About time to fix them HOA's (foreclosures, attorneys, subdivision)

[jimmyev]

Originally Posted by honeyinhouston

I've driven through many neighborhoods in the Midwest and Northeast that looked atrocious....

Ghettos exist everywhere. That does not negate the fact that the vast vast majority of people in the Midwest keep their homes and yards nice - without being forced. Here (according to some posters) people have to be forced to maintain nice yards and homes. Why do you think people here are so lazy?

[CDeb]

Originally Posted by jimmyev

Ghettos exist everywhere. That does not negate the fact that the vast vast majority of people in the Midwest keep their homes and yards nice - without being forced. Here (according to some posters) people have to be forced to maintain nice yards and homes. Why do you think people here are so lazy?

It's hot as hell during our growing season? (and if it's not, it's because it's pouring)

[SL Hawkeye]

I used to live in a tidy neighborhood in the midwest, until my next-door neighbors moved and their home was turned into a pseudo-frathouse. We had no recourse except our (often nightly) phone calls to the police. When selling, I had to tell the realtor to only show the home before 2 pm, because the neighbors wouldn't have started firing up the bong in the backyard until mid-afternoon. Ask anyone who has lived near neighbors with a huge scrap-metal collection, a forest-worth of chainsaw art or Uncle-Eddie's beat-down RV parked in front of their house if rules preventing this are a good thing.

I don't think HOA's are necessarily evil, but there are definitely some that are governed by people on a power trip. Just like school dress codes, I don't think the rules need to be over the top, but their existence serves a purpose. That being said, I don't think foreclosure should be a tool to use at their disposal. That shouldn't even be an option.

[Texascrude]

Love my HOA. If you don't like yours, just move. Simple as that.

[fordlover]

A friend is selling his house, but wants to paint the exterior to make it look better. He's been waiting over a month an a half to get approval for his submitted paint color. And the HOA refuses to communicate with him.

I'm so happy we bought in a community without a HOA.

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by fordlover

A friend is selling his house, but wants to paint the exterior to make it look better. He's been waiting over a month an a half to get approval for his submitted paint color. And the HOA refuses to communicate with him.

I'm so happy we bought in a community without a HOA.

fordlover: remind your friend to check the restrictive covenants - many HOAs are forced to recognize "automatic approval" if the application has not been acted upon within some time period - usually 30 or 45 days. The key is ensuring that your friend can prove it up. Unfortunately, the managing agents usually profit by provoking disputes in these places and the management company's systems and policies are designed for the profitability of the management company to the detriment of the homeowners.

By the way, isn't it interesting how the reporter left out the name of the management company in this story. The management companies are often the ones that actually create the problems and they need to be identified in each of these stories.

According to the Harris County Clerk's Office the last certificate on file for this subdivision appears identifies Houston Community Management Services. This is another one of Senator Carona's companies.

In any event, the reporters need to identify the vendors of these HOAs (such as the management companies).

[Shipresa]

I am now so pro-HOA, after seeking housing inside cities. Buying a 10 acre property in the mid-west allows for insurance against neighbors who like to 'collect.' Where I'm from, we always bought acreage to be sure no trailer would end up next door, literally.

I looked at an older but very desireable neighborhood in Vegas with no HOA. On going back for the final look and to submit the offer papers, smack dab on the abutting driveway was one of the largest monster RVs you could imagine. It put SHADE on 'my' front lawn.

I asked the realtor, is this normal? He said, oh, just probably parking overnight. (The electric line coming out of it and the bricks around the wheels didn't look 'overnight.') The owner simply said, the guy next door is a renter and he rents out his driveway each year for some months.

I did not submit the offer papers.

I LIKE being in our HOA community. (We have a normal one, not run by power hungry needy-types. Ours are all lawyers and CEOs who do this for ensuring their properties retain their own value!)

[fordlover]

Originally Posted by IC_deLight

fordlover: remind your friend to check the restrictive covenants - many HOAs are forced to recognize "automatic approval" if the application has not been acted upon within some time period - usually 30 or 45 days. The key is ensuring that your friend can prove it up. Unfortunately, the managing agents usually profit by provoking disputes in these places and the management company's systems and policies are designed for the profitability of the management company to the detriment of the homeowners.

By the way, isn't it interesting how the reporter left out the name of the management company in this story. The management companies are often the ones that actually create the problems and they need to be identified in each of these stories.

According to the Harris County Clerk's Office the last certificate on file for this subdivision appears identifies Houston Community Management Services. This is another one of Senator Carona's companies.

In any event, the reporters need to identify the vendors of these HOAs (such as the management companies).

I'll remind him of that, he's been holding his breath on painting and listing his home, which is ultimately costing him money since he's already closed on the new property.

[fordlover]

Originally Posted by Shipresa

I LIKE being in our HOA community. (We have a normal one, not run by power hungry needy-types. Ours are all lawyers and CEOs who do this for ensuring their properties retain their own value!)

When we were hunting for our new house, I told our realtor I would not consider any homes within a HOA controlled community. So from my prospective, the HOA actually reduced the value of any homes in it from my perspective. I admit I'm in the minority, as most people do not feel the same.

My biggest complaint is the HOA's have government level control/authority, without any of the checks and balances and oversite the Government has.

[Shipresa]

Originally Posted by fordlover

When we were hunting for our new house, I told our realtor I would not consider any homes within a HOA controlled community. So from my prospective, the HOA actually reduced the value of any homes in it from my perspective. I admit I'm in the minority, as most people do not feel the same.

My biggest complaint is the HOA's have government level control/authority, without any of the checks and balances and oversite the Government has.

We too said that to our realtor. She she obliged by showing us as many homes as she could, and this one, the one we are now in (HOA.)

The decision was not made lightly, and our 'yes!' was done AFTER a mini-interview with the HOA president, who in just a few lines, told us what their real goals were (home value, reserve fund for the roads, etc., but flexibility. After seeing areas with too many cars and sidewalks clogged with even more cars, I like the 'regulation'-style living for our purposes here in Houston. I actually don't like LISTENING to anyone else's 'freedom' to have a mechanic shop in their garage, in-laws living in an RV next to my windows...for example. I like quiet and HOAs keep that peace. I prefer self-policing with a small group as opposed to expected the city police and city ordinances to protect MY freedom for quiet and pretty.