<prompt> Human: So I am looking to purchase a very small home. In Florida, it seems that the smaller places are in these over 55 communities. So after looking around i found a new area that has great designs and is exactly the size I need. I qualified to live there as I have no kids. I was super pleased with the cost as the mortgage would be less than my skyrocketing rent. The idea was to actually put money to owning something rather than throwing it away on rent, obtain a place that is big enough to host visitors, but not so big that heatingAC costs would be big, and to have a quieter living environment. All this looked good. My only concession was that apparently as a 55 plus community they dont do garden tubs at all...guess too many older folks fall and break things.Then we added on the HOA fees. The HOA is 300.00 monthly. They do all the landscaping and there is a lot, replace roofing and paint on the exterior. In addition, they maintain the club house, the pool, the Vineyard and Olive grove Yes, not high on my list of priorities... dog park and running trails which are fab. Does this seem reasonable? The total cost is not terrible, but I have some concerns about the HOA going UP in the future. Ive never met anyone who loves their HOA but they are pretty much a part of Florida Living these days, so I just could use some guidance...I have done well on debt management, so well that when they went to pre-qualify me they found almost no credit since I generally purchase cash, and have paid off both student loans and car. What is the risk of an HOA that is already kind of up there, going up more, and is this the sort of thing that increases each year. I sure would hate to pay off my mortgage and be then paying 750 a month in HOA fees...  <response>: None. Do you really want a bunch of unqualified, power-trip soccer moms and bullying-victim dads telling you where you cancant park your car, build a shed, or paint your house? Worse yet, you have to pay for all this and the cost will keep going up. This is the biggest purchase of your life; do you want it contingent on any of the above? 