[ITChick]

Thank you to everyone that replied to my post. You have all made me feel a lot better about the possibility of finding a home in Central Florida without an HOA. I don't mind a voluntary small one to help keep common areas clean, but those huge ones that include special assessments really get to me.

I agree with those of you that posted that the Realtor may have been refering to her own listings. I think it is more along the lines of: "I only deal with properties that have HOA's!", although she refused to actually admit that.

Now I have a question, and forgive my naivete, but what is an HOI and how can I tell the difference in listings from a regular HOA and a voluntary HOA (is it determined by the low money amount of the assesment to be paid each month)?

[pslOldTimer]

HOI is Home Owner's Insurance and has no relationship to HOA. I think the OP was making a "funny" about the incompetence of your real estate agent.

The municipal code site I referenced earlier is up and functional.

http://www.municode.com/resources/co....asp?stateID=9

[ITChick]

Thanks for the link pslOldTimer. It looks like I have some homework to do!

[Dee2e]

Originally Posted by ITChick

I am shocked and frustrated at hearing this! She said that all properties have HOA fees and I will never find any without. I'm living in Chicago, and although it's usually older established neighborhoods that don't have HOA's, they are easily findable.

All I want to know is: Is this true?

I'm thinking seriously about Florida, mainly the Central area and would like to find a small property to purchase such as a 2/2, in an older established (but safe) neighborhood.

This is not true. There are homes without HOA fees.

[shedav]

Tallrick...you posted why would anyone want HOA fees? While I am not looking to purchase in a gated community due to over restrictions I am wanting to move to neighborhood with some restrictions because of personal experience. My husband had property over an acre and 11 years ago we decided to build our home. Now when we first built our neighbor to the left of me lived with his father and the neighbor on my right was married. My husband had been raised on this property and back then growing up both properties were well maintained. Since then my neighbor on the left father has passed away about 5-6 years ago and he (being a bum, alcoholic, and drug user) has let the property go. All he cares about is how to make enough money to keep himself in his habits. He got busted a couple of years ago for a meth lab that he had in the trailer. (he also tore down only half way the home he was raised in so part of that house is still on the front of the property) anyway after he got busted the law gave him 30 days to get rid of the trailer because it was condemned due to the meth lab. A week later it miraculously caught fire while he was not there only to partially burn down before the firemen got there. So now there is also still part of the metal from the trailer in places with black/burnt junk everywhere. He then got a little popup type camper (you know the kind from the 70's that is kinda egg shaped?) and painted it camoflauge and is now living in it with a makeshift awning that he built with wood. He just continues to move the junk in his yard from place to place only to make it worse and he also has two rusted broken down sheds.

Now on to the neighbor on my right. She isnt quite as bad but they do not keep their grass cut and they also have an old building that once was a miniconvenient store that has gone downhill with broken windows etc. and it seems they have no desire to tear it down or get rid of it. The home also that they were raised in on the back of the property she lives in but now she has moved a trailer in the front behind the building to rent to any kind of riffraft.

So, when you ask about HOA fees while they are an inconvenience I feel if they are not outrageous in their restrictions and price they would be a ok thing to have to protect your home because here we have this beautiful home wedged between these two nightmares. I just want to cry everytime I look out my window because of all the junk I see. Our home was recently appraised at over 200+ but when we go to sell it is going to cost us because of our neighbors.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by shedav

Tallrick...you posted why would anyone want HOA fees? While I am not looking to purchase in a gated community due to over restrictions I am wanting to move to neighborhood with some restrictions because of personal experience. My husband had property over an acre and 11 years ago we decided to build our home. Now when we first built our neighbor to the left of me lived with his father and the neighbor on my right was married. My husband had been raised on this property and back then growing up both properties were well maintained. Since then my neighbor on the left father has passed away about 5-6 years ago and he (being a bum, alcoholic, and drug user) has let the property go. All he cares about is how to make enough money to keep himself in his habits. He got busted a couple of years ago for a meth lab that he had in the trailer. (he also tore down only half way the home he was raised in so part of that house is still on the front of the property) anyway after he got busted the law gave him 30 days to get rid of the trailer because it was condemned due to the meth lab. A week later it miraculously caught fire while he was not there only to partially burn down before the firemen got there. So now there is also still part of the metal from the trailer in places with black/burnt junk everywhere. He then got a little popup type camper (you know the kind from the 70's that is kinda egg shaped?) and painted it camoflauge and is now living in it with a makeshift awning that he built with wood. He just continues to move the junk in his yard from place to place only to make it worse and he also has two rusted broken down sheds.

Now on to the neighbor on my right. She isnt quite as bad but they do not keep their grass cut and they also have an old building that once was a miniconvenient store that has gone downhill with broken windows etc. and it seems they have no desire to tear it down or get rid of it. The home also that they were raised in on the back of the property she lives in but now she has moved a trailer in the front behind the building to rent to any kind of riffraft.

So, when you ask about HOA fees while they are an inconvenience I feel if they are not outrageous in their restrictions and price they would be a ok thing to have to protect your home because here we have this beautiful home wedged between these two nightmares. I just want to cry everytime I look out my window because of all the junk I see. Our home was recently appraised at over 200+ but when we go to sell it is going to cost us because of our neighbors.

