In Carmel Valley, there are a limited neighborhoods with no HOA or M.R. I forget the development name, but there is one area we thought was great, though it is rare to see things for sale there. Some of the street names are Heritage Glen, Monterey Cypress.

See an older piggington thread to read about paying off your Mello-Roos early. Basically it is a loan payment on a 9% interest loan. Borrowing at 4% to pay it off could pay-off. It should allow you to ask more when selling, though not all feel that way. Maybe when buying, ask the seller to get a payoff amount for the M-R.

The problem w/ HOA isn’t just the HOA fees. It is the HOA itself and their rules and busybodies. I know of an aggressive HOA president in the Tynebourne area of Carmel Valley that everyone hates, hates, hates. Get into an HOA with an ass like that and your life is hell.