Grayhawk HOA: What Each of the Four Assessments Covers

More than one. The Grayhawk HOA isn't one fee. Grayhawk assessments come in up to four layers, and how many apply to your home depends on where it sits in the community.

I'm Jen Keene, a REALTOR® with eXp Realty Luxury in Scottsdale, AZ, and I'm the agent people call at every stage of their life. If you already own in Grayhawk and want to know why your bill looks different from a neighbor's, or you're buying and want to know what you're signing up for, what matters is the total assessment on your address and what each layer pays for. Here are the four layers, and where Village at Grayhawk and Avian at Grayhawk fall.

Everyone in Grayhawk pays the master assessment, quarterly, whether you're in a house in The Park or a unit in The Retreat. According to the Grayhawk Community Association, it covers the greenbelts, the hiking and biking trails, pocket parks, playgrounds, walls and fences, monument signs, common area utilities, round-the-clock patrol, on-site management and reserves.

The City of Scottsdale runs public parks in and next to Grayhawk, such as Grayhawk Park and Thompson Peak Park. Those are city parks, so they carry no Grayhawk HOA membership or assessment. The master assessment pays for the privately held greenbelts, trails and pocket parks.

The other layers depend on where your home is.

Only if your home is in The Retreat, the guard-gated side of Grayhawk. The Retreat Village assessment is in addition to the master. It pays for the entry gate staff and maintenance, the private streets, sidewalks, street sweeping, the landscaping specific to The Retreat, and its tennis courts.

The single-family neighborhoods in The Retreat are Avante, Crown Point, Crown Point Norte, Firenze, Halcon Villas, Halcon Vistas, Los Vientos, Monterey Retreat, Peregrine Villas, Peregrine Vistas, Renaissance, Serenity, Talon Fairways, Talon Point and Volare. A home in one of those pays the master assessment and the Retreat Village assessment.

The Park doesn't have the Retreat's guard gate, and homes there don't pay the Retreat Village assessment. The single-family neighborhoods in The Park are Coventry at Grayhawk, Coventry at the Park, Featherwind, Monterey Park, Montevina, Pinnacle at Grayhawk, Ridgecrest and Windsong.

Yes. Each of Grayhawk's eight condo and townhome communities has its own sub-association, paid monthly to a separate management company, while the master and Retreat Village assessments are paid quarterly.

Village at Grayhawk is one of six condo and townhome communities in The Park. The other five are The Edge, Encore, Tesoro at Grayhawk, The Venu and Vintage. All six pay the master assessment and their own sub-association, which is two layers.

Avian at Grayhawk is one of two condo communities in The Retreat. The other is Cachet at Grayhawk. Both pay the master assessment, the Retreat Village assessment and their own sub-association, which is three layers.

A neighborhood assessment pays for amenities that belong to one neighborhood, such as a pool, spa or tennis court. The Grayhawk Community Association says neighborhood assessments are mostly in The Retreat, and they're included in the quarterly assessment. If you're not sure whether your neighborhood has one, I can check for your specific address.

Arizona has two HOA laws. A condominium is covered by the Arizona Condominium Act, Title 33, Chapter 9 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. A planned community is covered by the Arizona Planned Communities Act, Title 33, Chapter 16. Which one applies to the association you pay depends on how it was set up, so ask for the declaration for your address.

I'm not an attorney and this isn't legal advice. Here's what each of those two laws covers in general terms, including board meetings, your right to see the association's records, and what to ask for before you buy.

A figure quoted for a house in The Park doesn't tell you what a unit in The Retreat pays. A sub-association's payment to its management company is separate from the master. The Retreat Village assessment pays for more than the gate. It also covers the private streets, sidewalks, street sweeping, landscaping and tennis courts.

Ask for the governing documents and the most recent reserve study for the exact address. The reserve study shows whether the association has money set aside for what's coming. The Grayhawk Community Association posts its assessment schedule on its HOA Dues page, and I can pull the current figures for your address.

A single-family home in Coventry at Grayhawk, in The Park, pays the master assessment. It doesn't pay the Retreat Village assessment.

A single-family home in Talon Point, in The Retreat, pays the master assessment and the Retreat Village assessment.

A unit at Village at Grayhawk, in The Park, pays the master assessment and its own sub-association, which is two layers.

A unit at Avian at Grayhawk, in The Retreat, pays the master assessment, the Retreat Village assessment and its own sub-association, which is three layers.

Start with which group your home is in: a single-family home in The Park, a single-family home in The Retreat, or one of the eight condo and townhome communities. That tells you which layers apply before you look at a dollar figure.

Then ask for the current governing documents and reserve study for that address. The dollar figures change, and I'd rather give you the current ones than something a year old. Call me at (480) 203-6605 or get in touch with the address or the community name, and I'll tell you which assessments apply before you buy or sell.

Put the full list of assessments in front of the buyer early, with what each one pays for, so nothing in the paperwork is new to them. Here's how I prepare a Grayhawk listing, assessments included, and here's how I work out what a Grayhawk home is worth.

If you're buying, ask for the current figures and the governing documents for the exact address before you write an offer. Here's how a purchase moves from an accepted offer to closing in Arizona, including the window when those documents get reviewed. Here's what's for sale in Grayhawk.