NON-HOA neighborhoods and communities (Austin, Abilene: apartment complex, lease, condominiums)
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Not all HOA's are bad. I currently live in an HOA subdivision but it's slanted more towards rural (we all have acreage homes) and they are rules I can live with as well as the other 12 homeowners.
I think we have all of 10 rules that we usually follow..we all give a wide berth for leeway too.
I rented an older home (mid 80's) in a neighborhood that had an optional HOA. That HOA was mainly for the pool and its use and upkeep.
The newer subdivision HOA's though seem much stricter and want more of a Stepford look to the community.
Absolute, absolute best info on the HOAS in Texas. I came to the point of copy/save in my files all the info you posted - one after one, so I have 2 pages now. It details clearly step by step what on Earth they doing to people and their hard earned money. We were about to move to TX or TN from Chicago suburbs and I had no clue how predatory those HOAS are. My God is a scam reaching over 40 BLN industry in Texas alone! I have watched youtube videos there and there listening to people (hundreds of them) and I can conform 100% exactly what you were posting. You had folks being fined for parking, garbage, moving trees, open garages - my God what is that NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP? You pay for the house, taxes, and fight HOA on daily basis? You buy a property that you afraid to live in and they can add fees and transfer fees and do what they want? HOW IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED IN TEXAS.
One resident on those videos was accurate to the point "You pay someone monthly to financially and mentally to abuse you" there is no other way to put it. All forclosures are real, law firms fighting with you about minor stuff and worst is they using your money to sue you. Sorry what kind of laws are those?
Biggest scammer of all is an owner of Associa, John Carona - republican congressman from Dallas TX. How is that thief not stopped and prosecuted?
Carona is director, CEO, and president of Associations, Inc. aka "Associa". Associa is a holding company for one of the largest collections of HOA management companies and related businesses in the United States. Carona has come under scrutiny for his business practices and his legislative activity including authoring, voting on, and modifying legislation that benefited his Associa organization
My God I taught that Texas was Republican state with some protections to people and common sense? We have none in Illinois - all politicians are thieves here. There is no Republican party here. I am European myslef and that reminds me Communism that I know too well. We had Communistic Party that run people's lives, killed them, extort them, kept us enslaved, stole from us and told us that it was for our own good.
ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT BUY IN ANY HOA...EVEN IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE TN TO MOVE. THEY HAVE SOME HOAS BUT NOT MANY. IT IS EASY TO FIND A NICE HOUSE ON THE CLEAN STREET, NEW ONE WITH NORMAL PEOPLE AROUND.
I live in Chicago suburb now (16 years) and moved to a new house. No HOAS. They been selling homes until all the lots were gone back in 2004. All the people that bought kept their home, lawns ultra nice and clean. If grass was not cut or someone left some crap on the driveway someone called the village and they sent the person a letter asking them to move that. We never has any issues. We have no hoas in Illinois suburbs - and no village does. That is why it is hard for me to understand what is the point of the HOA's in free standing neighborhoods. Majority of people are not PIGS as they portray them to be. When they invest in a house they will protect their investment like I did and do all the yard work and upkeep the house.
However, we have a pack of Democrats that completely ruined the state with crazy spending, huge state workers pensions, patronage jobs, theft and extortion. Voter fraud (they running out of last names of dead people at the cemetery to cast them as active voters of democratic party in Chicago). People running to the exits as fast as they can run, population and companies leave left and right since no one want to be stuck with 138 billion already retired workers who no longer live in the state. (138 billion is reported but it is more like 250 billion) and that is why we have to leave. Property taxes are HUGE here (reported 2.1% like Texas but they tax us based on value that does not exist in reality so it is more like 5% in most areas), income taxes, highway taxes, parking taxes, utility bills, and pretty much anything that is not bolted to the table is taxed.
Thanks again for posting in detail since people like me from other states can make decisions that are good for us. Yes, it opened my eyes WIDE and I know not to go to any HOAS now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IC_deLight
Steve,
I realize that HOAs are particularly lucrative for Realtors, but you are not doing your clients any favors by failing to inform them adequately about HOAs.
