Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Has anyone noticed that a great many of the houses in Cary, that are older, lacking HOAs, that come on the market...seem to be split-level?
(Have lived in an HOA neighborhood for 11 years. Will leave when possible. In a good location, but... HOAs can definitely change [as in, "devolve"] over time. Ours sure has.)
And just WHAT is wrong with gardens in the front? Our guidelines prohibit SUNFLOWERS in the front...the way we are paving the heck out of everything these days, if it has chlorophyll it ought to be encouraged...
We must be lucky or something. Our HOA has pretty much no rules.
It's a trip.
We own a rental unit in a very affordable townhouse community with PAGES of rules, most of them go unenforced.
Our home, however, is in a small neighborhood full of larger homes with pretty much no rules except basic stuff like "maintain your lawn" and "submit requests for building to the architecture committee."
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ
We were in a subdivision in West Cary that had an HOA but no fees, no pool, and no enforcement. The rules were very broad too, basically they don't care unless you put a trailer in front of your house. We lived on a greenway with about 1/3 of an acre. After 11 years we decided it just wasn't for us.
We moved down the street to a community with an active HOA, pool, shared space landscaping, and a fee, and love it so much more. People seem to care about their property and we do sometimes hear about silly HOA rules, and pay a good amount every year. The benefits far outweigh the problems. With no HOA and a lot of houses doing nothing to keep the value in their property we were fed up. And now we have a pool!
Has anyone noticed that a great many of the houses in Cary, that are older, lacking HOAs, that come on the market...seem to be split-level?
(Have lived in an HOA neighborhood for 11 years. Will leave when possible. In a good location, but... HOAs can definitely change [as in, "devolve"] over time. Ours sure has.)
And just WHAT is wrong with gardens in the front? Our guidelines prohibit SUNFLOWERS in the front...the way we are paving the heck out of everything these days, if it has chlorophyll it ought to be encouraged...
You see split levels because they were a dominant popular style during boom times prior to requirements for establishment of HOAs.
On the personal side, my sister purchased a home in an HOA community, six months after moving in they sent a letter requiring she remove her fence as it was not in the back of the house, but the middle. She was forced to pay a lawyer to prove the fence was built prior to the rule being created and was hence grandfathered in. In an interesting twist, my younger sister bought the house from my older sister, six months after moving in she also received a similarly worded letter. Thankfully she had all the paperwork from the first round and was able to handle it with just certified mail and photocopies.
Unless you want a community pool, park, etc. there is no reason for an HOA. The argument of cars in the yard does not hold water, come to my community, it's well manicured. Yes we all have different mailboxes and house colors, but that does not take away from the community at all.
On the personal side, my sister purchased a home in an HOA community, six months after moving in they sent a letter requiring she remove her fence as it was not in the back of the house, but the middle. She was forced to pay a lawyer to prove the fence was built prior to the rule being created and was hence grandfathered in. In an interesting twist, my younger sister bought the house from my older sister, six months after moving in she also received a similarly worded letter. Thankfully she had all the paperwork from the first round and was able to handle it with just certified mail and photocopies.
Unless you want a community pool, park, etc. there is no reason for an HOA. The argument of cars in the yard does not hold water, come to my community, it's well manicured. Yes we all have different mailboxes and house colors, but that does not take away from the community at all.
Unfortunately, people that are unhappy with a situation can now complain on the internet, under made up names. EASY to complain. NO accountability.
Most people that ARE happy don't post so the perception is that "most" are unhappy with a HOA. That simply isn't true.
But, I am glad that people can choose to live in a n'hood with a HOA or without. No need to get your panties in a wad over it!
Vicki
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
