Would you buy a home that has an HOA? (marble, wood, shutters)
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There’s maybe a narrow exception for some communities which just have a low assessment for streets and such, but HOAs are notoriously awful. I can’t imagine paying extra for more rules, and notoriously abusive enforcement. It’s like being in high school only you can get fined over idiotic stuff. Apartment living is better than HOA Karens turning you in anonymously because you parked too far from the curb, have the wrong plant in your yard, put the wrong kind of curtains up, or bought a classic car to restore which is “unsightly”. Not to mention overreach on the part of some (not many) HOAs trying to flex on neighboring properties which aren’t and never were part of the HOA and force them to curb this pr that or the other thing.
Most HOAs are probably kinda OK, but those horror stories combined with my natural aversion to caring if someone across the street has a shed or stores an RV make an HOA buy a hard no for me - even before having to pay dues. It’s just weird. I honestly don’t think I’d even get along with HOA folks.
I own a townhome with an HOA. They insure and maintain my exterior structure and mow the grass on my behalf and maintain the common grounds. I'm getting my money's worth on my HOA fees and there are no ridiculous rules and they generally leave us alone.
The only rule that might even be remotely possibly objectionable is the rule on pets (no more than 2 pets per unit, no breeding, funky pets like livestock or snakes etc not allowed) but IMO that's pretty reasonable given the whole shared walls thing.
Well, see, and that would be a deal breaker for me. I only have ONE dog, but telling me how many critters I can have in a unit I OWN wouldn't be ok. I get no cows or snakes, but what if I wanted a bird, a cat and a dog?
Forget it.
Depends on the HOA.
I owned a home subject to a voluntary HOA. Hardly anybody paid the optional dues or road fees. I don't believe there were many rules, and I never heard about any being enforced.
I would NOT want to buy into one of those picky HOAs; my brother can choose to paint his house any of six shades of beige,p to go with his mandatory terra cotta tile roof.
"Would you buy a home that has an HOA? " It is not possible. But you can enter into some self detrimental; idiotic your rights limiting agreement MAGA !!!
don't want a neighbor buying an old rundown travel trailer and parking it in his driveway set up as an AirBnB, so I'll stick with an HOA that cuts everybody's grass and mulches and weeds everyone's flower beds at the same time.
If you really live in Boston or anywhere in MA, you don't have to worry about a trailer. I'm talking about mobile homes. They are not allowed in the state of MA unless they are in a park. (actually, I think there should be more mobile home parks in MA because they would be great retirement homes if they were affordable.)
A travel trailer usually isn't allowed to be parked in a driveway year round but some towns do allow it. I don't think MA allows someone to set it up as an AirBnB--most of MA has pretty sensible town rules concerning what is allowed and what is not.
If you live in a good state and in a sensible town that has rules that match what you want, you're fine. HOA's don't go over too well in MA or anywhere in New England because we leave the rules up to the town and the rules are enforced by town officials and the police. Rules are different for each town but they are usually reasonable and do not intrude into people's lives. We like individuality, not boring conformity. The only place you might get weird rules would be in the rare instance that you buy into a historic district. Then they can tell you that your house, built in 1740, must be painted white and have black shutters. They can set other rules too because the area is supposed to look more or less the way it did a couple of hundred years ago. But you would buy into a historic district because you like it that way.
For example, in CT there is a part of Litchfield that is run by a commission that can approve things like a new roof or other repairs. If you're really, really into history, I guess it wouldn't bother you that you couldn't change anything. The Commission’s jurisdiction is limited to the exterior features visible from a public way (even if hidden by trees or other plantings). Examples include, but are not limited to:, Outbuildings, fences, walls, light fixtures, windows, doors, siding, shutters, roofing, signs, utility structures, satellite dishes, driveways and parking areas.
Well, see, and that would be a deal breaker for me. I only have ONE dog, but telling me how many critters I can have in a unit I OWN wouldn't be ok. I get no cows or snakes, but what if I wanted a bird, a cat and a dog?
Forget it.
You move the bird in there and just don't tell anyone.
Even the least intrusive can change board members and become a nightmare. Heck I was on the board of one and watched it happen. We were one of the very first homes in a neighborhood, so I got selected as one of the board members right off the bat. But as the neighborhood grew, terms expired, and the developer gave up voting seats to owners, the board changed. When I first joined we were focused on managing the clubhouse, planning community recreation events & block parties, working for a school, building a community.
The new resident/board members cared about none of that since it was already there when they moved in. Instead they worried about what cooler paint was on someone's house, or swing sets in yards. Someone was sneaking around measuring fences and gates and peaking into houses and filing complaints. One new couple came in their first evening, right after moving in that day, and volunteered to drive the community everyday to report violations.
We watched a community we helped grow turn practically overnight into a place we didn't want to live.
I have heard of this sort of thing happening before. I think HOA boards just attract busybodies. Like it was a law of nature.
If you really live in Boston or anywhere in MA, you don't have to worry about a trailer. I'm talking about mobile homes. They are not allowed in the state of MA unless they are in a park. (actually, I think there should be more mobile home parks in MA because they would be great retirement homes if they were affordable.)
A travel trailer usually isn't allowed to be parked in a driveway year round but some towns do allow it. I don't think MA allows someone to set it up as an AirBnB--most of MA has pretty sensible town rules concerning what is allowed and what is not.
If you live in a good state and in a sensible town that has rules that match what you want, you're fine. HOA's don't go over too well in MA or anywhere in New England because we leave the rules up to the town and the rules are enforced by town officials and the police. Rules are different for each town but they are usually reasonable and do not intrude into people's lives. We like individuality, not boring conformity. The only place you might get weird rules would be in the rare instance that you buy into a historic district. Then they can tell you that your house, built in 1740, must be painted white and have black shutters. They can set other rules too because the area is supposed to look more or less the way it did a couple of hundred years ago. But you would buy into a historic district because you like it that way.
For example, in CT there is a part of Litchfield that is run by a commission that can approve things like a new roof or other repairs. If you're really, really into history, I guess it wouldn't bother you that you couldn't change anything. The Commission’s jurisdiction is limited to the exterior features visible from a public way (even if hidden by trees or other plantings). Examples include, but are not limited to:, Outbuildings, fences, walls, light fixtures, windows, doors, siding, shutters, roofing, signs, utility structures, satellite dishes, driveways and parking areas.
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