The biggest factor is not directly related to the HOA but other market factors.  

You have to ask yourself it this "raw" land or "developed" land. 

I know this is why developers are buying up houses in this neighborhood and putting up brand new ones.  

My name is Daniel, I'm a software developer from Hawaii, and just getting started in this exciting new world of investing!

I'm pretty sure that if I'm having this much trouble with this simple task, as an ex-web developer, I surely can't be the only one experiencing this problem.

Answer:1) Contact all mobile home movers and tell them to bring you deals. develop relationships with them. 2) Get the IFTTT app and setup Craigslist searches. 3) Search your local FB for sale groups. 4) Place ads in Craigslist’s saying you’ll buy homes cash. 5) If you know any wholesalers tell them about your situation.

It's completely feasible to achieve enormous levels of success investing out of state - but keep in mind that when you get involved in a deal that is not local you're losing some control, and your visibility & oversight of the deal is dramatically diminished.Unless you're buying a turn key or getting into a PPM or some other commercial investment vehicle with a group that is managed and regulated, you may want to consider keeping it local until you've gained the experience and knowledge, and developed the out of state relationships necessary to be successful from a distance. 

Might even be higher with expensive insurance or outside factors. 

HOA in theory can remove free rider market failure if well managed, when there are costs and/or needs for management shared by all.HOA kind of philosophically touches on the oft debated (and oft oversimplified) ideological debate between centralization or decentralization of authorityMy thesis would be: I suspect that HOA developments have higher property values in general, however when controlled for development budget on a per home basis, I would wonder if this actually holds up over time.I have heard anecdotal stories of corruption within HOA bodies, and mismanagement. 

Like many have said, there are a lot of factors that have to be taken into account to properly answer that question.