You should definitely go ahead and pay on time. The Title Company that handles the closing is responsible for pro-rating the dues, charging the Buyer for their proportionate share and returning that amount to you. Not paying your dues could result in late fees, interest and could slow down your closing.

Almost always YES and there is normally no issues or problems with a request to examine the books.  The answer is probably found in the Bylaws for your Association, possibly in the Covenants. The only issue might be convenience and cost.  We urge all parties to be reasonable and work with each other to get everyone the information they need.

These two terms are often confused and used incorrectly.  Covenants refer to the document that is filed of record in the County Clerks office and is a part of your abstract.  Covenants are also called Declarations, Property Restrictions and/or CCRs.  Bylaws are adopted by the incorporators or directors of the Homeowners Association and deal with the procedural aspect of operating the homeowners association.  They should not be recorded but sometimes mistakenly are.  The two documents sometimes overlap, normally anything in the recorded Covenants will control over conflicting language in the Bylaws