Is every community saddled with an HOA?

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by BillyBobJoeBobWilly

how exhausting... why are HOAs so popular in Phoenix?

I can't give a Phoenix-specific answer, but many growing counties lacked the funds and resources to build and maintain the infrastructure, plantings, etc. that new subdivisions would require. Hence they "outsourced" (some of) it to private homeowners' associations, who are funded not by property taxes but by association fees. (Maybe the existing inhabitants of the county felt it would be unfair that THEY would have to pay for the new development?)

Gated communities are a natural outgrowth of homeowners' associations, as in addition to feeling safer, homeowners do not want outsiders using things THEY paid for.

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by BillyBobJoeBobWilly

What I loathe is paying for something that should be free... an added expense. Are people in Phoenix so inconsiderate of their neighbors that they'll do whatever they want unless some paid for group calls the law on them?

Not all of them are that inconsiderate, but enough are that it's a problem. There's a pervasive attitude in the U.S., but especially in the Southwest, that the freedom to do anything one pleases is a God-given American right. Heaven knows it's a very attractive proposition. It's a hallmark of what drove many pioneers to settle lands not naturally conducive to human inhabitants (like Phoenix ).

It worked great when houses were ten miles apart. Unfortunately, the more people you get in a given space, the more this "freedom" — often taken to an extreme — has a negative impact when neighbors aren't ten miles away. Perhaps it's normal for Americans to chop down the natural vegetation and park an RV, a boat, and six cars on blocks in the newly emancipated front yard. But the minute those folks are outnumbered by people who would rather look at manicured landscaping (and judging by rjrcm's MLS numbers they are about 3 to 1 today), HOAs enter the picture.

As Bummer suggests, people who "loathe an HOA" ... should "avoid them at all costs." It will limit your choice of houses, but getting the place that's right for you will help you avoid future pain.

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by BillyBobJoeBobWilly

what is wrong with point a car head first towards the street?

Oops, I mean head first toward the sidewalk.

They park their car in the same way you would in a store parking lot, so that the front of the car is pointing toward the curb/sidewalk and the rest of the car is sticking out in the street. You're supposed to park cars parallel to the sidewalk.

[BillyBobJoeBobWilly]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Oops, I mean head first toward the sidewalk.

They park their car in the same way you would in a store parking lot, so that the front of the car is pointing toward the curb/sidewalk and the rest of the car is sticking out in the street. You're supposed to park cars parallel to the sidewalk.

Oh, I get it... and I understand that.. Having lived in Socal for a number of years I've seen that as well.. especially Saturday mornings when the fever of Yard Sale maniacs are scowering the landside. And, I can understand it when you have a mix of many different cultures who think it's perfectly normal and perhaps it is in their native country.

Moderator cut: crude

Ok, I feel better now..... well, not really...

[observer53]

I think the OP 's question has been answered. Beyond that, there are already many threads in this forum on the pros and cons of HOAs.