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I am looking into moving to the Raleigh area and one thing I dont understand as with Florida as well is WHY do homes all have to be in subdivisions. Gated or not. Charging lots of money each month for things I really dont need. I just want a nice house on the street in a safe area. Here in California we have some of these types of subdivisions but its far more easy to be able to just buy a house in a good neighborhood without having to be part of an hoa community.
Neighbors just don't come out and talk to each other, there are no kids playing outside, and rare to see people walking about.
Our neighborhood isn't like that at all. It sometimes takes me 5 minutes longer to leave the subdivision because I'm always stopping on the way out to talk to a neighbor or 2 that is out in the yard, or walking the dog, or pushing the stroller. One of my neighbors went on vacation last month and his grass started getting a little long, so me and another neighbor got out our lawn tractors and made quick work of his 2 acre lot. We've had 2 block parties in the last year, and we would have had 3 by now, but the hosts (me ) had to postpone due to extended family. My neighbor and I are both homebrewers, so we frequently trade beers (commercial and home-made) for each other to sample.
I live in Woodcroft in Durham. It's a subdivision that went up in the early 80s but kept expanding well on into the 90s and maybe even later. The main 'theme' to the neighborhood is that, unlike a lot of other subdivisions, they kept all the trees.
PROS:
1) lots of trees. makes for a very cozy-feeling neighborhood with lots of shade
2) miles of walking trails
3) low HOA fees. i think we pay $200/yr, if that.
4) low-hassle HOA
5) lots of kids and younger couples such as ourselves
6) close to Chapel Hill, Southpoint Mall, RDU, RTP, Downtown Durham and just about anything else you could need or want
7) great lot size
8) not as many cookie-cutter houses
9) nice swim & tennis club, park, soccer fields, etc
CONS:
1) streets could be better lit at night
2) lots of trees means lots of bugs
3) you don't have to drive far to get into some sketchy areas
4) access to swim & tennis club doesn't come with HOA dues (which could be a 'PRO', since we don't use it anyway)
5) community fields and playground are on the other side of the subdivision. we don't have kids yet, but when we do this would be a minor nuisance. i would feel perfectly comfortable letting my kids ride their bikes down the walking trails to them since you don't have to cross any streets. heck, the paths aren't even near the streets!
6) schools nearby just OK, not great. this is what i have read from other. i have no direct experience. again, we don't have kids yet, so it's not a huge concern.
when we started house hunting (our first), i was sure i wanted a brand new 2-story house in a new community with strict HOAs to keep the neighborhood in check blah blah blah. we ended up with a 25 yr old single story in a pretty lax neighborhood (don't get me wrong, it still looks great) and i couldn't be happier.
Same here. In fact I get the impression this is amazingly common, and it's very odd to me. I live in a nice area, far as I can tell nice people, very respectable, ie take care of their yards and homes, don't blast their alleged music, etc etc.....don't get me wrong, not complaining overall. But I almost never see anyone around. It's like some Twilight Zone episode or something. And it's not like I'm not around, generally. Where are the kids playing in the back yard, the BBQs, the parents tinkering around the yard etc? Strange....
I am looking into moving to the Raleigh area and one thing I dont understand as with Florida as well is WHY do homes all have to be in subdivisions. Gated or not. Charging lots of money each month for things I really dont need. I just want a nice house on the street in a safe area. Here in California we have some of these types of subdivisions but its far more easy to be able to just buy a house in a good neighborhood without having to be part of an hoa community.
The whole concept of the "subdivision" is that people didn't want to live downtown, they wanted a n'hood with sidewalks and neighbors.
The HOA is there to protect the value of the n'hood. Unfortunately, there ARE people that will not cut their grass when they are suppossed to and there are people that will park their cars in their front yard if they HOA doesn't tell them otherwise!!!
The HOA protects your property values, no matter if you like them or not.
I am looking into moving to the Raleigh area and one thing I dont understand as with Florida as well is WHY do homes all have to be in subdivisions. Gated or not. Charging lots of money each month for things I really dont need. I just want a nice house on the street in a safe area. Here in California we have some of these types of subdivisions but its far more easy to be able to just buy a house in a good neighborhood without having to be part of an hoa community.
