Understanding SunLand HOA Dues, Golf Memberships, and Division Fees

If you're shopping in Sequim's SunLand neighborhood, you've probably seen the phrase "golf course community" in half a dozen listings by now. It shows up right alongside pool, tennis, pickleball, and beach access, all bundled into one tidy amenities list.

But golf membership is separate from SLOA dues. That distinction is worth understanding before you write an offer or price a listing, so you can account for those costs separately.

Four bills, four different mailboxes

SunLand is governed by the SunLand Owners Association, known as SLOA, which covers the entire development. But SLOA is only one of at least four separate billing relationships a SunLand homeowner maintains, and none of them talk to each other for payment purposes.

Here's how the money actually splits:

SLOA's own fee page states plainly that Golf and Country Club memberships and facilities are not part of the SunLand Owners Association. This distinction helps clarify which costs are included in SLOA dues.

The golf course and SLOA common areas

SLOA's governing documents define common areas as pools, parks, tennis courts, greenbelts, and similar amenities open to any SLOA member. The golf course is specifically carved out of that definition. It's not owned by SLOA, not maintained with SLOA dues, and not something your HOA payment gives you the right to use, let alone walk on.

The club itself confirms the separation from the other direction: you don't have to own property in SunLand to join Sunland Golf & Country Club, and owning property in SunLand doesn't get you a discount on joining. It's a standalone semi-private operation with its own pro shop, its own green fees for public play, and its own membership structure. As of this year, non-member green fees for 18 holes with a cart run $59 Monday through Thursday and $64 Friday through Sunday, with a twilight rate after 2 p.m. and a discount for walking. That's a business charging market rates to golfers, member or not, completely apart from anything SLOA collects.

So when SLOA's annual assessment climbed from $303 in 2022 to $450 this year, an increase of roughly 48 percent over four years, none of that increase went toward maintaining fairways or greens. It went toward the pool, the security patrols, the office, and the other amenities SLOA actually owns. For budgeting, consider SLOA dues and golf expenses as separate items.

Division 17 resale paperwork

SunLand isn't one HOA. It's a master association layered over roughly 17 individual divisions, each with its own CC&Rs, its own budget, and in some cases its own closing requirements. Division 17 has specific resale requirements to review as part of the transaction.

Take Division 17, known as Sunland North, a 139-unit townhome section built in two- and three-unit buildings. When a Division 17 unit changes hands, the division's own FAQ spells out exactly what has to happen before the deal can close cleanly. A current division budget must be attached to the purchase and sale agreement, along with a contact form and a copy of the CC&Rs and rules and regulations. Confirm the submission details with the division before sending the agreement.

On top of that, every change of ownership in Division 17 triggers two separate fees: a $250 resale certificate fee from the division itself, which can be paid by the seller, the buyer, or split between them, and a separate document processing fee charged by SLOA at the master association level. Neither entity can process the other's paperwork. Include both fees in the closing-cost discussion so the parties can plan for them.

Division 17 owners also pay quarterly, due January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, and the association does not send reminder notices. Miss a due date and a late charge accrues at $25 per month of delinquency. That's not a dramatic number, but it's the kind of detail a seller wants resolved before closing rather than surfacing as an outstanding lien during title work.

Not every division reads the same way

This matters beyond Division 17. SunLand's divisions vary meaningfully in structure:

• Division 7, on Hilltop Drive, is organized as a condominium association, with owners subject to both their own condo declaration and SLOA's community-wide rules.
• Division 11, on the east portion of Fairway Drive, consists of 44 homes in 22 two-unit buildings, again with its own governing documents layered under SLOA.
• Division 17 (Sunland North) is the newest and final subdivision, made up entirely of townhomes with shared building exteriors and jointly maintained landscaping.

Each of these carries a different fee structure, different maintenance responsibilities, and in some cases different resale procedures. A single-family detached home in one of SunLand's older sections isn't going to have the same document requirements as a Division 17 townhome, and a Division 7 condo owner is budgeting for shared building insurance in a way a Division 11 owner isn't. SunLand includes meaningful variation across its divisions.

What this means if you're buying or selling here

If you're preparing to list a SunLand property, the practical move is to pull your division's current budget and CC&Rs before you go to market, not after an offer comes in. Buyers and their agents are going to ask which division your home sits in, and having that packet ready avoids a delay once you're under contract.

If you're buying, ask your agent to confirm three things early: your specific division's assessment amount, whether a resale certificate or document processing fee applies at closing, and what golf membership would actually cost if that's part of why you're looking at SunLand in the first place. None of those three numbers live in the same place, and none of them show up automatically in a listing sheet.

One more thing worth flagging for anyone planning years ahead: the Sunland Water District is in the process of installing individual water meters across the development under a state and federal water use efficiency requirement. It's not clear yet how that shifts billing over time, but it's a live process worth asking about if you're weighing long-term carrying costs.

A few common questions

Does my SLOA due include golf club access? No. SLOA's own documents state that golf club memberships and facilities are separate from the association, and the golf course itself is excluded from SLOA's definition of common areas.

Do all SunLand homeowners pay the same total amount each year? No. Every homeowner pays the community-wide SLOA assessment, but your division-specific dues, and whether you carry a mortgage-driven insurance requirement or a condo declaration, depend entirely on which of SunLand's roughly 17 divisions your property sits in.

Can I just walk the golf course without joining? No. The course is owned and operated by Sunland Golf & Country Club as an independent business, and it's not open for casual use outside of paid play or membership.

SunLand's structure includes SLOA and division-specific fees and rules. Reviewing the applicable documents can help buyers understand costs and responsibilities before closing. If you're weighing a purchase or a sale in SunLand and want someone to walk through exactly which division your target home falls under and what that means for your numbers, Trisha J Cobb has spent years untangling exactly this kind of Olympic Peninsula paperwork. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.