The Lake County Association of Realtors is deeply concerned about property rights and property values.

We are keenly aware of neighborhood conditions in all of Lake County and have observed that those who agree to conform to a set of standards and rules tend to keep or increase their values than those who don’t.

Lake County, like many rural counties across the nation, is composed primarily of unincorporated areas. The small communities that do exist have no authority over the residents to set and maintain even the basic standards within their areas. This has resulted in neighborhoods that have lower property values and urban blight.

The presence of a home owners association (HOA) can and has dramatically increased the value of homes in the neighborhood.

The rules and regulations established by an HOA are designed to protect the value of each property. The primary purpose of the homeowners association is to ensure that an individual or group cannot negatively impact the market value of homes in the neighborhood. As a result, rules become a necessity.

While many people may be turned off by rules and regulations, it is one of the primary reasons that homeowners associations remain popular. Without rules, homeowners would be able to act without consequences. As a result, one or a few homeowners would have the ability to negatively impact the majority.

While an HOA is responsible for enforcing rules and regulations, the mere existence of an HOA can prevent a decrease in property values.

Those who buy homes in neighborhoods that have HOAs have full disclosure. They are provided a copy of the rules and regulations and/or CC&Rs during the course of the transaction so homeowners who are unable to comply with these rules and regulations will be less likely to purchase a home that includes an HOA.

As a result, the community should be able to work together within the structure of the HOA to share similar goals and values.

The Lake County Association of Realtors does hereby encourage the existence of functional HOAs and opposes any attempt to dissolve existing HOAs in Lake County.

Scott Knickmeyer, association executive, writes on behalf of the 2013 Lake County Association of Realtors Board of Directors, based in Lakeport, Calif.