Hah, "small" -- my HOA consists of two condo buildings, seven units total. We basically have to beg three people to fill out the required three board positions every year, because no one (myself included) wants to do it.
A friend of mine is a member of a little HOA that consists only of himself and his downstairs neighbor.
This is what you have to do to fix a roof or replace a hot water heater. Gen-X has observed what happens when an HOA is dominated by, for example, descendants of the original landowner. It takes someone with organizational skills to help the public good by joining a toxic HOA with the intent of shining sunlight on it.
A friend of mine is a member of a little HOA that consists only of himself and his downstairs neighbor.
So much pointless overhead...