[winter-rabbit]

Whats your opinion?

HOA does have its benefits. To me, it feels like way too homogenous. However, I do like the planned streets and landscaping around the HOA community.

If you don't live in an HOA, what are your struggles as landlords?

[airics]

I do live in a HOA (never have before) and at first I was apprehensive but i've grown to get used to it....I drive down decatur or jones and look at the homes that aren't in the HOAs. They are dumps, trash everywhere, cars on blocks, etc... so that alone is something to consider when deciding whether or not to buy in a hoa.

[Raiderman]

This is the first time living in an HOA for us. After being here almost a year, I would prefer to always live in one. As Airics pointed out, you can drive through the city and instantly see which neighborhoods have them and which don't. I like living in a neighborhood that looks like a resort.

[NoMoreRJ]

Not all HOA's are the same. I've dealt with 3 different management for HOAs in our community and they all are filled with dumb people working there. Some go on vacation while you have issues and when you ask to talk to someone, they reply back, EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY! even though there's no such allowances in the hoa's rules. They just do what they want. Others are filled with anal retentive agents who want to write you up for the trash can being out too late or some other crap. Then you fix your problem and email them pictures and two weeks later, you think it's been resolved but they say you did't fix it. They don't bother to even read their mail or look back at the pictures we sent in. They somehow don't know how to look at the past emails or pictures but they sure do like updating their damn facebook pages with crap.

Hate the losers working at the HOA management companies but it you want to live in one, make sure are you involved and know board members so they don't mess with you.

[winter-rabbit]

I think I am fine as long as I have 6 foot walls around my plot of land. It's my own world inside that I care about hehe.

I don't really like any of the homes.

But we are indeed renting in HOA, might end up liking it.

[jjameson922]

You'e renting so you have no concept of the real world. If you've saved money for years to buy a home that will be an investment, you want it protected as much as possible. Now you can live in your little walled house and of course, it doesn't affect your pocketbook in any way as the houses in the neighborhood go down the tubes.

[unf0rgiven6262]

Originally Posted by jjameson922

You'e renting so you have no concept of the real world.

Pretty condescending. I'm currently living an a non hoa area in green valley and none of the commonly passed around horror stories are happening. In fact, the houses here are very well kept and everyone is friendly.

[Raiderman]

Originally Posted by unf0rgiven6262

Pretty condescending. I'm currently living an a non hoa area in green valley and none of the commonly passed around horror stories are happening. In fact, the houses here are very well kept and everyone is friendly.

I was thinking the same thing. I'm renting at the moment, but have owned multiple houses, traveled the world, owned companies, have a family... I'm wondering when I'll get a "concept of the real world"

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by unf0rgiven6262

Pretty condescending. I'm currently living an a non hoa area in green valley and none of the commonly passed around horror stories are happening. In fact, the houses here are very well kept and everyone is friendly.

It's one of those things that isn't a problem until it affects you directly. It isn't hard to drive around town and tell the HOA neighborhoods from the non-HOA neighborhoods, particularly in the area of town where I live.

The non-HOA neighborhoods always seem to have that one hoarder who keeps a dozen rusty Willys jeeps in the yard, because he's going to "fix them up someday."

[NLVgal]

I divide my time between two homes. One is in a fairly reasonable HOA (or at least it used to be until they changed management companies) and the other is in a non-HOA neighborhood on a cul-de-sac.

The draw-backs of the non-Hoa house include the fact that residents are not held to any standards when it comes to front-yard upkeep (and some of them blindly ignore it), the junk cars, and no pretty common areas.

The benefits of the non-HOA house are the fact that we can plant whatever we want, if a stupid weed is on the side yard, we don't get a nastygram, and no fees.

The benefits of my HOA house include the fact that though the neighborhood is approaching fifteen years old, it still looks new, we have common areas and doggie-poo stations with free bags, and you have some relief if the neighbor decides to paint his house bubble-gum pink or put carpet on the front driveway (this happened to someone I know)