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What you'll actually spend over a decade — purchase, the one-time working-capital fee, HOA dues with golf included, and Marion County property tax on Oregon's capped assessed value. Modeled on a representative $280,000 home for two residents who golf.
Two costs hit at closing beyond your down payment and normal transaction fees. The big one is Woodburn's working-capital fee, which is 1.5% of the sale price with a $3,000 minimum, paid into the community's reserve fund. This is the line most listings gloss over.
| One-time cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Working-capital fee (1.5% of $280,000) | $4,200 |
| Typical closing costs (est. 1%) | ~$2,800 |
| Total upfront beyond down payment | ~$7,000 |
Here is the recurring math. The HOA assessment in the low-$1,000s per year is doing double duty — it covers the clubhouse, pool, fitness center, restaurant, RV/boat storage, and golf for two. At any other golf community in the metro, that golf access would be a separate four-figure membership.
| Annual item | Year 1 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HOA assessment (golf for 2 included) | ~$1,116 | Low-single-digit annual increases typical |
| Property tax (Marion Co., ~0.95% of ~$220K AV) | ~$2,090 | On capped AV, not $280K market price |
| Homeowners insurance (est.) | ~$1,200 | Single-level, modest sq ft |
| Approx. annual carrying cost | ~$4,406 | Excludes utilities & home upkeep |
Why the property tax line is lower than you'd guess: under Measure 50, the tax is calculated on the home's capped assessed value, which on an older Woodburn home typically sits well below the market price. We modeled an AV around $220K against a $280K market value — a realistic gap for this vintage of home. A new build of the same market value would carry a higher AV and a higher tax bill. See the Measure 50 guide.
Compounding HOA and tax growth at roughly 3% per year (the Measure 50 cap on the assessed-value side, and a typical dues trajectory), the decade looks like this:
| Cost bucket | 10-year total |
|---|---|
| HOA assessments (incl. golf for 2) | ~$12,800 |
| Property tax (Marion Co., 3% AV growth) | ~$23,950 |
| Insurance | ~$13,750 |
| One-time working-capital + closing | ~$7,000 |
| Approx. 10-year cost of ownership | ~$57,500 |
That works out to roughly $5,750 per year all-in on the carrying side — and that figure includes golf for two people, which is the number that makes Woodburn hard to beat for a golfing couple. Strip golf out of a comparison community and you'd typically add $1,500–$4,000/year in golf membership to match what Woodburn bundles.
A $480,000 Summerfield or King City single-family home for the same couple would carry a higher property-tax base, a per-person SCA assessment (at Summerfield), and golf as an extra. The all-in carrying cost there runs materially higher — the Washington County buyer is paying for proximity to Portland and a newer/larger home. Woodburn's pitch is the inverse: lower everything, in exchange for being between the cities rather than in a suburb. Run the head-to-head on our Woodburn vs. Summerfield comparison.
Send us the listing and we'll build the exact ten-year cost — working-capital fee, the home's actual assessed value, and the golf math.
Get your Woodburn projectionFigures are illustrative estimates for planning, built from publicly reported HOA assessments, the community's stated 1.5% working-capital fee, and Marion County effective property-tax ranges. Your actual costs depend on the specific home's assessed value, current dues, and insurance. Not financial advice.