Nearly 44% of U.S. Homes for Sale Now Carry HOA Fees as Dues Continue to Climb, Realtor.com® Finds
Nearly 44% of U.S. Homes for Sale Now Carry HOA Fees as Dues Continue to Climb, Realtor.com® Finds |
| [27-January-2026] |
Median HOA fee rose to $135 in 2025 as homeowners' associations become more common across new and existing homes AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Homeowners associations (HOAs) continued their steady growth across the U.S. housing market in 2025, with nearly 44% of homes for sale now subject to a monthly HOA fee, according to the newly released Homeowners Association Report from Realtor.com®. That share, which has climbed from 34.3% in 2019 to 43.6% in 2025, underscores how HOA obligations have become an increasingly common part of the total cost of buying a home. "HOAs are no longer confined to condos or brand-new developments," said Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com®. "The HOA-heavy construction boom earlier in the decade is now filtering into the existing-home market, and many of those newer communities were built with shared amenities, private roads and common spaces that require ongoing maintenance. At the same time, rising insurance costs, stricter building safety standards and higher labor and material prices are pushing associations to raise dues, making monthly HOA fees a much more common—and more costly—feature of homeownership than they were even a few years ago." It is not just the prevalence of HOAs that is rising. The median HOA fee reached $135 in 2025, up from $125 last year and $108 in 2019, continuing a multiyear upward trend in monthly dues. Last year, Realtor.com® found that HOAs were growing in popularity and cost from 2023 to 2024. The latest data show that both trends persisted through 2025, reflecting how changes in housing construction and inventory are reshaping the resale market. More Home Listings Include HOAs in 2025 In 2025, 43.6% of U.S. home listings included a non-zero HOA fee, up from 41.9% last year and well above pre-pandemic levels. HOAs remain far more common among condos and townhomes, with 84.8% of those listings subject to monthly dues, but their reach is expanding across the broader market. Roughly one-third (33.4%) of single-family homes now carry HOA fees, and that share is on the rise. Homes with HOAs also tend to be larger and more expensive. Single-family homes with HOA fees have a median size of 2,306 square feet and a median price per square foot of $216.76, compared with 1,818 square feet and $205.10 for those without HOAs. Condos with HOAs are about the same size as those without, but they command a higher price per square foot—$276.97 versus $255.35. New construction remains the most HOA-heavy segment of the market, with 67.9% of new builds subject to HOA fees, compared with 38.9% of existing homes. However, the share of existing homes with HOAs is growing more quickly, reflecting how the HOA-heavy construction boom of 2020–2022 is now showing up in the resale inventory. The median price for a home with an HOA is $450,000, compared with $374,900 for a home without one. Much of that gap reflects differences in housing age: the average existing home with an HOA was built in 1998, while the average existing home without one dates back to 1968. Despite higher monthly obligations, being subject to an HOA in 2025 had little effect on how long listings stayed on the market in aggregate. State Trends Nevada leads all states and the District of Columbia in HOA prevalence, with 68.3% of listings subject to an HOA fee. South Dakota sits at the other end of the spectrum, with just 12.3% of listings carrying HOA dues. Geographically, the West and South are home to more homeowners' associations and have also seen the largest gains in HOA share since the pandemic. Both regions have high levels of new construction activity, helping explain their growing HOA footprint. Metros With the Most Expensive HOAs When looking at where HOA payments make up the largest share of monthly housing costs, Florida dominates the list. Among the 300 largest metro areas with above-average HOA prevalence, the places where HOA fees account for the biggest portion of a typical monthly mortgage payment include:
Florida's prominence reflects both the prevalence and the price of HOAs in the state. Climate-related insurance costs are a major factor, and legislative changes following the 2021 Surfside condo collapse have added pressure on condominium associations to build reserves and conduct more intensive inspections, driving up shared costs and monthly dues. "Florida is a clear outlier when it comes to HOA costs," Berner said. "Between rising insurance premiums and stricter safety and reserve requirements, many associations are facing higher operating expenses that ultimately get passed on to homeowners." Methodology About Realtor.com® Media contact: Mallory Micetich, press@realtor.com
SOURCE Realtor.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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