No hoa in sarasota/bradenton (Tampa, Venice: sale, rentals, HOA fees)

[Lover of Animals]

Originally Posted by 03bluecoupe

You'd be very wise to look around. Not all HOAs are gestapo-land. Some just have plain 'common sense' restrictions. Problem is an increasing percentage of people without common sense.

We are definitely going to try and be wise. Yes,unfortunately common sense is not a flower that grows in everyone's garden.....sad,but true.😏

[Lover of Animals]

Originally Posted by Sunshine Rules

Actually, there are a number of older, deed restricted neighborhoods that do allow for more flexibility but still having basic rules to maintain standards in the communities. The emphasis being on older neighborhoods, generally built in the 1960's through early 80's.


The alternative to deed restrictions & HOAs is to buy in a non deed restricted neighborhood, which is governed by county or city property standards. We have people moving to our area from literally all over the US and quite a few other countries. As a result, people have quite the diversity of lifestyles, which is often reflected in the exterior of their homes and lawns. Yes, you can park an RV or boat on your driveway. But so can your neighbors, who may have an older RV that has seen better days.

You can get creative in your choice of paint colors for your home. So can your neighbors. In Sarasota I have seen purple, pink, school bus yellow, red, orange, bright blue and multi-color paint schemes on homes. There was one home in my previous non deed restricted neighborhood that had a different color for each side of the home (he was making a point with the next door neighbor who complained about his car project in the carport).

Unless the governing entity has ordinances covering parking on front lawns (city of Sarasota does, county of Sarasota does not), you can turn your front lawn into a parking lot if you wish.

And do not assume the beautiful street of well kept homes you see today will stay that way in the future in a non deed restricted neighborhood - the potential is always there that one of the neighboring homes will change ownership and the new neighbor has different points of view than yours on lifestyles. Or investors buying up homes for rental purposes.

That is why people should carefully weigh the positives/ negatives of deed restricted vs non deed restricted and decide which will work best for their individual situation.

All that being said, there are not a lot of non deed restricted neighborhoods that would be within a specific price range, you'll generally find a wide variety of home sizes and prices, as well as variety of conditions (some well maintained, others not so much).

Some popular non deed restricted neighborhoods in Sarasota include: South Gate / Arlington Park area

South Gate is an actual neighborhood with some deed restrictions (basically 1 page) established in 1956 and if you pay the modest annual membership dues plus just under $100 extra per year you can use the community pool located on the Tuttle roundabout just south of Webber. The community web site is: South Gate Community Association but they do not keep it updated.

However, many call that general area from Shade east to Lockwood, south of Bahia Vista and north of Bee Ridge "South Gate," grouping in other tiny neighborhoods in the area. These include a number of small neighborhoods such as Hyde Park, Cottages in the Pines, South Side Park, Loma Linda Park, Battle & Turner and Rustic Lodge, etc.

Some of the general South Gate area neighborhoods are located within the city limits, others are located within the county. Not all homes in this area are hooked up to central sewer yet, although it is available. Some homes on streets within the city limits, by Arlington Park, are located within flood zones. Although South Gate proper does have deed restrictions, the other nearby neighborhoods do not - so property standards for those homes will be the minimal property standards enforced by either the city or county, depending on location.

South Gate is popular for a variety of reasons, with location topping the list. It's a short drive from downtown Sarasota and the north bridge to Siesta Key, close to a major shopping center, close to a city park (Arlington). The school districts are well rated. Location, school districts are always a key factor for home buyers.

We wouldn't be interested in an older money pit. Thank you for taking the time to make all these valid points and for all the good information.😊

[Lover of Animals]

Originally Posted by loves2read

I think our HOA in FL neighborhood is run with respect for homeowners' right and is not invasive.
But you would not believe how rude some people who bought in this community knowing it was an HOA and thus had rules that might be more stringent than the county's guidelines can be--we are in Nokomis but that is not encorporated city.

My TX HOA was deliberately designed when changing from developer controlled subdivision to an owner run HOA to have the HOA board basically have the capacity to run the neighborhood as a fiefdom---so I have seen both kinds.

Before you start accusing all HOA boards of being dictatorships--educate yourself---especially about the rules and regs the Board operates under and the transparency they allow.
Just remember the Board operates under rules that every homeowner agreed to follow when they bought into the neighborhood and the ones who complain the most usually don't want to follow any rules but their own desires---from what I have observed.
Personally even knowing how bad an HOA can be, I would choose that over an every man for himself policy like we saw house hunting in south Venice.
PS--friends of ours in back part of our neighborhood had their house up for sale. Their realto had directions for viewers to drive through a street that is NOT part of our HOA but is most direct route from 41.
Several people cancelled the viewing because the look of the older, non-HOA residential area was off-putting...some homes look abandoned although I don't think any really are wo residents but maybe rental property not maintained...it is not a good harbinger...
Our friends called the realtor and asked "what are you doing??? Change directions" so people take the longer but definitely nicer drive through the real neighborhood--showing attractively maintained homes.
They now have a contract...