Unless you are living in the Ozark's or something, there isn't a county anywhere in Florida that would permit what you describe. It is time for you to do something and make a few complaints. Then again, have you ever thought of trying to give the guy a hand with some of his problems? Where is this by the way?

[ellie]

There's a difference between municipal code enforcement and the kinds of covenants which are placed on properties in planned developments. Codes generally cover things like abandoned vehicles left in the yard, obvious disrepair, trash, excessive vegetation, and other threats to health, safety, and common welfare.

Covenants generally apply to boats in driveways, age of residents, kinds of mailboxes, paint color, and whatever turns on those in charge of the situation.

Palm Coast, from what I've heard, is some kind of new town which was developed from the ground up fairly recently, and has its own set of rules.

I'm too much of an anarchist to live in a place with covenants, but am willing to mow my lawn occasionally and hide all of my "projects" in the back yard. Well, no I'm lying. I haven't mowed parts of my yard in two years.

Currently I'm freaking out on exactly the same thing because I'll be moving to a community where there is a surplus of cookie cutter homes in new developments and very few funky pre-existing structures. Geeze louise, as long as I'm not drawing flies, who cares what I do in my yard? At least I'm not boring.

[shedav]

MACGUY we currently live in WV in the country but not really way out I am 3 miles from interstate and only 10 miles from Charleston. Trust me I have called everyone you could think of with no luck. I have even had the environmentalist people out and still nothing. Pretty much we are SOL because we have no restrictions along with no leash law so I had to put up a fence a few years back to keep the dogs from coming in and doing their business in the yard. Also to protect my dog. We have had one dog attacked when we first moved in and just last year the neighbor who moved into the trailer to the right had a boxer who jumped our fence and killed our cat. (boy did my kids cry on that one since they found him) it was awful.

Yea believe it or not I am such a sucker that when we first moved in I would let our neighbor borrow our phone, food etc I would even take him food if I had extra because I felt sorry for him and after all of this how did he repay? He was always nice to our face and my husband knew him from growing up here and was a bit more leary of him than I. Come to find out he was robbing us blind. Everytime we would leave our garage open things would come up missing. The kicker was when we took the kids to disney a couple of years ago only to come back and a couple of months later our neighbor two houses down(on the opposite side of him) told us that he had tapped into our electric and water while we were gone. So needless to say I dont go out of my way to help him anymore. It actually crushed me to find out my DH had been right all along when things kept coming up missing. He sold our stuff for money Im sure.

Now we just keep everything locked up and dont go on vacations... I would be afraid to go for fear we would have nothing left when we returned.

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by macguy

All cities have codes. They have a code for everything otherwise it would be chaos. You get an inspector who doesn't like you and you can't believe how many violations most everybody has. I once got cited and had dozens. They were all nothing and took like minutes to correct but they were there. I had no idea there is actually a requirement you have to have numbers on your house, I didn't. I had a few bricks in the yard, cited for storing building materials on the property. Cited because there was fruit in the yard from my grapefruit tree and it went on and on.

Point being, don't make enemies. This was all triggered by a neighbor who didn't like me. Most inspectors I was told don't go looking for trouble but they are required to respond to a complaint, even a silly one. You don't want those guys coming on your property for any reason if you can help it.

My parents are constantly being harassed by the Team Metro code enforcement. One bad neighbor who wants to get even calls them constantly. They make up "violations" and keep me from enjoying the peace of my home. As for where I live I am surrounded by nature, and Monroe County zoning is more concerned about protecting the environment than how tall your grass is. There's so many snakes and scorpions here that I feel safe. The zoning inspectors are the pests I fear most. I am really surprised that a frustrated homeowner hadn't shot one or more of them. Latest episode at the parents home is a complaint about their compost barrel. Another day wasted in court for them and me, and who knows what hassles lie in the future. For those of you who like HOA's and zoning I hope that you never fall on hard times, the zoning ***** will be there to destroy your life.

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by tallrick

This is the saddest thing I have ever read. Why in the world do people today want to be controlled? In Miami-Dade County there is a homeowner's association for the entire county called team Metro. They fine you if you paint anything like that on your home. Why do people actually WANT high property values and the taxes that go with it? Seeing things uniforn is creepy, in a "desperate housewives" or stepford wives kind of way. Even worse because everything built in the last 20 years is incredibly ugly. Just buy something built before the 1970's and you won't have a HOA ....period. Now I am going to go and throw up.

We just have to agree to disagree. I wouldn't dare buy something that old and especially that's not in an community with an HOA. It would probably be a dump and surrounded by just the same. Why do people want higher property values? Hmmm.. that's strangest question I've come across regarding owning a home. I fiind all those older homes to be really ugly.

And I LIKE it all uniform and looking nice and neat in a community. So do lots of other people or they wouldn't be buying in those communities.

Perfect example of why an HOA is needed- yesterday I drove past a neighborhood (older) and there was a blue house that stuck out like a sore thumb. The color was so bright, almost flourescent. It was horrible. I would not want that as my neighbor and in an HOA neighborhood it wouldn't be allowed.

Why are HOA'S? needed? Because some people have no common sense when it comes to what they do to their home and the neighborhood.