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Status:
"Hate is too easy, Love takes courage."
(set 5 days ago)
Location: Washington County, ME
1,964 posts, read 3,299,142 times
Reputation: 3077
I wouldnt mind a cemetary next door.
What worries me most about HOA is the chance of the fee rising quickly and by A LOT if any type of large repairs are needed. Not so much the rules themselves - the cost each month.
And with renting, usually if you have a year lease i dont think they can raise the rent for a year - then you have the chance to move. If you've bought something - good luck trying to sell, especially when the market is like it is now.
I find it amusing that so many of the things that HOA keep from happening -- cars on blocks, uncut lawns, illegal rooms, lots of cars & RV's parked on the streets score really, really high as items to dissuade buyers. But the one thing to protect your property from all that -- a HOA!!! --- is at the top of the list for dissuading buyers!
Where I live, county code enforcement is perfectly willing to take care of any and all of those things, even the cars on blocks bit. So why do I need a private organization for that when local government takes care of those issues, and is actually far more accountable to residents and far more restricted in what it can do in other areas than an HOA is.
Where I live, county code enforcement is perfectly willing to take care of any and all of those things, even the cars on blocks bit. So why do I need a private organization for that when local government takes care of those issues, and is actually far more accountable to residents and far more restricted in what it can do in other areas than an HOA is.
Well, you're very lucky to live where government is doing what it can do to keep property values up. I live in the libertarian Southwest where many people are proud of their right to thumb their nose in their neighbors' faces. Voters here would likely never approve of government entities that would address many of the issues on the OP's list. For an example, check out the C-D thread where the Phoenix resident is OUTRAGED that the city government might require him to have a permit for work involving the gas line. Houston, Texas, for yet another example, has NO zoning ordinances and they are proud of it. You can be running a funeral parlor next door to a library and someone can build an amusement park next door if they own the land.
I have a friend in Arizona whose lovely home is next door to a man who one day quit his job and decided he is a sculptor. He welds junk metal together in his garage day and night with the door open and music blaring. No room in the garage for his cars and trucks, so he parks them in the yard. Where there are not cars, his front yard is jam-packed with the creations that no gallery will represent and the back yard is a storehouse for junk he "might use someday." Some people may find this charming. Although my home is filled with art, I would call her situation "horrific." As long as he is there exercising his freedom and artistic license, my friend will NEVER be able to sell her house. That's why I would never buy a home in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and other places in the Southwest without an HOA. For people who disagree with me, there are still plenty of places that don't have them.
I have bought and renovated several run-down houses. So I certainly wasn't dissuaded from many of the things on this list including cat pee, roof antenna, only one bathroom, holes in the walls. To which I would add: hideous wallpaper; filthy wall-to-wall carpeting; cracked, peeling paint and linoleum floors; unusable bathroom fixtures; falling apart kitchen cabinets; dangerous decks; out-dated electric, etc.
The things I did reject, however, are things that cannot be changed without way more cash than any of the houses would ever be worth: bad floorplans; tiny bedrooms and no place to put closets; bad plumbing throughout (much worse to re-do than electric); no feasible parking; bad water damage; mold; neighbors who show no pride in their homes. Also, never buy in a neighborhood with a lousy school district. I made that mistake once thinking, "Who cares? I have no kids." In most places (except maybe some truly urban areas), bad schools drive down the overall value of residential real estate as fast as anything. And that's something you can't change unless you're planning to run for office.
Well, you're very lucky to live where government is doing what it can do to keep property values up. I live in the libertarian Southwest where many people are proud of their right to thumb their nose in their neighbors' faces. Voters here would likely never approve of government entities that would address many of the issues on the OP's list. For an example, check out the C-D thread where the Phoenix resident is OUTRAGED that the city government might require him to have a permit for work involving the gas line. Houston, Texas, for yet another example, has NO zoning ordinances and they are proud of it. You can be running a funeral parlor next door to a library and someone can build an amusement park next door if they own the land.
