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This silly saga began 3 years ago when the owners had the playground built without approval of the Architecture Committee/ Board. To make matters worse the color is outside the range allowed by the HOA.
The HOA is seeking a court order to compel the removal of the structure. If the court rules in favor of the HOA and the owners choose not to comply, they could be found in contempt.
These people bought into this HOA and in doing so agreed to abide by the rules. They chose not to do so. They are " special".
that doesn't make the HOA a good thing. that just means the HOA is a stupid bunch of busy bodies telling people what they can and cannot do on their own property.... property that is not visible to the public... we are talking BACK YARD under trees away from the street.
geez.
again, why would anyone want to live in one of these prisons?
if you do, get on the boad and get the blasted thing disbanded. geez
that doesn't make the HOA a good thing. that just means the HOA is a stupid bunch of busy bodies telling people what they can and cannot do on their own property.... property that is not visible to the public... we are talking BACK YARD under trees away from the street.
geez.
again, why would anyone want to live in one of these prisons?
if you do, get on the boad and get the blasted thing disbanded. geez
As I mentioned, about 63 million people thus far choose to live in HOAs.
Not all HOAs trend uber restrictive. Mine certainly is not.
Disbanding an HOA is easier said than done because of common grounds/ amenities. Most people who live in HOAs seem to be happy campers, else they would not live there.
Given this saga is three years old, why hasn't a super majority of owners eliminated the rule?
I tend to think this may be more about having the playground built without prior approval than the color.
Something not really mentioned prominently in this thread so far is that I don't want to pay an HOA every month for the rest of my life. If someone wants me to pay them to tell me what I may and may not do with my own property, well, I already have city ordinances that do that. I've seen HOA fees that run from $200 to $600 per month, and that's unacceptable to me. I also don't want another level of intrusiveness, especially since I tend to like my neighborhood to have a bit more variety and character. I'm the type who enjoys completely overhauling my yard whenever I get a new idea, so needing to get approval for everything would be a pain.
Of course, that all just means I didn't buy my house in a place with an HOA. Some people have other priorities, and that's their right. I'm okay with that as long as I'm able to have my own preference.
I am aware of monthly HOA fees in the $5000/ mo range in some associations.
The assessment in my HOA is $75/ mo payable annually. It funds the maintenance/ repair/ replacement of a private and guarded pool, tennis courts , a private lake and grounds. We carry substantial liability insurance. Social events, lessons, competitive sports are all pay for use. The focus has always been on the common elements, not private property. Mileage varies.
My wife and I looked at a house we really liked, in a quite nice neighborhood. We checked the CCRs, and found we could park our fifth wheel RV beside the house, no problem. Then I noticed that the CCRs forbid the parking of any truck over 3/4 ton overnight. At the time, I had a Dodge 3500 dually (a 1 ton, for those who don't know).
The house suddenly became totally worthless. The HOA and CCRs totally destroyed the property values for me.
We ultimately found a very nice house on a small acreage, in a very nice housing development with NO HOA, a short list of CCRs (which are unenforceable, with no HOA), and nice neighbors. I can target shoot in my back yard, and nobody cares. One neighbor shoots geese off his deck. Two neighbors have horses. My RV sits in the driveway all summer, ready to go at a moment's notice. Nobody cares if I drive my ATVs in the pasture, giving grandkids rides. I am a licensed Amateur Radio Operator, and I don't need anybody telling me what kind or size of antenna I can put up.
Actually, nobody cares WHAT I do on MY property, and I don't care what they do on THEIR property.
IMO, that is as it should be!
And others would move into an HOA to avoid the nuisance of ATV or target shooting noise or the eyesore of an RV. While you might not be interested in living somewhere where the HOA bans an RV, I would not be interested in a house that is next door to a hulking SUV in the driveway (or, worse, on the street as in the neighborhood I currently rent in). And if I find out my next door neighbor is target shooting in the back yard and I could hear it? The house would suddenly become worthless.
To each their own. Just don't move into an HOA and expect to be a special snowflake.
I love my HOA. It prevents "work trucks" or any vehicle with commercial lettering from being parked overnight. No boats, RVs, or trailers of any kind permitted.
It's hard for me to understand why people care about such things.
But I've got no plans to live in an HOA development... so carry on.
