I don’t know of any new development in San Diego that doesn’t have HOA. A gated community is not the same thing as HOA. All townhouses and condos have HOAs.

I also hate HOA and gated communities.

A friend of mine lives in a non HOA, 1990’s community but they have a special road and park assessment. That works out about the same as HOA.

The only way to buy a non-HOA house is to buy an old house in an established neighborhood and restore it. I’m thinking about getting a Bay Park or South La Jolla house when the market crashes. The problem with an old house is that you either have the money to do the work all at once, or you end up living for years in a house with bad plumbing, insulation, etc…. I believe one reason people buy new houses is that they can finance the upgrades (custom carpet, cabinets, marble, A/C, etc… ).