Question about houses with unfenced yards (real estate, buying a house, neighborhood)

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Also, with the 24 hour news cycle these stories tend to be replayed over and over so it seems that the incidents are more prevalent than they are.

Then you also have, especially in small towns, the 2 or 3 "individuals" that see MS13, Bloods and Crips behind every tree. They see 2 teenagers together and they're automatically drug dealers, kids that are sitting on the boardwalk benches are automatically druggies and anyone that has visitors from from out of town is assumed to have a meth lab in the basement (even if they have no basement, true story, by the way, happened at a meeting I was at last week). These folks are not hesitant to tell all and sundry about their "observations".

You've got them down there too? Small world. We have one local resident that communicates with the spirit realm. They told her there was a bomb in a local high school. Turns out.....there was not bomb. My guess is the spirits also tipped off the bombers that someone was on to them and they escaped jjjjjjjjjust in the nick of time.

[Aussie-Mom]

Originally Posted by J_Lurk

I'm not sure where you are looking, but in some places (like Columbia MD) fences are considered something of a barrier to neighborliness. There is communal property owned by the homeowners association and the idea is to share yards and that communal property. A fence would cut off access to the community property. It really varies by community and you can certainly find other ones where fences are the norm.

That said, most parents would consider it unusual to let a 2 year old play outside unsupervised. No judgement, just telling you you'll get some from others! It isn't the norm; supervising the children outside is.

That's all good to know, thanks. Interesting how culturally different it is from Australia!

[newhart]

I live in an older neighborhood of about 30 homes. There are only about 3 houses with fences here, and they were put up for the dogs.

[drs72]

Originally Posted by J_Lurk

I'm not sure where you are looking, but in some places (like Columbia MD) fences are considered something of a barrier to neighborliness. There is communal property owned by the homeowners association and the idea is to share yards and that communal property. A fence would cut off access to the community property. It really varies by community and you can certainly find other ones where fences are the norm.

That said, most parents would consider it unusual to let a 2 year old play outside unsupervised. No judgement, just telling you you'll get some from others! It isn't the norm; supervising the children outside is.

This ^. It seems to me that places that have more of a sense of community tend not to have many fences. I live in a town of about 1,200 in the mountains in Allegany County. There are some fences around town but not many. I have a wood post fence in front of my yard but it's not keeping anything in or out, it's more decorative. As a little boy, I would run around with all the neighborhood kids and the neighbors kept an eye on everyone's kids. Mom would yell from the front porch if she needed me. In Frostburg, there are some newly-constructed homes that have big, ugly privacy fences and the neighborhood folks aren't very happy. "Why would anyone have a privacy fence in Frostburg?!" I guess it's like a slap in the face to them as if the fence tells the neighbors that they don't want to know them and don't want them in their business. They're seen as sectioning off what's yours from everything else in a selfish sort of way. I'm sure it's different in other places.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by drs72

This ^. It seems to me that places that have more of a sense of community tend not to have many fences. I live in a town of about 1,200 in the mountains in Allegany County. There are some fences around town but not many. I have a wood post fence in front of my yard but it's not keeping anything in or out, it's more decorative. As a little boy, I would run around with all the neighborhood kids and the neighbors kept an eye on everyone's kids. Mom would yell from the front porch if she needed me. In Frostburg, there are some newly-constructed homes that have big, ugly privacy fences and the neighborhood folks aren't very happy. "Why would anyone have a privacy fence in Frostburg?!" I guess it's like a slap in the face to them as if the fence tells the neighbors that they don't want to know them and don't want them in their business. They're seen as sectioning off what's yours from everything else in a selfish sort of way. I'm sure it's different in other places.

I'm not sure it makes any difference at all. Fence, or no fence, those people don't want you in their business. How will forcing them to not have a fence change them?

[westsideboy]

Who said anything about forcing people not build fences?

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Who said anything about forcing people not build fences?

I was in a hurry. Sorry, poor word choice. What I meant was there are plenty of new places without fences. I am questioning the idea that not having them makes any difference to how social people are. I grew up in a community with fences. We knew all of the neighbors and they knew us. Communities (HOAs) are mandating no fences in an effort to "force' people to be more social, or it seems so from several of the posts above. I am questioning whether it works or not.

[Aussie-Mom]

Another question about houses with unfenced yards in new areas: do the HOAs generally let people put outdoor play equipment (a swing set, maybe a trampoline) next to their house for that household's kids to play on? And if you do, does it become public property for every kid in the neighbourhood to play on without invitation, since there's no fences between houses?

I hate to sound un-neighbourly, it's just a very different culture to what I'm used to so I'm trying to understand how it all works before I get there and inadvertently make a bad impression on our new neighbours

[heather3]

J_Lurk is right, not many people I know let 2 year olds, or 4 year olds, play outside unsupervised. YOu may sit on a park bench or on a chair and watch them, but you won't be inside or out of eye contact. I have 3 children, and a fenced yard (our choice b/c of our dog. Since she is a terrier, even an underground electric fence wouldn't have stopped her from bounding across the cul de sac to get a rabbit) and I was outside with them, or on the porch, until they were at least 5. They need to be old enough to follow your rules of staying in the yard, not opening the gate, and using any play equipment properly.

I have lived in houses without fences and while some kids will use your yard as a cut through/short cut from Point A to Point B (unless you lay down the law and tell them and their parents to please use the sidewalk or whatever) they will usually leave anything in your yard alone. HOA's are all different. A friend of mine couldn't put a gazebo (not permanent) in her backyard in a golf course development b/c of the restrictions. This is something to ask if you move/look into a neighborhood who has these rules and regulations. If you want a fence, and they let you, you have to get a plan drawn up and have the HOA board approve it. We did that in the last place we lived for a small patio.

If you go for an older neighborhood (circa 1980s or before) you may find no rules, which can be good and bad. You may get a junker car parked in a neighbors driveway with junk strewn along the side of his garage, while in an HOA place you will not get that. My non-HOA development is very neat and kept up very nicely.
This all depends, however, on where you move to...most people in America know the unwritten rule "What is not on my property isn't mine. I should ask permission to use the swing set". Also, there are HUGE insurance concerns...if a child that plays in your swing set, while you are on vacation, and falls off and breaks her arm, whose fault is it? MOST parents are great about teaching their children to respect other people's property :-) I'm not trying to scare you, maybe Australia has the same thing, but you know Americans..."I spilled HOT coffee on my pants from McDonald's...I'm suing b/c you didn't tell me it was hot!"<--that is a true story, believe it or not. So, now the cups say HOT COFFEE on them LOL!

By the way, you being from Australia 1) you will win us over with your accent and 2) most Americans will be so happy to show/tell/explain to you anything you want and probably grill you about Australia in the process.

[heather3]

On another note, when I was visiting a friend in Rome, I asked why all the condos/homes had fences. She turned to me and said, "How else would you keep people from stealing your dog?" Talk about being stunned into silence! She was amazed at how open everything was here and the fences most people do have are 3 feet tall. There are privacy fences, especially those with pools b/c of regulations, but I can still talk to all my neighbors over ours!