How strong, meddlesome etc are the HOAs in the region? (townhouses, neighborhoods)

[Dashakhs]

Originally Posted by FreeVilley

This sounds like it was a condominium, not a single family home subdivision.... amirite?

Townhouse complex yeah. Is that something that makes things worse in terms of how involved/etc they are? Just trying to learn, haha.

[albert648]

Townhouse here. My HOA seems to be helpful rather than intrusive. The only time they start sending out letters is if you had your Christmas lights up in March or painted your house hot pink or if you were raising goats in your non-existent back yard. My HOA fees don't greatly exceed what I'd have to pay a gardener to mow the grass and look after the hedges. They also look after the roof which alone is worth the money.

[stephwin]

Townhouse/condo HOAs seem to be a completely different animal (even here) compared to HOAs in a single family neighborhood.

Here are some examples of things my HOA enforces:
* Fences - color (half a dozen colors/stains to choose from), height, and material
* Roofs - color (lots to choose from) and material
* Roof vents - no whirlybirds
* Major modifications that can be seen from the street. We put in new stonework in the front yard and had to get it reviewed/approved. It was an easy process and I believe most modifications like this are approved with no issue. We've done a few projects in the back and never had to get them reviewed/approved.

They send an email out around the first of February if Christmas decorations are still up. There's nothing written in our rules to enforce this, but they ask anyway. They also gave people a few months to figure out what to do with their dead/damaged plants from the winter storm before they started sending out warnings.

[tmtex]

When I moved into my HOA neighborhood in 2001, they were very strict. Around 2010 a new mgmt company took over and its like anything goes now.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

You probably know whether you are an HOA sort of person or not. HOAs can change their character over time as committee members and covenants change. Don't buy into an HOA if you aren't okay with the idea that your neighbors can change the rules and rules that previously weren't enforced can suddenly be enforced.

I will personally never live in an HOA. I don't care about my neighbor's house color enough to give up my freedom to paint my house whatever color I choose. I value my personal autonomy with regards to private property more than I desire to see my neighbor's place look a certain way. A lot of other people disagree strongly, and they love living in an HOA.

You probably know whether you like HOAs or not. If you don't, don't buy into one because you think it isn't too strict or things aren't enforced. That can change.

[astropathtobe]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

You probably know whether you are an HOA sort of person or not. HOAs can change their character over time as committee members and covenants change. Don't buy into an HOA if you aren't okay with the idea that your neighbors can change the rules and rules that previously weren't enforced can suddenly be enforced.

I will personally never live in an HOA. I don't care about my neighbor's house color enough to give up my freedom to paint my house whatever color I choose. I value my personal autonomy with regards to private property more than I desire to see my neighbor's place look a certain way. A lot of other people disagree strongly, and they love living in an HOA.

You probably know whether you like HOAs or not. If you don't, don't buy into one because you think it isn't too strict or things aren't enforced. That can change.

Totally agree! I would also never live in HOA. It is possible to find a house in DFW without it!

[LocalPlanner]

Keep in mind that HOAs are not just about the rules. If your subdivision / community has private common areas, like a pool or playground, or common area landscaping, it's your HOA that is normally responsible for management and upkeep. So if you like common neighborhood amenities, unless you live in a municipality where those things are public and happen to be close to you, you'll pretty much stuck with HOAs.

[NP78]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

You probably know whether you are an HOA sort of person or not. HOAs can change their character over time as committee members and covenants change. Don't buy into an HOA if you aren't okay with the idea that your neighbors can change the rules and rules that previously weren't enforced can suddenly be enforced.

I will personally never live in an HOA. I don't care about my neighbor's house color enough to give up my freedom to paint my house whatever color I choose. I value my personal autonomy with regards to private property more than I desire to see my neighbor's place look a certain way. A lot of other people disagree strongly, and they love living in an HOA.

You probably know whether you like HOAs or not. If you don't, don't buy into one because you think it isn't too strict or things aren't enforced. That can change.

I should have known better, but I had to learn the hard way, LOL. Our first house was in a HOA (in your City, COS, actually) and they were a giant PIA. Our subsequent homes in Austin and Dallas have not had HOA’s and both have been much better experiences.

I am sure some HOA’s are great, but you really have to research the covenants and understand what you are getting into.

[mkwensky]

My former HOA in the Houston area sent letters for things like taking out the trash can an hour too early or when one of the window blinds was slightly askew. The level of strictness does seem to vary year after year depending on who's on the board.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by NP78

I should have known better, but I had to learn the hard way, LOL. Our first house was in a HOA (in your City, COS, actually) and they were a giant PIA. Our subsequent homes in Austin and Dallas have not had HOA’s and both have been much better experiences.

I am sure some HOA’s are great, but you really have to research the covenants and understand what you are getting into.

A friend of mine here got in trouble for painting his house a neutral beige that was slightly too dark. It was so absurd.

But I get it: that's what people in an HOA signed up for. Some people honestly aren't bothered by that sort of thing. More power to them. If you sign up for it, you shouldn't complain about it. But it would be a major mistake for the OP to get into an HOA on the premise that it isn't too hawkish. All it takes is some new neighbors.

I have a hypothesis that HOAs thrive in cookie cutter neighborhoods because everything looks mostly the same, so if something was suddenly a bit different, it would really stand out. In a more traditional sort of neighborhood where there is more variety in architecture and colors, the idea of someone on your street having a slightly darker beige is inconsequential.

I didn't mean for this to turn into a bag-on-the-hoas thing. I just wanted the OP to know that assuming an HOA won't be too cumbersome because it isn't too bad right now is a bad idea. You need to be on board with the idea that your neighbors might change, and their opinion of what they can say you will and won't do can change, too.