<prompt> Human: My wife and I are both in our mid 20s and look to get out of the perpetual renting situation weve been in since college. Right now we have about 10k save up in a downpayment fund so far, and are looking at houses in the 250k to 350k range.We are looking in the Tacoma area 40 minutes south of Seattle.  <response>: Be careful of communities that have an HOA and strict rules. I have friends that moved into Federal Way that were fined for flying a seahawks flag in the front of their house. Some rules make sense, but others do not. Also, when I was looking for a first house, I was under contract for a home where the HOA board told my realtor I could build a fence in my backyard, but that all changed when we asked to get it in writing.. so I had to back out. Third horror story, my girlfriends father lived in an HOA community where someone on the board was embezzling money and this was found out when the units needed roof replacement. So everyone had to pay out of pocket again to replace the roof.Of course there are pros of an HOA, but just be careful before you commit to something and ask to see their financials. Sometimes people in charge feel that their opinionneeds takes precedence over others. 