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Sept. 17, 2020 — Falls Church, VA — As Virginia sees an uptick in home sales after a dip in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows that residents of the commonwealth are overwhelmingly satisfied living in their community association. According to the 2020 Homeowner Satisfaction Survey, an exclusive industry report conducted by Zogby Analytics for the Foundation for Community Association Research, the majority of Virginia homeowners (84%) rate their overall community association living experience as very good or good (60%) or neutral (24%).

The biennial, nationwide survey provides a better understanding of how 73.9 million Americans describe their experience living in common interest communities—from city-sized, master-planned communities and multibuilding condominium complexes to urban cooperatives and small homeowners associations built into tracks of open suburban spaces.

Nationwide, 70% of homeowners surveyed live in single-family homes (a seven-point increase from 2018), followed by 13% who live in condominiums, and 11% who live in townhomes. In Virginia, 64% of respondents live in single-family homes, 24% in townhomes, and 11% in condominiums.

According to the report, neighborhoods that are clean/attractive and maintenance-free are the top benefits of living in a community association. Additionally, a majority of Virginia respondents (89%) say their association's rules protect and enhance property values (68%) or have a neutral effect (21%). Eighty-five percent of those surveyed expressed that neighbors elected to their association's governing board “absolutely" or “for the most part" strive to serve in the best interests of the community.

Virginia community association residents in the survey also commented on other benefits, including:

• The average amount of monthly assessments, or dues, is $101–$300. When asked about the amount they pay, 44% of Virginia homeowners feel they're paying “just the right amount" in assessments.
• The majority of residents (54%) say they get along “very well" with their neighbors.
• Sixty-nine percent of respondents say their community association manager provides value and support to residents and the community as a whole.
• More than half of those surveyed (64%) prefer “less government control" or “no change" to state laws and regulations for governing community associations.
• Sixty-eight percent say they vote in national elections, and more than half (57%) say they “always" vote in state and local elections.

“The 2020 Homeowner Satisfaction Survey continues to show how community associations are vibrant and diverse places that residents from all backgrounds, races, and religions call home," says Thomas M. Skiba, CAE, CAI's chief executive officer. “In the feedback from Virginia residents, we see that while the majority are happy living in their community, they also are more interested in learning that the home is located in an association—affirming that these communities remain popular and are meeting the needs of today's homeowner."

The vast majority of Virginia homeowners (88%) were told prior to purchase that their home was in a community association, and 39% said that fact made them more interested in buying the home.

Today, there are more than 350,000 common interest communities in the U.S., according to the 2019–2020 National and State Statistical Review for Community Association Data. Virginia is home to more than 8,000 community associations housing 1.9 million residents.

“As the leading researcher for the community association housing model, the Foundation is proud to deliver this exclusive industry report that provides a quantifiable and sustainable resource for community associations in the U.S. and worldwide," says Dawn M. Bauman, CAE, executive director of the Foundation for Community Association Research and CAI's senior vice president of government and public affairs. “Now more than ever, residents in community associations have been impacted in the way they live, work, and play. Our research provides relevant data to help solve challenges that these communities will most likely face."

Community Associations Institute (CAI) is the only global organization establishing standards and offering best practices and world-class education for community association board members and managers. Virginia has four CAI chapters across the state delivering critical resources, information, and guidance to people living and working in the state's community associations. Visit www.caionline.org/chapters for a complete list of Virginia chapters.

The Foundation conducted similar surveys in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Results can be accessed at foundation.caionline.org.

CAI has developed guidance, sample forms and documents, and FAQs on the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include decisions to close common areas, gyms, pools, and meeting spaces, collecting assessments, insurance, and finances.

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About Community Associations Institute 
Since 1973, Community Associations Institute (CAI) has been the leading provider of resources and information for homeowners, volunteer board leaders, professional managers, and business professionals in the more than 350,000 homeowners associations, condominiums, and housing cooperatives in the United States and millions of communities worldwide. With more than 42,000 members, CAI works in partnership with 36 legislative action committees and 64 affiliated chapters within the U.S., Canada, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates as well as with housing leaders in several other countries, including Australia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. A global nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization, CAI is the foremost authority in community association management, governance, education, and advocacy. Our mission is to inspire professionalism, effective leadership, and responsible citizenship—ideals reflected in community associations that are preferred places to call home. Visit us at www.caionline.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook @CAISocial.

About the Foundation for Community Association Research

Our mission—with your support—is to provide research-based information for homeowners, community association board members, community managers, developers, and other stakeholders. Since the Foundation's inception in 1975, we've built a solid reputation for producing accurate, insightful, and timely information, and we continue to build on that legacy. Visit foundation.caionline.org.