Does anyone out there really like HOA's (Home Owner Associations)? (crime, house)

[L.A. Diva]

I currently live in one and I think these types of organizations are way too strict and regulated. They prohibit so many things, which in a way is appreciated, because the neighborhood as a whole looks neat and uniform. It seems that there is very little wiggle room to really show that you have authority over your home, especially the exterior, example: this place is so regulated that holiday decorations are very limited when displayed, and the number of plants outside, no bikes to be left out on the lawn overnight. Is there anyone else out there who has some HOA good or bad stories to tell?

[momof2dfw]

I like them but I've lived in good ones. I won't live in one that restricts how many and what types of plants may be used and forbids kids swingsets and play forts.

[ChristieP]

Thankfully, I live in an area with no HOA. As long as I'm not planting marijuana plants, no HOA is going to tell me what I can and cannot plant in my own yard!

[L.A. Diva]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Thankfully, I live in an area with no HOA. As long as I'm not planting marijuana plants, no HOA is going to tell me what I can and cannot plant in my own yard!

Wowwwww, you're brave.

[nsumner]

I don't see myself living in a neighborhood that doesn't have an HOA. I guess I've been lucky that I've never lived in one that was "rigid or overboad". Their job is to maintain a clean, kept up neighborhood. Considering the line of work I am in, I can usually tell as soon as I drive through a neighborhood if there is an HOA or not.

The disabled cars in the front, the overgrown yards and falling fences and peeling paint from homes.

A client I'm working with right now has a neighbor that planted corn in their front yard. She says everyone is upset about it, but they can't do anything about it. Since it's a cornfield that is very tall, there are lots of critters and skunks etc that have found a habitat.

Sorry, just not my cup of tea... Some people call those neighborhoods "eclectic".

Someone mentioned in another post that their HOA dictates that they must use white lining for drapes, I would LOVE to know which neighborhood that is. Even the most discriminating neighborhood HOAs such as Starwood or Willow Bend don't have such requirements. Of course, you will sometimes find the overzealous retired person or housewife with too much time on their hands and reports every infraction to the HOA.

Naima

[fratermus]

HOAs are "e-ville, as in froo-its of the deh-ville". (per Mike Meyers).

[BlosmTX]

I like my HOA, although they do seem a little arbitrary in their enforcement. They sent me a note because I had a dead rosebush in my garden at the height of summer (I was planning to, and did, replant as soon as the triple digit days were over), but there are certain neighbors that are allowed to maintain their weedpatch for months on end!

But I'm glad I have some sort of protection for my property value if my neighbor decides he wants to paint cow spots on his house or raise bunnies on his front porch.

[L.A. Diva]

Originally Posted by BlosmTX

I like my HOA, although they do seem a little arbitrary in their enforcement. They sent me a note because I had a dead rosebush in my garden at the height of summer (I was planning to, and did, replant as soon as the triple digit days were over), but there are certain neighbors that are allowed to maintain their weedpatch for months on end!

But I'm glad I have some sort of protection for my property value if my neighbor decides he wants to paint cow spots on his house or raise bunnies on his front porch.

"paint cow spots on his house or raise bunnies on his front porch"

funny reply

[FarNorthDallas]

We have a voluntary HOA. You don't have to pay the dues if you don't want to ($25/year). There are no rules, but there are people on the HOA board who will facilitate getting the city to respond to things that violate city ordinance.

The HOA was created to take care of some problems with one neighborhood border that is owned by the handfull of homeowners that backs up to it, but a fix was going to cost a ton of money. So the HOA was formed to create and pay for a fix and to share the cost among more people with approval by the homeowners who actually owned the land. (I think in other instances, the land would be owned by the city or a mandatory HOA, but back in the 1960s it was sortof a flookie thing that this common area was deeded over to the nearby homeowners.)

Our HOA has other purposes, too. Crime watch VIP program, book club, play groups, luncheons, golf outings, 4th of July parade, Easter egg hunt, landscaping, signage, maintenance of the hike and bike trail. But, again, it's totally voluntary. To make it work, I think you need to have a fair number of retired folks in your neighborhood with time on their hands.

I would be resistant to a mandatory HOA. What the city code limits and restricts is enough for me.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by nsumner

A client I'm working with right now has a neighbor that planted corn in their front yard. She says everyone is upset about it, but they can't do anything about it. Since it's a cornfield that is very tall, there are lots of critters and skunks etc that have found a habitat.
Someone mentioned in another post that their HOA dictates that they must use white lining for drapes, I would LOVE to know which neighborhood that is. Even the most discriminating neighborhood HOAs such as Starwood or Willow Bend don't have such requirements. Of course, you will sometimes find the overzealous retired person or housewife with too much time on their hands and reports every infraction to the HOA.

Naima

Depending on the city, the ordinances and how the lot is zoned then that corn could be in violation of city ordinances. One call to the city could fix that problem.

I didn't say it was MY HOA. I said there are some in the area that DO dictate such. Can't remember off the top of my head which ones but there are some around the area that do dictate that the front window coverings must all match. You can't have wood shutters in one window, drapes w/ white lining in another, mini blinds in one, etc. It all has to match.