Now I'm gonna go work on my antique 1958 lawnmower that I start with a hammer-drill. I imagine the neighbors are impressed with this sort of thing... especially when I use my welder at night- the whole neighborhood lights up!
that doesn't make the HOA a good thing. that just means the HOA is a stupid bunch of busy bodies telling people what they can and cannot do on their own property.... property that is not visible to the public... we are talking BACK YARD under trees away from the street.
geez.
again, why would anyone want to live in one of these prisons?
if you do, get on the boad and get the blasted thing disbanded. geez
Here is a post just as juvenile as yours;
Why would anyone want to live in an unregulated slum that is full of stupid trashy people? If you do, form an HOA and get the slum cleaned up and kick the stupid people out.
Reading this thread, one would think that if you dare venture outside of an HOA you'll see trashed yards, junk vehicles in the driveway, strange-colored homes, etc. Yet I live a neighborhood without an HOA, by choice, and it's in great shape. No issues whatsoever, great curb appeal, no trashy or unkept homes/yards. I guess I'm apparently lucky? Or perhaps I chose to live in a good area where people don't need to be micromanaged? No HOA fee to deal with, as well as the legal gray area HOAs dwell in.
Many non-HOA neighborhoods have issues, and many do not. However, less HOA neighborhoods have major issues. Different courses for different horses. Again, though, it's nonsensical to hate on neighborhoods that have them.
It's hard for me to understand why people care about such things.
But I've got no plans to live in an HOA development... so carry on.
Now I'm gonna go work on my antique 1958 lawnmower that I start with a hammer-drill. I imagine the neighbors are impressed with this sort of thing... especially when I use my welder at night- the whole neighborhood lights up!
The reason people care about boats, RVs, motor homes and commercial trucks parked on front lawns, in driveways or on the street is because they: 1) block views, especially important to people with little kids who play outside; 2) they take up parking spaces on the street because they displace parking spaces in ones driveways; and 3) they make it harder for others to back out of their driveways and for service trucks like garbage collectors, etc. to do their work. My HOA lets people park these kinds of vehicles for just a few days at a time---just enough to get them packed to go somewhere or unpacked afterward but not long enough for your uncle Harry to live in them. That's fair and reasonable.
I never planned on living in an HOA either but if you want to build new it's hard to find lots that aren't covered by HOAs. In fifteen years, I've never had an issue with it and hardly remember we have one.
Something not really mentioned prominently in this thread so far is that I don't want to pay an HOA every month for the rest of my life. If someone wants me to pay them to tell me what I may and may not do with my own property, well, I already have city ordinances that do that. I've seen HOA fees that run from $200 to $600 per month, and that's unacceptable to me. I also don't want another level of intrusiveness, especially since I tend to like my neighborhood to have a bit more variety and character. I'm the type who enjoys completely overhauling my yard whenever I get a new idea, so needing to get approval for everything would be a pain.
Of course, that all just means I didn't buy my house in a place with an HOA. Some people have other priorities, and that's their right. I'm okay with that as long as I'm able to have my own preference.
OK, I'll mention the HOA fees then, for those of you wanting to discuss them.
I live in a gated community of expensive homes. My HOA fees for the entire year of 2015, paid in full last January, was $350.00. Because the community replaced the two front gate operators this year at a total cost of $6800.00, the annual fee for 2016 will probably rise to $450.00.
I will agree that some HOA's have very high HOA fees, but those that do usually have many amenities, such as pools, gyms, etc, etc. People pay those high fees because they chose to live where those amenities are available.
You are correct they they aren't for everyone, it it works for you, go for it, if not, don't. Pretty simple and nothing to spend page after page arguing about
The reason people care about boats, RVs, motor homes and commercial trucks parked on front lawns, in driveways or on the street is because they: 1) block views, especially important to people with little kids who play outside; 2) they take up parking spaces on the street because they displace parking spaces in ones driveways; and 3) they make it harder for others to back out of their driveways and for service trucks like garbage collectors, etc. to do their work. My HOA lets people park these kinds of vehicles for just a few days at a time---just enough to get them packed to go somewhere or unpacked afterward but not long enough for your uncle Harry to live in them. That's fair and reasonable.
I never planned on living in an HOA either but if you want to build new it's hard to find lots that aren't covered by HOAs. In fifteen years, I've never had an issue with it and hardly remember we have one.
Yeah, that all sounds really petty. But hey, we don't share a neighborhood- so there's no reason we need to agree.
I wonder what an HOA would say about the pyramid I built in the back yard? Had a bunch of useless landscaping rocks that were in the way, so I had to do something with them. My wife calls it the snake-farm.
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