First off, I think some folks in this thread are conflating the existence of an HOA (with associated dues) with the existence of community rules about lights, clothes lines, etc. These two don’t necessarily go together. A community can have an HOA in order to maintain common amenities such as a pool or playground, without necessarily having a lot of rules. (In theory you can also have the opposite, strict CC&Rs without an HOA, but this is rare.) You would really want to read the community’s CC&Rs and bylaws, along with recent HOA minutes, to get a good idea.

As far as costs for HOA dues, I would always evaluate these relative to what they buy. If the amenities are ones that I would never use, then the fee may not be worth it even if it is low. I would also want to understand the financial condition of the HOA. Some HOAs keep dues low by under-funding their reserves and/or deferring long-term maintenance. This is bad and can lead to huge special assessments. I don’t consider it a good result if I pay low dues for a while and then get whacked with a single huge bill because the roof of the clubhouse collapsed or some such.