What Are Common Interest Communities?

What is a common interest community?  A common interest community (CIC) is a residential development where homeowners enjoy an array of amenities and services within the neighborhood.  Owners in a CIC each bear a share of the financial responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of the amenities and the community’s common areas.

Pecan Square by Hillwood in Northlake, TX is one of the approximately 350,000 common interest communities in the United States. Here, homeowners enjoy shared amenities that are maintained and operated by the community’s homeowners’ association, which handles matters like landscaping, insurance, improvements, and much more.

Common Features of Common Interest Communities

A common interest community—also called a common interest development (CID)—has these common features:

• Homeowners share usage of common areas, amenities, facilities, parks, etc.
• Community is governed by an HOA and all homeowners are members of the HOA.
• CID rules, regulations, and guidelines are defined in a legally binding document.
• Homeowners share costs to operate, maintain, and improve common areas and amenities, and to operate community programs.

The rules and regulations in these communities are detailed in Covenants, Codes, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) documents. These rules are used as guidelines for homeowners and the HOA to follow.

Benefits of Living in a Common Interest Community

There are many benefits to living in a common interest community like Pecan Square. Here are some of the items that make CICs so sought after:

Excellent Shared Amenities

Among the primary selling points of common interest developments are their shared amenities. Often, the amenities that are part of a CID (such as resort-style swimming pools, deluxe fitness centers, game rooms, sports courts, fishing ponds, and event spaces) wouldn’t be affordable for homeowners if they had to pay for access to them separately. Living in a CIC improves many homeowners’ quality of life in an affordable way.

For instance, at Pecan Square, homeowners can take advantage of unique amenities such as the co-working space, which provides everything the telecommuter needs to work remotely, as much or as little as they wish. This beautiful, comfortable space offers private work areas, fully equipped conference rooms, printing and copying machines, a self-service snack station, and more.

Perfectly Maintained Neighborhoods

In a CID, your HOA dues go toward the maintenance of your neighborhood, making the space more attractive and pleasant for you and your neighbors. Green spaces, roads, and sidewalks are all maintained and kept looking good.

In some common interest communities, the HOA even handles certain lawn maintenance and landscaping tasks for residents. Given that the average American spends about 9 hours per month mowing and edging the lawn, this service reduces the homeowner’s monthly maintenance tasks, making life much more enjoyable.

Smart Home Technology

Some CICs like Pecan Square are particularly appealing to homebuyers who are looking for certain features that are not often found in other new home communities–in other words, people who have a common interest! Pecan Square is designed for those who value a simpler, small-town life that is connected and relaxed, but still offers all the updated conveniences that smart home technology affords. 

To that end, every home at Pecan Square comes with our Canopy technology bundle which includes an Amazon Echo Show, a Ring doorbell, super-fast half-gig internet, and whole-house Wi-Fi coverage at move-in. Plus, there’s a lifestyle app designed to help residents stay connected with activities going on within the community. Homeowners can also call on our on-site tech professional to help with any technology needs.

All of these forward-thinking features coupled with Pecan Square’s quaint, small-town atmosphere make it the quintessential common interest community.

Fun Community Events and Activities

There’s one more element that defines some common interest developments: the lifestyle created within the community.  Pecan Square’s award-winning lifestyle program offers more than 300 events and activities each year for homeowners to enjoy together, such as community markets, movie nights, holiday parties, game nights, kids’ workshops, teen events, craft classes, and more. These events provide residents with ample opportunities to build friendships that will last a lifetime.

The Role of an HOA in a Common Interest Community

As stated above, common interest communities are governed by an HOA.  A common interest development HOA exists to help maintain or improve the community and its property values. 

The HOA handles various functions, such as maintaining shared amenities, planning events, or even performing lawn maintenance for homeowners.  For example, the HOA manager hires landscapers to maintain green spaces, plant seasonal flowers, and remove leaves, ensures the community pool is cleaned and appropriately maintained, and handles repairs to signage within the neighborhood.

Frequently Asked Questions About Common Interest Developments

People frequently ask these questions about common communities:

What is a CIC in real estate?

A CIC (common interest community) is a legal term used to describe new home communities where homeowners enjoy amenities and common spaces.  In a common interest development, the HOA is responsible for maintaining these amenities and upkeep costs are funded by HOA dues.

Is an HOA a common interest community?

They are two separate things.  The CIC is the residential area that might be made up of single-family homes, condos, townhomes, etc.  The HOA is a legal entity that is created to govern and maintain the common areas of the community. 

Is a common interest community a PUD?

A PUD (or planned unit development) is a type of common interest community that contains individual homes, and each resident owns their own lot and home. There are common interest communities that consist of townhomes, cooperatives, and condominiums and these are not PUDs.

What are the different types of common interest developments?

The types of CIDs include cooperatives, condominiums, planned unit developments, golf course communities, and townhome developments.   CIC’s that contain single-family homes are called planned unit developments. In a PUD, the HOA or a developer owns the common areas.  In a CIC that contains other types of dwellings, the homeowners may have collective ownership of the common areas and amenities.

Come Visit our Common Interest Community

Pecan Square by Hillwood in Northlake, TX is a one-of-a-kind common interest community that feels like a small town but still offers the modern conveniences today’s homeowners demand. Come take a look at our new construction homes and learn more about our lifestyle community that recently received the Lifestyle Program of the Year and Lifestyle Director of the Year awards. Visit us at The Greeting House or take a virtual tour today!