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.
anyone with a brain should not let others tell them what to do on property that they pay for. So what if they fine you? I would take that piece of paper and burn it on my front lawn.
HOA=shades of communism
When you buy a home in a HOA, your deed (ie legal document) is very clear that there is a HOA. By completing the purchase transaction you agree to abide by the rules and regulations set forth in the legal documents. If you aren't comfortable with that, the logical person wouldn't buy in a HOA.
Many of us live in HOA's because we enjoy the recreational amenities provided. Some of us have had bad experiences with neighbors who kept their property like a pigstye which lowered neighboring property values, and like the security of knowing that the chances of that happening when the home has a HOA are greatly lessened.
And you can burn the fine paper all you like. If you don't pay teh fine, the rules you agreed to when you bought the house state that the HOA can lien your property, and then foreclose if you don't pay the fines. So it's really your choice. Either don't buy in a HOA, or buy in one fully knowing the rules and accepting them, as well as accepting the fact that the rules may change down the road.
When you buy a home in a HOA, your deed (ie legal document) is very clear that there is a HOA. By completing the purchase transaction you agree to abide by the rules and regulations set forth in the legal documents. If you aren't comfortable with that, the logical person wouldn't buy in a HOA.
How about if you buy in an HOA and then the rules are changed, as in the case in question? Suppose it bothers your neighbor that you, a single woman (have no idea if you are or not, just as an example), have gentleman callers and so they get on the Board and push until it's made against HOA regulations for you to do so, AFTER you've purchased, not so much because the other Board members object to what you're doing but because the minority that does is so loud and such a PITA about it that it's easier to give them what they want than to stand up for what is right?
This is why when my clients are seriously looking at a house in an HOA, I believe they should read the restrictions and covenants before making an offer. (Actually, the addendum used for purchasing in an HOA advocates that you read ALL the HOA information before making an offer, even though some listing agents try to skim by that and say you can always read them and object after the contract is in play - true, but not the best way to do it and lazy on the part of the listing agent.) AND to keep in mind that the quality of the HOA can change over the years depending on who gets on the Board, so be prepared to keep a sharp eye out.
How about if you buy in an HOA and then the rules are changed, as in the case in question? Suppose it bothers your neighbor that you, a single woman (have no idea if you are or not, just as an example), have gentleman callers and so they get on the Board and push until it's made against HOA regulations for you to do so, AFTER you've purchased, not so much because the other Board members object to what you're doing but because the minority that does is so loud and such a PITA about it that it's easier to give them what they want than to stand up for what is right?
I wouldn't buy into a HOA that didn't ahve a written requirement in the legal docs requiring a quorum of at least 75% of all homeowners and at least 60% vote in favor of changing a rule--which is the way most are set up. If that many of my neighbors wanted to change the rules, I'd either deal with it or move.
I've owned three homes with HOA's, and every single one I've read the restrictions, covenents, and rules (which are generally three different documents) before buying to make sure that there was nothing I couldn't live with. Anyone that doesn't is an idiot that A. shouldn't be buying any property and B. doesn't have a leg to stand on as far as their complaints.
I also attend meetings and keep track of what is going on in my community. I currently don't like the board president, and I'm not alone. In a couple of months there will be elections, and I know at least 30 people that are going to campaign for someone else throughout the neighborhood to get rid of him.
Quote:
This is why when my clients are seriously looking at a house in an HOA, I believe they should read the restrictions and covenants before making an offer. (Actually, the addendum used for purchasing in an HOA advocates that you read ALL the HOA information before making an offer, even though some listing agents try to skim by that and say you can always read them and object after the contract is in play - true, but not the best way to do it and lazy on the part of the listing agent.) AND to keep in mind that the quality of the HOA can change over the years depending on who gets on the Board, so be prepared to keep a sharp eye out.
You are one of the smart Realtors. Most are dumber than dirt when it comes to making sure their clients know what theya re buying.
the entire HOA thing sounds like high school crap. Who likes who best,she did this and he did that and omg can you believe what they just bought and I don't like her-do you..............big old popularity contest. Besides the control issue............it's a disturbing trend.
the entire HOA thing sounds like high school crap. Who likes who best,she did this and he did that and omg can you believe what they just bought and I don't like her-do you..............big old popularity contest. Besides the control issue............it's a disturbing trend.
You obviously aren't aware of what a HOA actually is. I'd suggest you do some research and get your facts straight, because your comments are actually pretty ridiculous.
oh, I know what they are. I just choose to live with freedom. If I wanted to be controlled, I would live in a communist country
Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk
You obviously aren't aware of what a HOA actually is. I'd suggest you do some research and get your facts straight, because your comments are actually pretty ridiculous.
If that's the way you think of them, it's good that you're not living in a HOA.
I never wanted a house in an HOA because of the horror stories I have heard from friends who have to deal with them.
My neighborhood has no rusted out cars parked on lawns, no houses painted purple, no fences falling down, no front yards choked with weeds, and there is a city park with playground, playing fields, and a rec center right down the street. What would we need an HOA for?
Yes, sounds pretty much like my non-HOA neighborhood when we lived in Austin, just five minutes from downtown, and across the street from the Barton Creek Greenbelt and walking distance (if you like to walk) from Zilker Park and Barton Springs Pool. No cars parked on lawns, no purple houses (not that anyone would have minded one, of course), and property values that have climbed continually for the last few decades (most of the houses were built in the 1950's/1960's). When we bought, a house never made it onto the market in the neighborhood - you had to find one the way we did, by a friend overhearing the owner at a party saying she'd accepted a job that morning out of state and would have to sell. Obviously a very undesirable neighborhood because of the lack of an HOA.
How about if you buy in an HOA and then the rules are changed, as in the case in question? Suppose it bothers your neighbor that you, a single woman (have no idea if you are or not, just as an example), have gentleman callers and so they get on the Board and push until it's made against HOA regulations for you to do so, AFTER you've purchased, not so much because the other Board members object to what you're doing but because the minority that does is so loud and such a PITA about it that it's easier to give them what they want than to stand up for what is right?
This is why when my clients are seriously looking at a house in an HOA,
There's an HOA that disallows gentelmen callers? How exactly does that language read? And my stars, how does one police this?
Do they allow female callers? Do they make allowances for relatives? What about same sex couples? Somewhere along the line, it sounds like this HOA is on a slippery slope.
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.
