[renault]

Originally Posted by Jays1983

Lol, nothing sexual. Just would rather not have some fat ladies panties blowing in the breeze when I'm getting my morning coffee. Not a huge deal, but you know.

But if it were a skinny thong you'd have no problem with it?

I think this is a ridiculous rule, I agree with the poster saying communities need to stop micromanaging peoples lives in order to preserve "home values". You'd have to be a serious prude if you're offended by "unmentionables" being hung out to dry. Clothes smell so much better when they're air-dried, they don't shrink, and they're not stiff. Think of the energy being saved from not using the dryer.

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by renault

But if it were a skinny thong you'd have no problem with it?

I think this is a ridiculous rule, I agree with the poster saying communities need to stop micromanaging peoples lives in order to preserve "home values". You'd have to be a serious prude if you're offended by "unmentionables" being hung out to dry. Clothes smell so much better when they're air-dried, they don't shrink, and they're not stiff. Think of the energy being saved from not using the dryer.

The ironic thing about some of these HOA people, who object to laundry hanging out to dry, are the same people who have absolutely no problem with having 50 high school kids in their own back yard, having a huge booze party.

Stupid, really.

[Jays1983]

My main point is establishing continuity in communities to preserve home values and their ability to be resold. Period.

If hanging clothes out to dry is the norm, then it's not a problem. However, suburbs tend to having washing and drying facilities in the homes.

[Jays1983]

Originally Posted by Omaha Rocks

The ironic thing about some of these HOA people, who object to laundry hanging out to dry, are the same people who have absolutely no problem with having 50 high school kids in their own back yard, having a huge booze party.

Stupid, really.

Great argument because I'm so sure you can find a correlation between underage drinking in the suburbs versus inner city neighborhoods.

Let me tell you it was a very short time ago I was underage and the majority of the house parties WERE east of 72nd. Not that it really matters, but your point is baseless.

[vpandora]

Prospective home buyers would rather not live in a neighborhood that looks like a dump, if they can afford not to. I believe that clotheslines are regulated by neighborhood covenants because it is something that can easily get out of hand and bring down property values. Do you want to have a more difficult time selling your home because your neighbor paints polkadots on the house and is using the yard as a laundry room?

My guess is that those who are outraged at such covenants don't live and probably aren't going to move into a neighborhood that has covenants. My husband and I had to agree to abide to the covenants when we built our new house. If we disliked them so much, we would have decided to buy a house somewhere else. If the people living in a neighborhood get together and agree to set some standards for their neighborhood, who does it hurt? If you do happen to live in a neighborhood with covenants that you disagree with, join your homeowners association and try to change it. Maybe you could allow a certiain limit on how many feet of clothesline... or maybe it could be allowed as long as it was not visible from the street?

The other thing about covenants... I really don't know what authority neighborhoods have to enforce covenants. Our neighborhood doesn't allow dog runs, clothes lines, storage of trash cans outside in view of the street. So far, I've seen dog runs and trash cans on the side of the house. If people decide to complain, I'm not so sure you'd get more than a letter notifying you of the violation. And if you refused to correct it, you'd probably get some dirty looks... but its not a city law. To my knowledge, you can't be fined for violating covenants.

[Jays1983]

Originally Posted by vpandora

Prospective home buyers would rather not live in a neighborhood that looks like a dump, if they can afford not to. I believe that clotheslines are regulated by neighborhood covenants because it is something that can easily get out of hand and bring down property values. Do you want to have a more difficult time selling your home because your neighbor paints polkadots on the house and is using the yard as a laundry room?

My guess is that those who are outraged at such covenants don't live and probably aren't going to move into a neighborhood that has covenants. My husband and I had to agree to abide to the covenants when we built our new house. If we disliked them so much, we would have decided to buy a house somewhere else. If the people living in a neighborhood get together and agree to set some standards for their neighborhood, who does it hurt? If you do happen to live in a neighborhood with covenants that you disagree with, join your homeowners association and try to change it. Maybe you could allow a certiain limit on how many feet of clothesline... or maybe it could be allowed as long as it was not visible from the street?

The other thing about covenants... I really don't know what authority neighborhoods have to enforce covenants. Our neighborhood doesn't allow dog runs, clothes lines, storage of trash cans outside in view of the street. So far, I've seen dog runs and trash cans on the side of the house. If people decide to complain, I'm not so sure you'd get more than a letter notifying you of the violation. And if you refused to correct it, you'd probably get some dirty looks... but its not a city law. To my knowledge, you can't be fined for violating covenants.

Neighborhood convenants are enforcable in the court of law. I assume if a rule is broken, notice has been given and the home owner ignores it, the HOA can fine them. When they don't pay, the courts will mandate they do so.

[vpandora]

Originally Posted by Omaha Rocks

The ironic thing about some of these HOA people, who object to laundry hanging out to dry, are the same people who have absolutely no problem with having 50 high school kids in their own back yard, having a huge booze party.

Stupid, really.

I don't object to things like clotheslines but I do agree with many of the covenants set... and you can bet your sweet bippy that if my neighbors had a party with 50 highschoolers in the backyard past a reasonable hour, I'd call the police and make a noise complaint, regardless of whether it was a booze party or not!

Just because the resident doesn't have a problem with it, doesn't mean their neighbors don't. I'd like to remind you that EVERYONE (and not just suburban snobs) think that their behavior is completely justifyable until someone else does it...

[vpandora]

Originally Posted by Jays1983

Neighborhood convenants are enforcable in the court of law. I assume if a rule is broken, notice has been given and the home owner ignores it, the HOA can fine them. When they don't pay, the courts will mandate they do so.

If that is true, when I read my neighborhood covenants I didn't see anything regarding enforcement. Is that something that would be found in city municipal codes?

[dsrich98]

It says in the article that a clothes dryer can account for up to 6% of a households energy usage. That not's small potatoes.

I would hope that residents of these micromanaged cookie cutter communities are not oblivious to the toll that their cupcake developments have on the environment. They already roll over miles and miles of land to build their unremakable "villages", waste gas being forced to drive great distances just to go anywhere. The least they could do is let some of the more enviro-concious residents save a few bucks and a few megawatts by letting their shorts flap in the breeze 8 months out of the year.

I mean I don't like seeing "truck-nuts" hanging off the back of people's pickup trucks. But I would not try to make him remove said "nuts", or pass an ordinance banning them. I also would argue that a neighbors "truck-nuts" could have the same adverse effect on home values as some granny panties swinging in the breeze. If I'm looking at a house and the next door neighbor has some inbred Dodge Diesel sitting in the driveway with a big pair of plastic balls hanging off the back, I'll be sure to not move there. I'd really have to love that house to put an offer on it, even then I'd have to figure out a "truck-nuts" deduction in my offer.

[Jays1983]

Originally Posted by vpandora

If that is true, when I read my neighborhood covenants I didn't see anything regarding enforcement. Is that something that would be found in city municipal codes?

You should recieve a document outlining the Restrictive and Affirmative Covenants of your community when you buy the home. Sounds like your HOA did not do their diligence and your covenants may not be enforceable.

That document, (forget what its called C.R. ??) is enforceable in the court of law.