Buying A Home In Columbia

Looking to buy a home in Columbia? Great! We can help you locate resources to make the process easier. We also want to share some valuable information about owning a home in Columbia that every prospective buyer should be aware of before you put in that offer!

First Time Home buyers

If you’re renting and ready to become a homeowner, Howard County has some great tools to make the homebuying process easier for first-time buyers. There are several programs offered by Howard County Government that you may qualify for, including a Settlement Down Payment Loan Program. You may also want to ask your bank about any programs they offer for first-time homebuyers.

The Columbia Association Assessment and Outparcels

One of the unique things about Columbia is the fact that it is a planned community with a master developer. The Rouse Company bought as much contiguous land as they could in Howard County before breaking ground on Columbia. All homes built on this land pay an Annual Charge each year (sometimes called the CPRA tax or the “assessment”) to Columbia Association that supports the maintenance of Columbia’s Open Space (undevelopable land). The Annual Charge is billed to residents twice annually. Homeowners can pay this fee directly to CA, or they can include it in their escrow payments to their mortgage company along with their Howard County property taxes. Property owners that pay the assessment are official members of their village association, and are entitled to vote in Village Elections, which are held annually in late April. Assessment-payers also receive discounted memberships to Columbia Association and Village-sponsored events.

Columbia Association and Village-sponsored Events

The village associations also enforce the covenants of that village, which are a set of rules laid out in legal documents that are part of the homebuying process in Columbia. Columbia’s covenants are intended to maintain the aesthetics, property values, and overall quality of life in Columbia’s villages, and govern everything from limits on in-home businesses to what kind of external changes can be made to homes in Columbia.They are bound to the property itself, so each owner is required to accept them as part of the deed transfer process. A document detailing the village covenants is provided to every homebuyer as part of their real estate transaction.

As Columbia started growing, some property owners refused to sell to Rouse, which created pockets of land scattered throughout Columbia that were never owned or developed by the Rouse Company. Homes on these parcels do not pay the assessment to CA, and are called “outparcels.” Outparcels are not subject to the village covenants, but may have a separate homeowner’s association with rules of its own. Outparcel property owners pay “non-resident” rates to belong to Columbia Association and are not members of their village association.

HOAs

One thing we have plenty of in Columbia is homeowners associations. All CA-assessed property is included in the master HOA of Columbia Association. Homes are subject to the Columbia covenants, which homeowners must abide by as a condition of owning a home in Columbia. Failure to pay your annual charge to CA or severe covenant violations may lead to CA placing a lien on your property, which must be satisfied before the property can be sold. Additionally, CA-assessed property is subject to governance and covenant enforcement by their village association. The villages are responsible for enforcing the covenants, with a focus on property maintenance and exterior alterations to the property. Each village has a volunteer Architectural Committee that sets and enforces the village’s Architectural Guidelines. Homeowners must seek approval from their village’s Architectural Committee before making exterior modifications (e.g., fences, decks, paint colors, siding, roofing, etc.), with the Architectural Guidelines as their guide to the rules and process for exterior alterations to homes in the village.

In addition to the village associations, some single-family homes, plus all townhomes and condos will be part of a smaller homeowners association for their townhome community or condo building, and will likely pay dues for that HOA on a predetermined schedule. These HOAs may have their own rules and guidelines for exterior alterations. Take the time to research any HOAs that your prospective home may be subject to before purchasing your home.

PARTNER REALTORS

ColumbiaLiving.org is grateful for the support of our partner realtors devoted to our mission and serving their clients.