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I have lived in 3 homes with HOAs over the past 17 years and never had any major issue. Yeah, it gets my goat when I get a passive aggressive note about a brown spot on my lawn, but over all it isn't really a big issue. I have made sure to read the HOA guidelines well before moving...but I do know some people with tyrants on the board that make people's lives miserable.
In looking at houses, I perused some rules, regs, and restrictions of an HOA in an area I was considering. Oh, my! They are so restrictive! You can't even build a small storage bldg in your back yard w/o written approval of drawn plans! (Does this mean I can't pick up a plastic yard tool "shed" from Home Depot?)
Painting restrictions....only browns and grays and pastels (which I assume means no "white," either). Front doors included. No red doors! As I drive through the area, it's lovely. But one does get the feeling of Stepford Wives after a while, as I notice no distinguishing or exciting colors, nothing to stand out, and my favorite door color of all....red...is verboten.
I understand that such restrictions are for the purpose of maintaining property values. But as fewer people want to buy into those HOAs, doesn't that lower property values? And don't the restrictions limit one's enjoyment of his own property?
Do people get used to these things? I've had an HOA for a condo I lived in years ago, but never one for a house. (Some of the regs are useful, like no boats and RVs kept in driveways, no broken vehicles in view, etc.)
If you can't paint the trim white, does that mean you can't have a white interior as your neutral color (since the color scheme starts on the exterior)? Very odd.
HOA's that have this restrictive of ordinances, are just wanting to draw in Lemmings - people who don't have the sense to think or act for themselves - people with no style points for originality.
The shed rule I can understand TO A POINT - you don't want some haphazardly built monstrosity viewable from the street. Despite you and I not favoring everybody's house looking like everybody ELSES house, some like that 'standardization'... It's not for me either...
Good luck in your house hunt!
After living in a Texas town with no HOA I have to say I appreciate mine as it's pretty laid back. Back in Texas we dealt with neighbors who had multiple cars parked all over their lawn (and this was a new neighborhood). Another man made a boat mound right in his driveway by dumping a pile of cement right there (lovely sight). And don't get me started on the unsightly paint color choices, boats and RV's permanently set up, etc. Freedom sounds great until you get a neighbor who is a slob and brings down your property value.
HOA's that have this restrictive of ordinances, are just wanting to draw in Lemmings - people who don't have the sense to think or act for themselves - people with no style points for originality.
The shed rule I can understand TO A POINT - you don't want some haphazardly built monstrosity viewable from the street. Despite you and I not favoring everybody's house looking like everybody ELSES house, some like that 'standardization'... It's not for me either...
Good luck in your house hunt!
Because the ONLY way to think or act for yourself is to have a unique house? One cannot be creative or autonomous any other way? Well alrighty then!
After living in a Texas town with no HOA I have to say I appreciate mine as it's pretty laid back. Back in Texas we dealt with neighbors who had multiple cars parked all over their lawn (and this was a new neighborhood). Another man made a boat mound right in his driveway by dumping a pile of cement right there (lovely sight). And don't get me started on the unsightly paint color choices, boats and RV's permanently set up, etc. Freedom sounds great until you get a neighbor who is a slob and brings down your property value.
Did you check with your city/town in Texas? Town ordinances alone usually prevent people from parking on their lawns and also setting up permanent RV parking in a driveway within a city neighborhood.
HOA are purely a factor of who decides they want to manage it.
Some places are cool and dont bring up issues that are against regulations. Other places have brawls at the meetings. Seems the more costly the homes, the tighter the regulations are.
I heard of one place where the garage doors are not allowed to stay open and basketball hoops are not allowed. I would imagine any individual home owner with enough motivation could make living in a neighborhood a bit of a nightmare.
I'm bracing for the wrath to fall upon me. I have a line of trees instead of a fence on one side of the house and a horizontal fence on the other side of the house
Because the ONLY way to think or act for yourself is to have a unique house? One cannot be creative or autonomous any other way? Well alrighty then!
Glad you now understand that creativity is indeed a hallmark for some folks by not allowing an HOA to decide that you must stay within the lines. Thank goodness ADULTS have this liberty to walk away from such conditional homesteads.
It's as if some of you believe an HOA's only purpose is to control what color you paint your front door. That's such a small part of what our HOA does. Most of their responsibilities revolve around maintaining the community's common spaces, including our pools, tennis courts, volleyball courts, playgrounds, and walking trails. They hire our lifeguard staff, handle our insurance needs, negotiate maintenance contracts, and manage our facilities, among many other complex issues that have nothing to do with paint colors. It's like a mini city council, and it's a big job with serious responsibilities.
When my neighborhood was built forty years ago, it was in an unincorporated part of the county, which meant that services were limited. The neighborhood developer planned the community to provide amenities that just were not available locally. That required a homeowner's association once the developer pulled out to provide ongoing maintenance. It wasn't some evil plot to prevent residents from having clothes lines or from parking cars on the street.
Furthermore, even people who live in HOA neighborhoods help each other shovel snow and mow their lawns. Geez!
You're talking about necessities; the complaints are about the frivolous, arbitrary regulations and the way they are enforced.
You're talking about necessities; the complaints are about the frivolous, arbitrary regulations and the way they are enforced.
No, I disagree. The clubhouses, pools, tennis courts, etc. are not not necessities. They are amenities put in place because they were otherwise unavailable, and they require management, which is why we have an HOA. Again, it's not some evil plot to control the color of my front door or the type of flowers I plant in the pots on my front porch. Some of you seem to be very confused about the primary purpose of an HOA. Think of it as a mini city council.
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