[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by toyojo

i parked my truck out on the sidewalk once to visit my parents and in a fe minutes there was a warning on window saying that i am not permitted to park my truck on the curb. please remove my truck and park it on a driveway etc. etc.

obviously these people are really anal about how the community looks.

And you find that odd??? Why would you possibly park your truck on the sidewalk and not expect people to be pissed about it?

[toyojo]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

And you find that odd??? Why would you possibly park your truck on the sidewalk and not expect people to be pissed about it?

it wasnt ON the sidewalk. im not that ignorant how should i say this. next to the curb. u know when you go out into the streets, you see cars parked next to the curb ? like that.

i have more sense than to park on a sidewalk. and yea id be pissed but laughing if someone were to be parking ON a sidewalk. i guess i worded my post wrong haha

[Eric Young]

When I lived in SF, I used to park my MGB on the sidewalk.

Because it was such a rare thing, the city never raised the fine that had been set in the 1960's...it was still $5.

That was a lot cheaper than public parkeing and even a lot of meters...and very convenient.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

And you find that odd??? Why would you possibly park your truck on the sidewalk and not expect people to be pissed about it?

There are communities where it is considered good form to park with wheels on or over the curb...Sun City Summerlin is one.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by olecapt

There are communities where it is considered good form to park with wheels on or over the curb...Sun City Summerlin is one.

Yeah, they either park like that, or with the car far enough from the curb that you can drive a golf cart through the gap. They need to bring back the little springy curb feelers......lol

[DessertRat]

Originally Posted by Eric Young

Don't be so sure...the HOA can still assess a $100 fine or whatever it is they impose. Your cost to contest it would be many, many times greater than that . . .

That comment always irks me. If one is reasonably intelligent and willing to do some research, it doesn't need to cost much money to do anything in court--you do not need to hire a lawyer, you can do all the work yourself. I've done many things in and out of court myself that people usually hire lawyers for--including suits and messy divorces, and it's never cost me much money . . . the idea that you need to hire (expensive) lawyers for any possible legal action is obviously one promoted by lawyers themselves. It's just not true.

[DessertRat]

Originally Posted by toyojo

i parked my truck out on the sidewalk once to visit my parents and in a fe minutes there was a warning on window saying that i am not permitted to park my truck on the curb. please remove my truck and park it on a driveway etc. etc.

obviously these people are really anal about how the community looks.

Sounds as bad as the condo associations in South Florida (where I grew up). I'm glad I'm reading this thread before I move to the Vegas area. I know one major thing to avoid when looking for a home there. I want my neighbors to be able to do whatever the hell they want with their property--paint it any color they like--blue with yellow polka dots if they like--build a huge cowboy in their front lawn out of cinder blocks, decorate the exterior of their home like the house in Texas Chainsaw Massacre . . . whatever, and I want to be able to do whatever the hell I want with my property . . . which is one reason I'd prefer to live in the boonies without close neighbors. I'd never buy in a gated community, unless it was my gate and my laissez-faire "rules".

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by Greatday

Common area only. Each owner is responsible for their own property

The $40 is monthly - Summerlin North is the "Master Association" and they provide many of the amenities everyone uses in Summerlin

I'm just amazed that you have to pay this kind of money (not even including any fines that might be imposed!) For LV (and other HOA areas) to say that there are lower taxes...it may be true, technically. But when you add in these HOA fees and fines, which cover some services that my property taxes pay for, and add in the cost of non-deductibilty of these fees from your federal taxes, you are paying much more overall.

My thinking is that when someone looks at property taxes that they are paying for their LV property, they should include these fees in their thinking to get a more accurate picture to compare to what other areas pay in propoerty taxes which include services such as trash removal and road maintenance, but which are also federal tax deductions.

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

I'm just amazed that you have to pay this kind of money (not even including any fines that might be imposed!) For LV (and other HOA areas) to say that there are lower taxes...it may be true, technically. But when you add in these HOA fees and fines, which cover some services that my property taxes pay for, and add in the cost of non-deductibilty of these fees from your federal taxes, you are paying much more overall.

My thinking is that when someone looks at property taxes that they are paying for their LV property, they should include these fees in their thinking to get a more accurate picture to compare to what other areas pay in propoerty taxes which include services such as trash removal and road maintenance, but which are also federal tax deductions.

Certainly one needs to consider any ancillary costs when considering the purchase of a home.

I got a notice in the mail yesterday that the Summerlin North fee is increasing to $44.00 a month -

In addition to the two I mentioned, we also pay another fee, twice a year, called a SID (Special Improvement District) - in our case, around $200 every 6 months. This fee, levied against properties in Summerlin (and several other MPC's) was to allow Las Vegas to sell bonds to put in municipal improvements before and while Summerlin was being built - City Pools, Libraries and Performing Art's centers etc.

In many communities, the homes are built then the amenities. In Summerlin, many of the amenties were built before the homes.

IMO, really quite nice

[Lola Granola]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

I'm just amazed that you have to pay this kind of money (not even including any fines that might be imposed!) For LV (and other HOA areas) to say that there are lower taxes...it may be true, technically. But when you add in these HOA fees and fines, which cover some services that my property taxes pay for, and add in the cost of non-deductibilty of these fees from your federal taxes, you are paying much more overall.

My thinking is that when someone looks at property taxes that they are paying for their LV property, they should include these fees in their thinking to get a more accurate picture to compare to what other areas pay in propoerty taxes which include services such as trash removal and road maintenance, but which are also federal tax deductions.

There's some merit to that... but HOAs are present now in many, if not most, newer subdivisions across the country. We paid in MI, and got snow removal and a poorly maintained community park, and paid for our own trash removal. The level of service for the money that we get here in Summerlin is FAR greater. But such comparisons are very individual, as every HOA is different.