What ownership involves
What association fees actually cover.
The short answer
A lower fee is not always the cheaper choice. In the Coachella Valley, association dues cover wildly different things from one community to the next: at one end the roof, exterior paint, all landscaping, exterior insurance and water; at the other, the gate and the common area landscaping and nothing else. Two homes can carry the same monthly figure and mean completely different obligations. And within a single large community, dues are frequently property specific rather than uniform. The number on the listing tells you almost nothing on its own.
The comparison nobody does properly
Two properties. One carries a $500 monthly association fee, the other $800. Most buyers treat that as a $300 difference in favour of the first.
| Home A: $500 a month | Home B: $800 a month | |
|---|---|---|
| Gate and private roads | Included | Included |
| Common area landscaping | Included | Included |
| Your own landscaping | Your cost | Included |
| Roof | Your cost | Included |
| Exterior paint | Your cost | Included |
| Exterior insurance | Your policy | Association policy |
| Water for landscaping | Your bill | Frequently included |
An illustrative comparison of the two ends of the range, not a description of any specific community. Every association differs and the documents govern.
Home B may cost less to own.
Roof replacement, exterior paint and landscaping on a desert property are not small numbers, and desert sun ages materials faster than most climates. Add back what the lower fee does not cover before deciding which is cheaper.
Fees are frequently not uniform within a community
This is the part that surprises people most, and it is common in the larger developments.
At PGA WEST, association dues are property specific rather than association wide. Figures cited in MLS listings have ranged from roughly $464 to $802 a month depending on the property. The community contains three residential associations sitting beneath a master association, and an attached residence and a detached home a few streets apart can pay quite different amounts for quite different things.
So a figure quoted for a community is often a figure for one property in it. Ask what this address pays, and what that particular payment covers.
And they almost never include golf
This is the most expensive assumption a desert buyer makes, and it is worth stating as plainly as possible.
In most Coachella Valley private communities, club membership is a separate decision from property ownership, with separate costs. At PGA WEST the association tells its own owners directly that a home does not include membership or access to the three private courses.
The structures vary considerably beyond that. At The Madison Club and The Hideaway, both Discovery Land Company communities, ownership and membership are handled as separate components. At BIGHORN, membership is available to property owners only and is described as non equity, non voting and non transferable. At Tradition and The Quarry, residency is not required to join at all. At Toscana, non resident membership is available.
Andalusia at Coral Mountain is the partial exception worth knowing: the Sports Club is included in association dues, while golf membership remains optional and separate.
Six communities, six different structures.
There is no Valley standard, and no safe assumption. Establish the position in writing with the club before you set a budget, not after.
What to ask, in order
| 1 | What does this specific property pay, rather than what the community typically pays? |
| 2 | What does that payment cover? Ask for the list rather than a summary |
| 3 | What does it not cover that I would otherwise assume it does? |
| 4 | Is there more than one association here, and do I pay into more than one? |
| 5 | What insurance does the association carry, and what must I carry myself? |
| 6 | Is any special assessment pending, proposed or recently completed? |
| 7 | May I see the most recent reserve study? |
| 8 | How have dues moved over the last five years? |
| 9 | Is club membership separate, and is it required, optional or unavailable? |
| 10 | What do the rules say about rentals, and do they differ from the city ordinance? |
Question seven does more work than the others. A reserve study indicates whether an association is funding future repairs properly or deferring them, and deferred maintenance eventually arrives as an assessment.
Why fees rise
They do rise, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.
Insurance costs across California have increased substantially in recent years and associations are not exempt. Water is not cheap here and landscaping needs it. Roads, roofs and clubhouses reach the end of their lives on a schedule that does not care about the budget.
A community with a well funded reserve is more likely to raise dues gradually. One with a thin reserve is more likely to levy an assessment suddenly. Both are legitimate approaches and the reserve study tells you which you are buying into.
How this affects value
Two properties of similar size in the same community can differ substantially in value depending on how much of the structure the association maintains, and it is one of the variables a price per square foot comparison hides entirely.
It also affects who will buy your home later. A lock and leave buyer, particularly a seasonal one, frequently pays more for a property where the association handles the exterior, because the alternative is managing contractors from another state. A full time owner may prefer the control and the lower fee.
Neither is better. But they are different buyers, and knowing which one your property suits is part of pricing it. See what your budget buys for how these figures behave across ten communities.
Frequently asked questions
What do HOA fees cover in the Coachella Valley?
It varies enormously and there is no standard. At one end, a fee on an attached home may cover roof, exterior paint, all landscaping, exterior insurance, water, trash and gate staffing. At the other, a fee on a detached estate may cover only the gate, the private roads and common area landscaping, leaving you responsible for the roof, the exterior, your own landscaping and your own insurance. Two homes can carry the same monthly figure and mean completely different things.
Is a lower HOA fee always cheaper?
No, and this is the most expensive misunderstanding in the desert market. If a $500 monthly fee covers the gate and common areas while an $800 fee covers the roof, exterior paint, all landscaping and exterior insurance, the $800 property may cost less to own. Roof replacement, exterior paint and landscaping on a desert home are not small numbers. Compare what each fee covers, then add back what it does not.
Are HOA fees the same for everyone in a community?
Frequently not, and this catches people out. At PGA WEST, dues are property specific rather than association wide, and figures cited in MLS listings have ranged from around $464 to $802 a month depending on the property. Large communities often contain several associations with different obligations, and an attached residence and a detached home in the same development can pay quite different amounts for quite different things.
Do HOA fees include golf?
Almost never, and assuming otherwise is the single most costly error a desert buyer makes. In most Coachella Valley private communities, club membership is a separate decision from ownership with separate costs. At PGA WEST the association states directly to its own owners that a home does not include membership or access to the three private courses. Andalusia at Coral Mountain is a partial exception, where the Sports Club is included in association dues while golf membership remains optional and separate.
What is a special assessment?
A charge levied on top of regular dues, usually to fund a major repair or a shortfall in reserves. Roof replacement, road resurfacing, clubhouse renovation and infrastructure work are common causes. Ask whether any assessment is pending or has been discussed, and ask to see the reserve study, which indicates whether the association is funding future work properly or deferring it.
What documents should I review before buying?
The current CC&Rs, the budget, the most recent reserve study, minutes from recent board meetings, any pending or recently completed assessments, the rules on rentals, and the insurance the association carries against what you must carry yourself. In California a seller is generally required to provide association documents during escrow. Read them rather than skimming them, and retain a qualified attorney if anything is unclear.
Can HOA fees go up?
Yes, and they do. Insurance costs across California have risen substantially, water is not cheap, and deferred maintenance eventually arrives. A community with a well funded reserve is more likely to raise dues gradually. One with a thin reserve is more likely to levy an assessment suddenly. The reserve study tells you which you are looking at.
What we do not know
We have not published a table of current dues by community, and we are not going to. Associations revise them, several communities contain multiple associations with different obligations, and a figure that is wrong by a year is worse than no figure at all.
What we can do is pull the current position for a specific address and tell you what it covers, which is the only version of this information that is actually useful.
Published August 10, 2026
Written by Laurie McLennan and Cailin McLennan, The McLennan Team at Desert Sotheby’s International Realty
California DRE #01424382 and #02121998
This page is informational and is not legal, tax, financial or insurance advice. Association obligations are set by each community’s governing documents, change over time, and should be confirmed in writing for the specific property. Retain a qualified attorney for any question about what a document means.