Thank you for all the good,valid points and information.😊

[Sunshine Rules]

Except for a spec home here and there, all of the newer construction in our area will be found within deed restricted neighborhoods with HOAs. Most have restrictions about exterior changes (must go through an architectural committee for approval first), parking - where you can park, what type of vehicle you can park, whether you can have satellite dishes or not, fencing, etc. Some have rules restricting the number of pets, type of pets (excluding aggressive breeds of dogs is becoming popular). Before buying in any neighborhood with deed restrictions, I always recommend getting a copy of those restrictions and read them carefully. That includes the by-laws which explain how the HOA will be governed. The deed restrictions for many newer communities can run 20 - 50 pages or more when you include the by-laws.

[03bluecoupe]

Absolutely! What Sunshine said! We're buying in Rotonda West. We are in an HOA but it's restrictions aren't that bad and most of them just plain are common sense. Be careful.

Here's a link to their site if you're interested. I realize it's not in your search area but it just shows that there are reasonable HOAs out there.

Rotonda West Website

[Nancy in Nokomis]

You need to find a nice older "90s" neighborhood and most are not "money pits" - we found one that had no problems and the block construction does not look as old as wood homes up north. Our HOA is under $300 a year and has hardly any restrictions.

We did see a lot of nutty, very expensive HOA communities here and found a non-restrictive one without all the extras like a golf course, tennis courts, pool that we did not need. We like having our own private pool.

But - you might want some kind of HOA and not live next to a slob or meth house. I don't mind a guy working on his car but not five half done cars all over the yard.

I can also have as many pets as I want - including my 150 lb dog.

[beninfl]

What kind of dog is it, Nancy? I'd love to get a Leonberger one day.......

[Ladywithafan]

Background: property management professional & LCAM ~ in the condo/HOA business since 2004.

HOA vs non HOA is quite simple really ~ if you can agree to follow rules and regulations & don't have issues with paying a monthly/biannual or yearly maintenance fee (which can be raised at any time according to said HOA governing documents) as well as special assessments for common area improvements which are not covered by the maintenance assessment(s) then you might enjoy living in a HOA community.

If you are not into rules & regulations and violations for your grass, vehicle left on driveway, dirty roof violations, mailbox violations, noise violations (the list goes on) ~ you will not be happy in an HOA being told when to cut your grass, wash your roof or where to park your car ~ especially the first time the car gets towed.

If you want to get the real scoop, attend an open board meeting, talk to residents of the community, ask for the latest financials ~ do your homework!!!

[imagardener]

HOA vs non HOA is quite simple really ~ if you can agree to follow rules and regulations & don't have issues with paying a monthly/biannual or yearly maintenance fee (which can be raised at any time according to said HOA governing documents) as well as special assessments for common area improvements which are not covered by the maintenance assessment(s) then you might enjoy living in a HOA community

If HOA living were this simple we would still be living in one but it's not. What made us leave ours and find a non-HOA home were the actions of the majority of board members and yes I was elected to the board to represent our "section" of the community. They began passing rules that were illegal, removing owners rights that were embedded in the declarations and covenants and added a new rule that all owner sales must be approved by the board. A real chilling effect on sales in our opinion. There was more, including spending serious money on projects that only benefitted certain board members.

My main objection to an HOA is that it adds a layer of governance that is much too close to home. I prefer my government farther away where the shenanigans cannot be seen on a daily basis. Yes this kind of crap happens at all levels but this was just too up close and personal.

We love our neighborhood now and will never move to an HOA until it's assisted living, hopefully at an advanced age.

[loves2read]

What made us leave ours and find a non-HOA home were the actions of the majority of board members and yes I was elected to the board to represent our "section" of the community. They began passing rules that were illegal, removing owners rights that were embedded in the declarations and covenants and added a new rule that all owner sales must be approved by the board. A real chilling effect on sales in our opinion. There was more, including spending serious money on projects that only benefitted certain board members.

My main objection to an HOA is that it adds a layer of governance that is much too close to home. I prefer my government farther away where the shenanigans cannot be seen on a daily basis. Yes this kind of crap happens at all levels but this was just too up close and personal.

We love our neighborhood now and will never move to an HOA until it's assisted living, hopefully at an advanced age.

Yes--HOA boards can be that nasty. What your board did was illegal and breach of fiduciary duty. But I know how difficult and expensive dealing with that situation can be---not to mention the emotional toll you pay confronting those actions and getting enough other homeowners to agree with the problem. Most people just draw in their heads.