If you are being told that all homes must be in a formal subdivision with an HOA, you are being grievously misled.
I live in a Cary subdivision of about 120 homes from the 1990's that has no HOA, no dues, and minimal covenants.
Relevant to the OP's topic, I think it is nice enough.
We have other members here who can offer similar stories.
Expensive dues?
Some HOA dues are as low as <$100/year. Some are $1000+/year. So choices are available regarding costs of dues.
There are plenty of homes and parcels of raw land around that are not in formal subdivisions, and have no HOA.
One can easily enough buy an obsolete home and do a teardown and rebuild. That is not an uncommon activity in the Triangle.
There are unregulated subdivisions, too. They are developments of lots over 10 acres. They tend to be in more rural areas.
Options abound.
And $$$$$ often elevate as you seek those options.
The preponderance of subdivisions governed by HOA's is due partly to development regulation, particularly newer regulations which generally require formation of an entity to maintain any common areas in a subdivision development.
To some extent, if you buy a piece of ground and split it with another party, you have created a "subdivision."
You may be subject to stormwater management requirements that create the need for an entity.
And as Vicki mentioned, many folks prefer to live in an area with well-defined rules in place, so consumer preferences have also contributed to the common existence of HOA's.
Last edited by MikeJaquish; 06-11-2009 at 08:13 AM..
I lived in a "subdivision" in Raleigh for a number of years. We did not have a formal HOA in the traditional sense. We did have an unincorporated one that coordinated some social activities, maintained a neighborhood directory, published a newsetter and saw to the maintenance of the landscaping at the neighborhood entrances. There were no "dues," but it was asked that each home voluntarily contribute $60 a year to help with these activities. More than 80% of the homes did contribute.
We are in Wake Forest, in a smaller subdivision that's about 12 years old. I love my neighbors, and we have a great house, on a 1/3 acre lot. Not too big, not too small. Back yard is fenced, so its just right for my little dog to roam around in. Our subdivision has lots of mature natural areas, and was not clear cut when the houses were built, which really adds to the charm around us. Most mornings I wake up and get the paper, I feel like I am living in a vacation resort :-). We have lots of walkers, families with strollers, and dog walkers. Nearly everyone waves as they walk or drive by.
The only down side, is we don't have an HOA or a community pool (which was one of the items we were really looking for). I like that I don't have to consult the entire subdivision if I want to make a change to my property, but there are some houses that quite frankly could use an HOA slap down. Luckily the houses immediately surrounding (with one exception) take great pride in their homes, and it shows.
Whiteboyslo already covered the main aspects of Woodcroft that I love, so I'll throw one more in - the beautiful rolling hills. Yes, it can make for steep driveways and yards on some lots but it's so aesthetically pleasing to drive and walk through, even in winter. And it makes walking all those trails a lot more fun as well - you can actually get a good workout if you take the right path. Coming from a flat part of the state I think it's great!
There aren't many kids on our street, but every single neighbor we've met has been very friendly, but not nosy nor competitive, except maybe when it comes to landscaping. Our next-door neighbor jokes that he gets his motivation for landscaping by looking at our yard, and we share resources with all the people living around us so we can all have pretty yards.
HOA really works in our subdivision. If someone's mail box needs replacing, they send a letter to that person requesting that they replace it. Otherwise, I have some neighbors who would be just fine with having a half falling down mailbox that would make the rest of our homes look bad. I think that if you house is far enough from the next that what your neighbor does to his/her house doesn't affect the property value, then it's actually great not to have a HOA. We are on a .30 lot and are close proximity to our neighbors, so if they have an eyesore in their yard, it will effect our home. For example, you can't have portable basketball goal in your driveway or road, you can't leave kiddie toys in your front yard overnight(can't put a perm kiddie slide in your front yard), can't park your car in your front lawn, can't park a work truck that you own in the road (has to be in your driveway). They don't dictate how tall your grass can be or if you need to paint your house, etc.
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) had to postpone due to extended family. My neighbor and I are both homebrewers, so we frequently trade beers (commercial and home-made) for each other to sample.
