A Mesa couple says an initial $977 HOA debt eventually cost them their home. Toby Newton bought the four-bedroom East Mesa house for $475,000 in 2022. Two years later, he lost his job, was diagnosed with diabetes and began falling behind on bills, including HOA assessments of about $170 per quarter. His unpaid HOA fees and interest initially totaled $977. Newton says he repeatedly tried to work out a payment plan, first offering $50 a month, then roughly $134 and eventually $200 a month, but says the HOA rejected the proposals. By November 2024, the association had begun foreclosure proceedings. As attorney fees, assessments and other costs piled up, court filings showed the debt had grown to $6,579. The home was eventually sold at public auction in October 2025 to the Superstition Springs Community Master Association for just $8,172. Newton says he was initially given six months to pay the debt and reclaim the home. During that period, his longtime partner, Sherri Patten, was diag...