That "standard contract" provision is yet another way for HOA attorneys and management companies to extort monies from residents fleeing HOAs. The buyer asks for a resale certificate. The seller attempts to get one from the HOA. However, the HOA can simply refuse in order to extort money and conduct from the seller by jeopardizing the closing. Although the seller can provide the buyer with an affidavit that the HOA failed to respond, the affidavit does not have the same estoppel effect as the resale certificate. As you note, the buyer can back out so the HOA extracts some performance from the seller by jeopardizing the sale.
There is no affirmative "non-HOA" field on MLS. Realtors have to try to search by inference ("are there HOA dues?, transfer fees?, etc.) Our experience in working with a Realtor was that a very large percentage of the homes identified as being "not in an HOA" were in fact in an HOA. Our firsthand experience is not atypical for people anywhere in the state.
Your example of 3 vs 4 bedroom house is not analogy to "no HOA". There is a big difference in such an error vs. perpetual liens on a home, unrelenting assessments, private fining, etc. that an HOA represents. In fact, you would think that there would be a field to affirmatively indicate the presence or lack of an HOA and that Realtors would be obligated to complete for a listing.
The unrelenting quest as you refer to it is because of the myths that professionals such as yourself falsely perpetuate about HOAs. People that never lived in them are often unaware of what's going on in them. People in-state and from out of state would be appalled at the extortion racket engaged in by many of these management companies. These things are irresponsibly disregarded by professionals such as yourself by simply claiming that this is about "following rules" or that only a small percentage of homeowners are unhappy. No Steve, embezzlement, fraud, extortion, vendor kickbacks, rigged elections, hiding the books, closed meetings, etc. are going on in LOTS of these HOAs to the great detriment of the homeowners.
The myths often perpetuated about these organizations is that they are democratic organizations, that there are only a few disgruntled individuals, and that the residents can simply elect someone else if they don't like the curent Board. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Often, the Board only permits "certain" individuals to run for office. In far more cases, residents are disenfranchised from voting by proclamations that they are in violation of a CCR provision - right before an election. Even if they have the opportunity to "vote", secret voting ensures members cannot determine if their vote was permitted to count.
Some HOAs have tried to adopt "rules" to prevent residents from talking to reporters, broadcast media, other residents, or even on the Internet about what is going on in their HOA. Instead of changing the behavior, the Board and its for-profit agents threaten the residents with fines and foreclosure to suppress exposure "to preserve property values".
With the exception of 2-3 HOAs in the Houston area, HOAs in the rest of the state are not accountable under any open records or open meetings acts. Every time legislation comes up to hold these organizations accountable to the members that must involuntarily fund them, you have developers, management companies, etc. opposing that so that the graft and corruption that is rampant in these HOAs can continue.
Of course you have no qualms about rationalizing everything that goes on in HOAs as "following the rules". And who decides whether you are in "violation", Steve? Contract interpretation is a matter of LAW. There is no court, no opportunity to confront your "accusers", no equal protection and no due process. Wait until your home is jeopardized by one of these organizations or until one of these management companies infiltrates your Board.
The most recent absurdity in ours is that a homeowner was threatened with fines and foreclosure for failing to have a mailbox. There is no "rule" requiring anyone to have a mailbox and no one questioned this for the two years the home was on the market. What a great greeting for the new homeowner to get. An HOA Board hell-bent on ensuring that newcomers cower to the authority of the almighty Board.
Realtors such as you perform a real disservice by suggesting that purchasers won't have any problems if you "follow the rules". You will have problems regardless of whether you are "rule-compliant" because there is little to force the HOA to follow its own rules, CCRs, or the law. In fact, the homeowner risks great financial harm and the loss of their home when they attempt to compel the HOA to follow its own rules, CCRs, or the law. Board members have zero personal liability.
When our lawsuit is resolved, I hope to be able to chalk one up for the homeowners. Based upon all the conduct engaged in by Board members, Realtors, developers, etc. out here, you can rest assured that I intend to keep educating people about the false myths perpetuated by Realtors and others about HOAs. I also intend to post a website identifying the HOAs that engage in private fining and those that have the "priority of payment" scam.
I have been in 3 HOAs and they have all been fine, with nothing like what you described. Im sure there are bad ones, but bad govt can exist anywhere. It is essentially a neighborhood government.