I have a friend in Arizona whose lovely home is next door to a man who one day quit his job and decided he is a sculptor. He welds junk metal together in his garage day and night with the door open and music blaring. No room in the garage for his cars and trucks, so he parks them in the yard. Where there are not cars, his front yard is jam-packed with the creations that no gallery will represent and the back yard is a storehouse for junk he "might use someday." Some people may find this charming. Although my home is filled with art, I would call her situation "horrific." As long as he is there exercising his freedom and artistic license, my friend will NEVER be able to sell her house. That's why I would never buy a home in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and other places in the Southwest without an HOA. For people who disagree with me, there are still plenty of places that don't have them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl
I have bought and renovated several run-down houses. So I certainly wasn't dissuaded from many of the things on this list including cat pee, roof antenna, only one bathroom, holes in the walls. To which I would add: hideous wallpaper; filthy wall-to-wall carpeting; cracked, peeling paint and linoleum floors; unusable bathroom fixtures; falling apart kitchen cabinets; dangerous decks; out-dated electric, etc.
The things I did reject, however, are things that cannot be changed without way more cash than any of the houses would ever be worth: bad floorplans; tiny bedrooms and no place to put closets; bad plumbing throughout (much worse to re-do than electric); no feasible parking; bad water damage; mold; neighbors who show no pride in their homes. Also, never buy in a neighborhood with a lousy school district. I made that mistake once thinking, "Who cares? I have no kids." In most places (except maybe some truly urban areas), bad schools drive down the overall value of residential real estate as fast as anything. And that's something you can't change unless you're planning to run for office.
I agree with both your posts. I lived in the city and had a heck of a time getting the city government to do something about blight. I had the most horrific neighbors at times. When the economy started going down hill there were even less government employees to complain to. I had one neighbor that never cleaned up after his two dogs. NEVER. The neighborhood was older, built between the early 1900's to 1950's. Everyone had small lots and a driveway that led into the backyard to a one or two car garage. The dog crap was so bad that his driveway looked like mud was smeared all over it. That is how much dog crap was back there. I can't even imagine what the inside of his house looked like. I called the city countless times. No one ever showed up nor believed how bad it was. One lady told me I must be exaggerating. Well one day one of his dogs attacked the other and he shot the dog. Police were called and they were stunned by the condition of his backyard. He finally got a ticket. When we moved I welcomed an HOA unfortunately I realized there are passive HOA's. All I ever heard about was how strict they are. I got the opposite.
I pretty much voted for structural things that can't be easily changed, location issues and pet smells--which are next to impossible to remove.
Other things that would dissuade me from buying a house are obvious things that point to minimal upkeep over time-unkempt lawns/landscaping, etc. If a house is taken care of on the outside, most likely it was taken care of on the inside.
Holes in the wall would depend--if they were big holes like someone punched a wall-yes, that would dissuade me--small holes like a missing door stop and the doorknob put a dent in the wall-probably not depending on the rest of the house.
Cosmetic issues--I actually prefer them. I am going to most likely change them anyway and it's a lot easier to justify taking out 20 year old pink carpet then 1 month old ugly carpet.
No garage-wouldn't even visit the house to start--but then we are in MN and NEED a garage.
Illegal rooms-big deal, put in an egress window...
HOA--unless it is a townhome complex where you actually GET something for living in an HOA-NO WAY....we don't need HOA's here for people to keep their property up, etc.-parking of RV's, etc. as long as they are parked along side of a house, etc. big deal. If a neighbor wants to park their RV in front of my house-I would have an issue with that-never happened to us though.
I would be dissuaded by HOA. I like to be able to do as I please, staying within zoning and code of course, with my property. Flood damage/mold/ plumbing/electric issues would as well.
I prefer either 2 bathrooms or 1.5 bathroom. I hate bathrooms that you have to go thru bedrooms to get to
I park my RV in my driveway from about March 1-Oct 1. As long as it stays off the street the city does not care. I do move it if we have company staying over, so they don't park in the street.
I lack the time and energy to worry about my neighbors.
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