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Why Meeting Minutes Matter When Buying a Condo or Townhome
As a South Metro real estate agent, I’ve guided a lot of clients through buying condos and townhomes, and one piece of advice I always share is to dig deeper than the standard paperwork. When you’re considering a condo or townhome purchase, you’ll receive a stack of required association documents, resale disclosure certificates, budgets, rules, regulations, assessments. These matter, but there’s one often-overlooked resource that can reveal a lot more: the meeting minutes from the homeowners association (HOA) board.
Requesting these minutes isn’t mandatory, but it’s one of the smartest moves a buyer can make.
A real example
I had a client purchasing a townhome who, after reviewing the HOA’s meeting minutes, discovered a recurring flooding issue in the parking garage. That wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the standard disclosures, it only showed up in the board’s actual meeting discussions. That single detail changed how my client approached the purchase and gave them information they never would have had otherwise.
It’s not that HOAs are hiding anything. Most buyers simply never think to ask for the minutes. Sellers aren’t required to provide them, but as a buyer, you’re well within your rights to request them during your contingency period.
What to actually look for
Meeting minutes capture the raw, unfiltered conversations about a community’s challenges, upcoming projects, and unresolved issues. That might mean a planned special assessment for a new roof or elevator upgrade, a dispute over parking or noise, or a discussion about raising monthly fees. It can also mean good news, a planned gym renovation or common-area upgrade that could boost the property’s value down the road.
My advice: focus on the most recent 12-24 months of minutes. That keeps the reading manageable while still giving you a clear, current picture. If you’re not sure what to look for, I’m happy to go through them with you and flag anything that matters, pending disputes, reserve fund health, or upcoming rule changes.
The part most buyers don’t know about yet: underwriting delays
Here’s something that’s become more common recently and catches a lot of buyers off guard. More lenders and underwriters are now reviewing the full HOA documents and meeting minutes as part of their underwriting process, not just the standard disclosures.
My advice: get all of your HOA paperwork to your lender as early as possible. I’m seeing more cases where a loan goes through final underwriting, then a second underwriter reviews the file again just a day or two before closing, almost as a double-check on the first underwriter’s work. If that second review turns up a question about the HOA documents at that late stage, it can delay your closing by a week or more. Getting everything to your lender early is the simplest way to avoid that entirely.
Bottom line
Buying a condo or townhome is a big investment, and the HOA’s meeting minutes are one of the few places where you get an honest, unfiltered look at what’s really going on in that community, not just what’s in the polished paperwork. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or an experienced investor, don’t skip this step, and get your documents to your lender early to avoid a late surprise at closing.
📲 Thinking about buying a condo or townhome in the South Metro? Text or call 952-994-7204.
Serving sellers and buyers throughout Lakeville, Apple Valley, Eagan, Farmington, and Rosemount.
