Advantages of HOA (Richardson, Grapevine: foreclose, sex offender, new home)

[30_miles]

Can someone please tell me what are the advantage of living in a community with a HOA? I hate the idea of not being able to do as I please on my own property but it seems that most homes in DFW are under a HOA. I like to have a garden in my backyard and I like for my front yard to be paved instead of green grass... just some things that I like that an HOA may not allow.

I do have small children (3 years old and a 7 month old) and I like the idea of having a facility with splash pads, community center, and areas children are able to play that are easy access. But is paying 400-1,200 per year for the rest of my life (even after you've paid off your mortgage) worth it? Especially when I can easily take my child to a community or rec center. I'm thinking that after our children are all grown up, we may not have the need for those things.

Do HOA's ensure that pedophiles and criminals are kept out of the communities? For instance, not allowing them to purchase homes in the community?
Does the cost of HOA rise frequently? If so, can you tell me about how often?
What are the pro's and con's of living with HOA? For both adults and children.

Thank you so much for you replies!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

They cannot dictate who buys there.

Pros: have to keep front looking good, no cars on blocks, no trailers on driveways, no garbage cans in streets for days, no trash on streets/yards, sort of a uniform look, host community events like Easter egg search, trunk-or-treat, summer movie nights on the green.

Cons: You get fined if you don't do the above, sort of a uniform look.

[ChristieP]

Unless I am mistaken, Fair Housing laws make it impossible to deny anyone, even a sex offender, the right to purchase a home.

I can list many cons of a HOA:
Busybody neighbors telling you what shrubs you can/cannot plant in your yard, and what colors you can/cannot paint your house. They may even tell you that you can only fly your American flag on federal holidays, and that you cannot park a car in your own driveway overnight, and even go so far as assessing fines for no compliance with their rules!
Wasting money on HOA dues and on maintaining amenities, such as splash pads or community pools, that you never use. If you fall behind on your HOA dues, they can even foreclose on your home to pay the overdue dues!

[Cheesesteak Cravings]

HOA's are an affront to freedom and anti-american.

[ashiyer7]

HOAs are a big pain. While I understand their mission of maintaining uniform standards and helping to preserve the value of properties in the neighborhood, these days their regulation has increased to the point of becoming a menace for the home owner. I can list numerous examples but you get the idea.

[jennifw]

I have lived in HOA neighborhoods although I dont have one now. It wasn't a factor with this house, there just wasn't one where we wanted to live.

You will hear a lot of vocal HOA-haters.

In my opinion, the truth is, people typically like to live in well kept neighborhood where the yards are maintained, the entrances are clean and well-lit, the pool and parks are available and not rundown. People don't typically like cars parked in front of their house for days and weeks on end. They don't like their neighbor to have cars on blocks in the driveway or like it when their neighbors run a high-business company out of their home.

An HOA will help keep an eye on all of this. Sure... you will get a letter if you forget to mow your yard or if you paint your house some awful color. But... most people don't mind the annual expense to live somewhere nice. If you are looking for a newer home (20 or less years), you will probably have an HOA.

Good luck.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by jennifw

I have lived in HOA neighborhoods although I dont have one now. It wasn't a factor with this house, there just wasn't one where we wanted to live.

You will hear a lot of vocal HOA-haters.

In my opinion, the truth is, people typically like to live in well kept neighborhood where the yards are maintained, the entrances are clean and well-lit, the pool and parks are available and not rundown. People don't typically like cars parked in front of their house for days and weeks on end. They don't like their neighbor to have cars on blocks in the driveway or like it when their neighbors run a high-business company out of their home.

An HOA will help keep an eye on all of this. Sure... you will get a letter if you forget to mow your yard or if you paint your house some awful color. But... most people don't mind the annual expense to live somewhere nice. If you are looking for a newer home (20 or less years), you will probably have an HOA.

Good luck.

We don't have an HOA here and we don't have any of those issues. We have city ordinances that prohibit most if not all of those nuisances, and since my neighbors aren't trashy people I don't worry about them maintaining their homes or parking cars on blocks.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

We don't have an HOA here and we don't have any of those issues. We have city ordinances that prohibit most if not all of those nuisances, and since my neighbors aren't trashy people I don't worry about them maintaining their homes or parking cars on blocks.

Same here. If there is a problem with someone doing something tacky in the neighborhood, a call to Code Enforcement has always fixed the problem. Grapevine isn't that trashy!

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

We don't have an HOA here and we don't have any of those issues. We have city ordinances that prohibit most if not all of those nuisances, and since my neighbors aren't trashy people I don't worry about them maintaining their homes or parking cars on blocks.

Same here!

OP, there are hundreds of neighborhoods in the DFW metroplex that are well maintained and have respectful neighbors without a Gestapo-type HOA keeping tabs and sending fines. If you want a community center or splash park, join one of the many fantastic YMCA's or similar facilities.

[MurphyPl1]

You can absolutely find neighborhoods without an HOA that are kept up. The key is the city you're in and how well they enforce violations. For example, Richardson has done an admirable job of keeping up with code enforcement (and police enforcement) and is a good chunk of the reason that Richardson gets recommendations on here on a daily basis even though it's not filled with shiny, new homes.

That said, I live in an HOA and that was a conscious choice after living in a neighborhood in decline due to homeowners moving out and new folks moving in that didn't maintain their properties. The city was not focused on code enforcement and it doesn't take long for a neighborhood to shift once the first few homes become an issue.

We're fortunate that our HOA is run by people who want to maintain a nice standard (no fences falling over, etc) but isn't overreaching in their desire for cookie-cutter. We don't have an amenity but do have a social committee that provides plenty of opportunity for neighbors to get together. Not all HOAs are heavy-handed, but I suggest you ask around in the neighborhood to get an idea what kind of HOA it is.

DH and I have decided that the need for an HOA, for us, is largely dependent on proximity to our neighbors. What I'm willing to put up with on a one acre lot is different than what I'm willing to put up with when the house next door is 20' away. For example, if you want to pave your front yard, I'd really rather not have you next door, but if I don't have to see it every time I look out my window, I don't care near as much.