Submitted by Barb Lally for Rob Rice Homes
Every homeowner in a Rob Rice Homes Community can have the confidence and surety that the investment they make in their quality-built home will be protected through a well-managed Homeowners Association.
To prove it, all someone has to do is drive through one of the many established Rob Rice Communities to see their long lasting value and beauty.
“We have looked at other communities Rob Rice has built and they are still gorgeous,” one buyer recently explained at an open house.
It is because Rob Rice himself focuses on protecting his owners’ interests and provides top level professional Homeowners Associations (HOA) management for his communities until the last home is built.
“In newly-built, Rob Rice Homes communities, Rob initially manages all of the owner associations in-house,” says Kim Showalter, Rob Rice Homes Association Manager who says the local builder has provided association management since before there were management companies in the area. “His many years of experience and his willing assistance benefit the community over and over.”
What an HOA does
A Homeowners Association provides a document to each homeowner called its Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs). It explains how the HOA operates and the neighborhood rules necessary to guard 
against things that can devalue homes and their community.
“Another reason for an HOA is for the maintenance of the abundant green space and expansive landscaped areas, so characteristic of any Rob Rice Community,” Kim adds.
“Rob helps them focus on fairness and consistency in applying the CC&R’s and guides communities on budgets that will provide security for the future needs of the neighborhood.”
Rob Rice Homes encourages buyers to drive through their established communities, many built several years ago. The homes retain their quality and beauty and the neighborhoods are even more attractive than when a buyer first purchased their home.
Carefully guiding a new community
“I am on the board of eight of our associations right now and will stay on until all the homes are built,” says Rob Rice, the local builder who often drives through his communities with a watchful eye and attends their HOA meetings or serves on their boards.
“I have a vested interest, not only because I care about the lasting value of a community with my name on it, but also because I own homes in each one of them. We do our utmost in quality home construction and like our homeowners, I want to protect that investment.”
It’s a relationship that has produced and maintained dozens of flourishing Rob Rice communities in the South Sound.
A long lasting relationship that works
The Rob Rice Community of Rainer Park in Beckonridge is a neighborhood that has only grown more beautiful with time and is providing longstanding value to its homes. Their HOA has retained Rob Rice Homes as its management company for more than two decades.
That’s unusual as normally Rob turns over the management of an association to the community’s choice of professional companies once they are ready. But in Beckonridge, the relationship with their builder is highly-valued.
“It is mutual respect,” says Bill Kress, a former Beckonridge HOA Board member for 10 years who now serves as the community’s landscape chair. “The longer I served on the board the more I appreciated the guidance that Rob’s company provides. He and his staff provide great input on rules, regulations and state laws that need to be updated. I take pride in our community and our relationship with Rob Rice.”
Small price to pay for huge protection 
A Rob Rice Home, built with quality craftsmanship and superb design, is a smart investment with enduring value. To ensure that, a well-managed, fair and consistent homeowners association is critical.
HOA dues help maintain grass, flowers, entrance walls, landscaping, common areas and the overall aesthetics of a community. They also pay for the cost of running the association that helps homeowners abide by the rules that protect the community’s quality.
Monthly dues range from $40 to $80 per month and many consider the fees minimal compared to the thousands of dollars in home value they protect.
“Having a Homeowners Association already in place gave us peace of mind that we would not lose value on our home the way we have with other homes,” says Jani Greer, HOA vice president of the newer Rob Rice Community of Evergreen Heights. “The dues are a great value and are extremely important for making sure home values are maintained and enhanced.”
Rob Rice is Thurston County’s largest local home builder and was voted the Best of South Sound for 2013. He and his wife Helena live in Olympia with their two sons; Alex Michael and Carson. Rob is a graduate of Washington State University with degrees in construction management and architecture.
