair?
• What will happen if I do not take care of my property, such as leave trash in the yard, a junk car in the driveway, not mow my lawn or prune my bushes?
• Who do I call if my sewer line stops up or my Septic backsup?
• I don't have any water, who do I call?
• When it snows, who is responsible for snow removal on the streets?
• Children are continually playing in my yard, what should I do?
• People are speeding through the neighborhood. Who should I call?
• My neighbor has a dog that barks all the time, and when the dog is out, it runs free and messes up our yard. What can I do?
• My neighbor is loud, plays loud music, has parties, etc. What do I do, whom do I call?
• I never got a copy of the Covenants. Where can I get one?
• If I sell my property, is there anything I need to do?

A residential subdivision that is a corporation in which all members agree to abide by a set of covenants and conduct themselves for the common good of the community.

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ANNUAL DUES



Your dues are used to pay for expenses that your Association incurs and has budgeted for, such as pool management and maintenance, landscaping, newsletters, insurance on common areas, Directors and Officers Insurance, management, legal fees, etc.

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The Management Company and Board of your Association, which are elected by you, the homeowners.

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Your Association or management company is not required to, but Yes, a reminder for your annual dues in December of each year for the next years' dues.

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No. Being in Ballard Woods is not voluntary and you cannot withdraw from the Homeowners Association. When you purchased property in Ballard Woods, you agreed by Deed to abide by the Homeowner Association Documents and Restrictive Covenants. Being a member of the Ballard Woods Homeowners Association is not a choice, it is mandatory since you purchased in Ballard Woods. You are obligated to be in the Association by your Deed.

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Three notices are sent, an invoice, a reminder, and a final notice. If it is necessary to send the final notice for non-payment, a $25.00 fee is incurred by the homeowner. If the dues are not paid, your account is turned over to a collection attorney. Per the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Ballard Woods, the debtor (homeowner) is responsible for any and all legal/court costs, which can be costly. A lien will be placed on the property. If the dues are not paid after a lien is secured, the property may be foreclosed and sold at public auction. If the property does not sell at the auction, the Homeowners Association has the legal right to take the property and evict the owner.

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Your dues are not included in your mortgage payment like your insurance and taxes are. Your mortgage company does not escrow your homeowner dues.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS



The Board of Directors, NOT the Property Management Company. The Board of Directors oversees all operations of the Association, including the employment of a Property Management Company.

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To manage and handle the affairs of the homeowners association. The Board of Directors is just like the City Council. The main purpose and objective of the Board is to preserve, protect and enhance the property values in the homeowners association.

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You (the homeowners) elect the Board of Directors. At the annual meeting each year, the Board of Directors are voted in by the homeowners. The number of Board members and their term limits are defined in the By-Laws of the Association. The Board members elect their own officers (Pres., VP., Sec., Treas.). The term of the officers is one year.

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Contact a Board member for the date and place of the next Board of Directors meeting to have yourself placed on the agenda for that meeting.

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Either contact a Board member, or attend an annual meeting. Volunteers are welcome!

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ARCHITECTURAL



(Please refer to the Ballard Woods Architectural Committee Guidelines) Fill out an architectural request form and submit the plans as to the type, size, location, and materials used and submit the request to the Ballard Woods Homeowners Association or a Board member. It will then be forwarded to Architectural Control Committee.

1. At the closing for your property you were given a Deed. With the Deed is a drawing. (map with your house located on your lot.) Make a copy of the drawing and draw where you would like the fence on your lot.
   
2. Please state the type of fence you want i.e., shadow, slated, picket, etc. (Draw a picture)
   
3. The height you want the fence to be. (Maximum height is 6 feet.)
   
4. Mail or e-mail the request to the address above. It will be forwarded to the Architectural Control Committee. A decision on your request will be made within 30 days.

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When you purchased in Ballard Woods, you agreed by Deed to abide by the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Ballard Woods. These covenants restrict your private property rights and stipulate many things that you can and cannot do, however, they insure that your property values will be preserved, protected, and enhanced. For example, it insures that no one is going to build a truck garage next to your house, or put a pink fence around the yard. By having to obtain written permission from the Architectural Control Committee before any improvements, modifications, or alterations are made, insures every homeowner that nothing should be done in the community that would be detrimental to their property values and their way of life.

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Yes, but it should be placed in the back yard or on the back of the house if at all possible.

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Yes, you do need permission for any exterior alteration, addition, or change. Please see above for the procedure.

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The Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Ballard Woods gives the Board of Directors the authority to enforce the governing documents. If someone is not in compliance with the Covenants, then the Board has the power to force the violator to remove the improvement/alteration/ addition by any legal means. A court order may be obtained and/or the violator may be fined up to $100.00/week for non-compliance in accordance with the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Ballard Woods. If fining is implemented and the violation is not abated in thirty days, a lien will be placed on the property and foreclosure proceedings may commence. This is for your protection to help preserve, protect, and enhance property values. It prevents homeowners from making any changes that might hurt property values in the community.

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Contact a Board member or the management company. A notice will be sent and if the violation is not corrected in a timely manner, a fine of up $100.00/month may be implemented by the Board of Directors.

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HOME MAINTENANCE



No. The maintenance and repair of your HVAC system as well as any other repairs to your home is your responsibility, not the Association's.

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You will receive a notice from the Board of Directors/Management Company giving you a reasonable amount of time to correct the violation. If it is not corrected in this time frame, you may be fined up to $100.00/month until the violation is corrected.

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Call a plumber or a septic tank company if you have a backup. This is not the homeowners association's or Management Company's responsibility.

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The Harnett County Department of Utilities. This is not a Homeowner Association responsibility.

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The County or DOT. The streets are county streets and do not belong to Ballard Woods, therefore any problems should be reported to the County or DOT, NOT the Board or Management Co.

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GENERAL QUESTIONS



Contact the parents and try to correct the problem. If the problem persists, call the police.

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Call the police. This is police jurisdiction, not the management's or homeowners associations.

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Talk to your neighbor and see if this will help. If it does not, you should call the local animal control.

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Try to talk to the neighbor first. If this does not work, call the police! Neither the Management nor the Board of Directors has police power. It is a matter for the local authorities.

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You should have received a copy of the Covenants from your closing attorney or your real estate agent when you purchased your home. If you did not, please contact a member of the board for a downloadable copy.

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Make sure your closing attorney calls the Homeowners Association or Management Company for dues payment information. Make sure you forward your pool pass and key. Also, after your property has closed, please call the Ballard Woods Homeowners Association and let them know.

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