$500 per year isn’t out of the norm. I live in an HOA. They enforce little things here and there. I take great pride in my house and yard so it never impacts me. I don’t mind that everyone in the community is held to the same standards. It can impact the value. Our houses are worth 100k+ more than the ones across the street without an HOA because half the houses look unkept. To each his own but I’m cool with HOAs.