Define "strong" or "active" HOA (Frisco: 2014, foreclosed)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What does this mean exactly? I mean, I have a general idea, but want to hear from locals. I am pretty sure this is what I want in an HOA. Assuming it means strong as in enforces the rules, sense of civic pride, maintains the values of the neighborhood well.
Most importantly, how to get at this information during the homebuying process? I.E. are there questions to ask? Documents to look for that a strong HOA has as opposed to a weak one?
Once your contract is accepted by the seller, the buyer should be given the HOA "rules and regulations" within a certian amount of days. You have a short time to view them, if you have an objection to them. If it's a new home the builder needs to provided you with this info.
I for one dislike HOA's when it comes to "rules and regulations" about where I park my vehicle and such. Some in the DFW are are rather to "strong", like I seen one on the news where the guys had bumper stickers on his vehicle of military shorts and the HOA was throwing a fit, or the other one where the home owner flew an American flag on a nice flag pole in his yard...
Some people like HOA's. Good luck to you in your future home purchase.
Michael Clauer is a captain in the Army Reserve who commanded over 100 soldiers in Iraq. But while he was fighting for his country, a different kind of battle was brewing on the home front. Last September, Michael returned to Frisco, Texas, to find that his homeowners' association had foreclosed on his $300,000 house—and sold it for $3,500. This story illustrates the type of legal quagmire that can get out of hand while soldiers are serving abroad and their families are dealing with the stress of their deployment. And fixing the mess isn't easy.
Michael went on active duty in February 2008 and was sent to Iraq. After he shipped out, his wife May slipped into a deep depression, according to court documents. "A lot of people say that the deployment is more stressful on the spouse than the actual person who's being deployed," Michael, 37, says in an interview with Mother Jones. May Clauer had two kids to take care of—a ten-year-old and a one-year-old with a serious seizure-related disorder. In addition, she was worried sick about her husband. Michael's company was doing convoy security in Iraq—an extremely dangerous job. "It was a pretty tough year for the whole company," he says. "We had IEDs, rocket attacks and mortar attacks, and a few soldiers that were hurt pretty bad and had to be airlifted back to the States."
Seeking to avoid hearing about the situation in Iraq, May stopped watching the news. She rarely answered the door, and Michael says he couldn't tell her when he went "outside the wire"—off-base. May also stopped opening the mail. "I guess she was scared that she would hear bad news," says Michael. That was why she missed multiple notices from the Heritage Lakes Homeowners Association informing her that the family owed $800 in dues—and then subsequent notices stating that the HOA was preparing to foreclose on the debt and seize the home.
In Texas, homeowners' associations can foreclose on homes without a court order, no matter the size of the debt. In May 2008, the HOA sold the Clauers' home for a pittance—$3,500—although its appraisal value was $300,000, according to court documents. The buyer then resold the house to a third person. (Select Management Co., the company that manages Heritage Lakes, declined to comment for this story.)
Once your contract is accepted by the seller, the buyer should be given the HOA "rules and regulations" within a certian amount of days. You have a short time to view them, if you have an objection to them. If it's a new home the builder needs to provided you with this info.
I for one dislike HOA's when it comes to "rules and regulations" about where I park my vehicle and such. Some in the DFW are are rather to "strong", like I seen one on the news where the guys had bumper stickers on his vehicle of military shorts and the HOA was throwing a fit, or the other one where the home owner flew an American flag on a nice flag pole in his yard...
Some people like HOA's. Good luck to you in your future home purchase.
thanks...Is there a way to look through each HOA rules and regs prior to purchasing? Or another way to get background on how effective an HOA is? I would imagine how established they are dictates how experienced they are?
Not familiar with HOA, since residential neighborhoods don't have them where I live now. But we have purple house and people parking trailers full of construction crap in their yards, or boats. You name it, anything goes. HOAs would eliminate this, which I think I like. But I want one that doesn't sit on their laurels and do nothing, I think I want an active HOA.
Want to hear more about what makes them good and bad.
You could also check the property tax records online for the streets in the neighborhood to see who owns the houses. The HOA usually owned one or two of them in my old neighborhood, seems like a pretty sure sign they mean business.
Michael Clauer is a captain in the Army Reserve who commanded over 100 soldiers in Iraq. But while he was fighting for his country, a different kind of battle was brewing on the home front. Last September, Michael returned to Frisco, Texas, to find that his homeowners' association had foreclosed on his $300,000 house—and sold it for $3,500. This story illustrates the type of legal quagmire that can get out of hand while soldiers are serving abroad and their families are dealing with the stress of their deployment. And fixing the mess isn't easy.
Michael went on active duty in February 2008 and was sent to Iraq. After he shipped out, his wife May slipped into a deep depression, according to court documents. "A lot of people say that the deployment is more stressful on the spouse than the actual person who's being deployed," Michael, 37, says in an interview with Mother Jones. May Clauer had two kids to take care of—a ten-year-old and a one-year-old with a serious seizure-related disorder. In addition, she was worried sick about her husband. Michael's company was doing convoy security in Iraq—an extremely dangerous job. "It was a pretty tough year for the whole company," he says. "We had IEDs, rocket attacks and mortar attacks, and a few soldiers that were hurt pretty bad and had to be airlifted back to the States."