The goal is to
1) manage shared amenities
2) get people to maintain their homes
I live in Chicago suburb now (16 years) and moved to a new house. No HOAS. They been selling homes until all the lots were gone back in 2004. All the people that bought kept their home, lawns ultra nice and clean. If grass was not cut or someone left some crap on the driveway someone called the village and they sent the person a letter asking them to move that. We never has any issues. We have no hoas in Illinois suburbs - and no village does.
There are most certainly HOAs in the Chicago suburbs. The neighborhood I lived in for 7 years before moving to TX had an HOA. I had zero issues with it. I liked living in a neighborhood with parks, a nice community pool, well kept common areas, and recourse if a neighbor didn't properly keep up there house (which affects my property value). Most subdivisions have some sort of HOA. Who do you think pays for the neighborhood signage or mows the common areas? Even my parent's 40 year old, 100 home subdivision has an HOA.
Most central neighborhoods in Austin are non-HOA (Hyde Park, Tarrytown, Clarksville, Barton Hills, Zilker, Bouldin, Travis Heights, East Austin etc.) . I would suggest you start there.
Most central neighborhoods in Austin are non-HOA (Hyde Park, Tarrytown, Clarksville, Barton Hills, Zilker, Bouldin, Travis Heights, East Austin etc.) . I would suggest you start there.
Comparing two residential areas close by, one with HOA and another without. Originally pretty similar cost of houses, now 15year later difference is significant. One without HOA has quite a few houses without lawn management, grass growing couple feet high and general maintenance of yards differs greatly.
Depends on ones wishes, if next door mess does not bother you or you even like it, then without HOA is fine.
My HOA fees pays few swimming pools and general area maintenance, cheaper than having your own pool.
Comparing two residential areas close by, one with HOA and another without. Originally pretty similar cost of houses, now 15year later difference is significant. One without HOA has quite a few houses without lawn management, grass growing couple feet high and general maintenance of yards differs greatly.
There is no assurance of anything different with an HOA. In most cases there is no obligation of any sort on the HOA. The homeowner is saddled with a blind obligation to pay into perpetuity - for what?
Quote:
Originally Posted by karpo1
Depends on ones wishes, if next door mess does not bother you or you even like it, then without HOA is fine.
If you prefer being treated as if you were a tenant in your own property, go rent somewhere.
You'll find out soon enough that the HOA typically has no obligations to you whatsoever.
Also few folks enjoy groveling for permission for doing anything with their own property or getting threatening letters from "management" companies, HOA attorneys, or HOA board members.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karpo1
My HOA fees pays few swimming pools and general area maintenance, cheaper than having your own pool.
The "cheaper than having your own pool" is an oxymoronic argument. As for a pool you can join whatever club you want or visit the city pool. Likewise cheaper than having your own pool. When it becomes unaffordable or if the club amenities are not kept up you can quit the club or change to a different club without having your house tied to it. Not so with an HOA. The HOA primarily benefits the developer, vendors, and local government, not the homeowners.
Comparing two residential areas close by, one with HOA and another without. Originally pretty similar cost of houses, now 15year later difference is significant. One without HOA has quite a few houses without lawn management, grass growing couple feet high and general maintenance of yards differs greatly.
Depends on ones wishes, if next door mess does not bother you or you even like it, then without HOA is fine.
My HOA fees pays few swimming pools and general area maintenance, cheaper than having your own pool.
Funniest thing, I know (and have sold houses in) quite a few neighborhoods that you would no doubt take to be HOA neighborhoods that aren't and have nothing like what you are describing. And I know quite a few HOA neighborhoods that DO have exactly what you're describing as being caused by not having an HOA.
There is no assurance of anything different with an HOA. In most cases there is no obligation of any sort on the HOA. The homeowner is saddled with a blind obligation to pay into perpetuity - for what?
If you prefer being treated as if you were a tenant in your own property, go rent somewhere.
You'll find out soon enough that the HOA typically has no obligations to you whatsoever.
Practical experience shows that enforced HOA areas look much nicer than areas without.
You can continue to live in middle of mess if you like, hope that HOA does not steal your will to live
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No HOAS - educated buyer thanks for you....
