why so many community homes? in tampa (Odessa: HOA, houses)

[Tecnica_swift]

How come most of the majority of the homes in this area are nice but then come to find out it sits in a community?

I am leary about these communities because its your home and you have someone telling you what you can and cannot do, if we want to fence in our yard so we have privacy theres these regulations and you have to get your neighbors mothers,father,great granmpa etc.. approval by the time the request goes through everyone knows your details. and who the heck wants a neighbor like mister wilson from tim allens home improovement always looking over the fence because the houses are so close. "hey neighbor can you spare some eggs?"

Any recommendations for good local realty companies?
Besides remax,weichert,cent21,coldwell,era, have searched all of these and community homes comes up.

[Keeper]

We have a few good realtor on this forum, depending on what county you are looking in. Anyone having a recommendation on a realtor will send you a direct message as soliciting on this forum is not allowed.

If you want some recommendations on where to look, give us your requirements, price and are you will be working and commute time desired if that is important.

You will find the folks here very helpful. There are places that do not have HOAs or CDD, you just have to know where to look.

[annesg]

We have these kinds of homes b/c Florida has mostly developed in the past 30 years, when this kind of development boomed--and Tampa itself, in the suburbs, is largely less than 20 years old--and there isn't any other kind of development in recent years!

Try South Tampa if you don't want an HOA community. There are individual homes in pockets of every burb, they will be older, and might be on what's now busy streets. Odessa has a fair number of standalone homes.

[Mike Peterson]

One thing to keep in mind is that most areas around here in subdivisions but that does not mean that there is a HOA or CDD. It is just how the parceled out the areas. The only deed restrictions may be county imposed deed restrictions that all homes in the county would have.

There are also some areas that may have a $50 a year voluntary HOA and no major rules to follow. You may have gotten some bad info in the past and this may be coloring your perceptions. Not all communities want to tell you what color to paint your house or to keep you grass 3 inches high.

Yes there are some communities that want to tell you when you can walk and when you can talk but there are many areas that are not like that.