When I moved into my townhome (15) years ago, I was happy to move into a community with an HOA.  The thought that the HOA would help to ensure the value of my home.  Over the years, however, I have found that this was a big mistake.  Our community has been in decline for some time now due in large part to ongoing problems with maintenance of the common areas and the ongoing lack of enforcement of our Community Covenants (rules designed to protect the value for our community).  These problems include: house painting violations; deck staining violations; trash can storage violations; some homes in abandoned/disrepair/neglected condition; overgrown shrubs and treees in the common areas; cracked and sunken sidewalks; poorly repaired privacy fences; broken railings on steps; areas of soil erosion around common area steps and hillways; negligent snow removal; and loose trash.  I truly care about my home, my neighbors, and community and have repeatedly sent e-mails, letters, and pictures asking for help with these problems.  It's like a merry-go-round.  Nothing ever seems to get done or if something is done, it is done in a very poor way.  It is so frustrating.  I have found that ACM seems to only care about one thing only: collecting fees.  I wish that I could sell my home and move away today but I am not in a position to do so.  If you are in the market to buy a single family home or townhome, I would definitely ask if your community is managed by an HOA.  If it is American Community Management, then run, don't walk away!  Dealing with your HOA and ACM is not worth the frustration and aggravation.  It is also definitely not worth the yearly cost.