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.
you might be able to file a complaint, go down to the local court house, you file a complaint, and you then deposit your dues into an account that the court will hold until all items are addressed. But check w/your city and/or county.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jenaten
Must be nice to have not had to pay any dues yet. I've thought about witholding payment of my dues until the developer starts to do a better job with landscaping, but I'm afraid of the penalties.
I'd never heard of HOAs before I moved here. There were NONE where we came from and I'd wish there had been. We had a neighbor, thankfully 10 houses away, who kept vans, trucks parked all over his property. His yard was an absolute mess, overgrown and nasty. He also started an addition to his house about 2-3 years ago and never finished it, different siding, roofing. The place was an eyesore. Many neighbors called the city but they said he had the right to park any vehicles on his property as long as they weren't parked on the street. We were also told that his addition, although unsightly, posed no fire risks and nothing could be done. The owner cut his grass just often enough to keep the city at bay. So, FWIW, an HOA would have been so helpful in this situation. I'm glad I have one here.
I'd never heard of HOAs before I moved here. There were NONE where we came from and I'd wish there had been. We had a neighbor, thankfully 10 houses away, who kept vans, trucks parked all over his property. His yard was an absolute mess, overgrown and nasty. He also started an addition to his house about 2-3 years ago and never finished it, different siding, roofing. The place was an eyesore. Many neighbors called the city but they said he had the right to park any vehicles on his property as long as they weren't parked on the street. We were also told that his addition, although unsightly, posed no fire risks and nothing could be done. The owner cut his grass just often enough to keep the city at bay. So, FWIW, an HOA would have been so helpful in this situation. I'm glad I have one here.
Or... you could have lobbied your town to have an ordinance passed requiring that cars only be parked on the paved areas of his driveway, and setting requirements for approval and completion of construction projects.
Or... you could have lobbied your town to have an ordinance passed requiring that cars only be parked on the paved areas of his driveway, and setting requirements for approval and completion of construction projects.
You're absolutely right and I believe my old neighbors are in the process of doing that right now. The neighborhood banded together last year and formed a group called "Save Cranston's Open Spaces" to fight the development of a 9 hole golf course adjacent to the neighborhood. The owners of the golf course tried to sell the land to a commercial developer who wanted to build big box stores. There is power in numbers! We formed committees, held fundraisers, hired a land-use attorney, attended every city council meeting and contacted all of of local politicians. The neighborhood stood united and we won - the developer pulled out when he saw what he was up against. Right now, the group is in the process of trying to change the city's Comprehensive Plan to prevent future development of space that is supposed to remain "open space".
Moderator cut: quote you are referring to has been removed
Maybe there's hope. People are going start realizing that houses are actually terrible investments, especially as the housing market continues to decline. As homeowners start looking at their properties as homes, not something to sell in 3 years, they'll stop being so worried a satellite dish or a red house down the street. And they'll be less tolerant towards living in a community where all the houses are painted the same color. So then developers will start building non-HOA communities.
Or one can dream, right?
Last edited by autumngal; 08-24-2008 at 12:47 PM..
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.
