I Just Got A Bill For January Hoa Dues, Apparently The Previous Owner Signed The Paperwork To Create The Hoa But I Bought The House Before They Filed It. Am I In The Hoa?

I don't have all the info and I did call a real estate lawyer, but all they did so far was take some basic info and set up an appointment for the end of the week because of the holidays.

I talked to my neighbor after finding the bill and he says that they all signed the paperwork in march which is when I bought the house, and nobody has mentioned any HOA to me since. Granted I'm a bit antisocial and have little interaction with my neighbors, but its really pissing me off that the old owner didn't mention anything and my real estate agent specifically told me that there was no HOA, wouldn't have bought it if there was.

The neighbor said that "It took a while" for the township to process the paperwork and I have no real info on how long it takes for HOA applications to process. But it feels like I likely bought the house before the paperwork was ever filed.