Seeking to avoid hearing about the situation in Iraq, May stopped watching the news. She rarely answered the door, and Michael says he couldn't tell her when he went "outside the wire"—off-base. May also stopped opening the mail. "I guess she was scared that she would hear bad news," says Michael. That was why she missed multiple notices from the Heritage Lakes Homeowners Association informing her that the family owed $800 in dues—and then subsequent notices stating that the HOA was preparing to foreclose on the debt and seize the home.
In Texas, homeowners' associations can foreclose on homes without a court order, no matter the size of the debt. In May 2008, the HOA sold the Clauers' home for a pittance—$3,500—although its appraisal value was $300,000, according to court documents. The buyer then resold the house to a third person. (Select Management Co., the company that manages Heritage Lakes, declined to comment for this story.)
I have read this before..I think there was more to this story than what is here. By the way, there is no excuse not to open your mail and pay your bills, as much as I feel for her situation. This story falls apart at shutting down her life from outside communication.
thanks...Is there a way to look through each HOA rules and regs prior to purchasing? Or another way to get background on how effective an HOA is? I would imagine how established they are dictates how experienced they are?
Not familiar with HOA, since residential neighborhoods don't have them where I live now. But we have purple house and people parking trailers full of construction crap in their yards, or boats. You name it, anything goes. HOAs would eliminate this, which I think I like. But I want one that doesn't sit on their laurels and do nothing, I think I want an active HOA.
Want to hear more about what makes them good and bad.
Some builders offer a look into their HOA "rules and regulations" while your out touring and doing walk throughs, however it is not common practice to show your deck of cards "so to say"...I see your issue with purple homes and boats in yards....I to think HOA is good for that...but again I have a bitter taste when it comes to HOA's where I formally lived. Just make sure your READ EVERYTHING when you get to that process of home purchasing when it comes to the "rules and regulations"...
I do know once your process is started in purchasing you are required by the contract to have the "rules and regulations" give to you in full view within some many days and you have x amount of days to review and move forward....other then that IDK>
I have read this before..I think there was more to this story than what is here. By the way, there is no excuse not to open your mail and pay your bills, as much as I feel for her situation. This story falls apart at shutting down her life from outside communication.
Yes. She should have opened her mail. But the neighborhood should have known who she was and that she was going through a hard time. The fact that they didn't shows me they were not good neighbors.
The HOA should have simply knocked on the door before foreclosing on an occupied $300,000 house, and selling it for a mere $3,500. The whole point of an HOA is to be a good neighbor. The HOA failed in that regard. A neighbor was down on her luck, they shouldn't have handled it this way. It sounds like a place where no one knew their neighbors' name -- but they wanted money from them.
No thanks. I don't have an HOA or pay dues. But my neighbors know when I'm doing well and doing poorly. We take good care of our yards. We actually talk and care how our house impacts our neighbors. Just go find a neighborhood that is well kept -- HOAs aren't for me.
Yes. She should have opened her mail. But the neighborhood should have known who she was and that she was going through a hard time. The fact that they didn't shows me they were not good neighbors.
The HOA should have simply knocked on the door before foreclosing on an occupied $300,000 house, and selling it for a mere $3,500. The whole point of an HOA is to be a good neighbor. The HOA failed in that regard. A neighbor was down on her luck, they shouldn't have handled it this way. It sounds like a place where no one knew their neighbors' name -- but they wanted money from them.
No thanks. I don't have an HOA or pay dues. But my neighbors know when I'm doing well and doing poorly. We take good care of our yards. We actually talk and care how our house impacts our neighbors. Just go find a neighborhood that is well kept -- HOAs aren't for me.
great, thanks for the info..Not sure when an HOA became considered a neighbor, I thought the were a governing entity for a residential neighborhoods rules and regs. Either way, I am trying to gather information about how they operate, and what are the best aspects of HOAs that run sought after neighborhoods. Then I can make a fact-based decision on whether or not they are for me. This one story may tug at my heart strings but doesn't influence my desire for an HOA to protect me and my property values. Neighbors come and go, you could have one move out and have a bad one move in, or vice versa. Fact is, HOAs exist for that reason, whether you like them or not.
Count me in with Hamilton. I have no use for HOAs. My neighborhood doesn't have one, and it is just fine. Everyone maintains their house nicely, and we all get along. We don't need an HOA telling us that we can't park a car overnight in our driveway, what kind of shrubs we can/can't plant in our own yard, what color we can/can't paint our house, whether we can fly our American flag, etc. One of my neighbors does have a boat in front of his house occasionally (OMG!!!) but I don't think it has devalued anyone's property.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
