In one line: The private association a neighborhood's deed makes you join, and its monthly bill.
A homeowners association is the entity that maintains a community's shared elements and enforces its rules, funded by mandatory dues on every home. In master-planned Las Vegas it is closer to the rule than the exception.
The dues belong in the monthly math like a second small mortgage: $200 a month supports roughly $30,000 less loan at recent rates. Just as important are the rules (rentals, RVs, paint colors) and the association's finances, because an underfunded HOA turns into special assessments.
Kouzr carries the HOA figure on listings when the feed reports one, and folds it into the monthly payment estimate, because a cheap ask with heavy dues is not cheap.
A worked example
A $380,000 home with $145 a month in dues costs about the same each month as a $400,000 home with none, at today's rates. On a resale, an HOA that has not raised dues in ten years is one that is about to.
See what dues do to a monthly payment
Questions people ask
What do HOA dues cover?
It depends on the association. Common-area landscaping, gates and guards, community pools and parks, sometimes the roof and exterior in a townhome or condo, and a reserve fund for the big repairs. The resale package lists it; the reserve study says whether the fund is adequate.
Can an HOA foreclose in Nevada?
Yes. An association's lien for up to nine months of unpaid assessments has priority over the first mortgage, and the HOA can foreclose it non-judicially. Unpaid dues are a distress signal in their own right, and the Nevada foreclosure guide covers the mechanics.