If you are considering living in an Home Owners Association (Port St. Lucie: fit in, house)

[runswithscissors]

All seen on my househunting drive-bys in specific neighborhoods for other people here:






















CLASSIC LOL:

[Cryinsham30]

Actually I am well versed in HOA's, and have seen a few "good ones" but mostly, bad, and the bad element was in fact due to "the people" and their interpretations of the bylaws and the way those same people would twist them into witch hunts. I have seen soldiers homes sold from underthem while they were deployed, I have seen destruction orders given for out buildings that matched the by-laws at the time they were constructed, but then revised soley to get 1 persons building destroyed. I have seen them do positive as well, no doubt, they do a great job of weeding out groups of people that others may not like, and they do if ran properly keep home values up, usually at great peril, but they do it none the less.

So we are clear as well, I have never been in a HOA, I was successful in helping to stave off the 2 that tried to form in new build neighborhoods I bought into at various times in my short life, my experiences are purerly gained through friends and family and research when deciding were to buy.

Now let me give you an example of help thy neighbor over yourself, I am a now retired military member and also live in semi rural Oklahoma, we do not have an HOA, our road washed out in the recent flooding and though two of my neighbors and I were not effected, six others were, so we pooled together and did the job that needed doing, no expectations of praise nor money. That is what a community is meant to be, that is what neighbors are for, not for calling CPS because your 11 year old is playing outside, not for calling someone and saying your grass is too long, a good neighbor would get out and cut the darn grass and then ask if their was anything else they could do to help because something might be going on in that persons life. SOME HOA"S (reading comprehension here note the use of the word some), not only discourage such behavior, they prevent it.

because I like sources

http://library.hsh.com/articles/gove...n-my-home.html
"Homeowners associations (HOAs) have a history of foreclosing on owners to collect relatively small sums of money. For example, in one California study, the median amount owed in HOA foreclosures was just over $2,000"

now you are right in that this is not just region specific, however "traditions" is the first time I have seen multi-layer HOA's in action, where there are not just one but two bodies of folks between you and your home. Like I said, they work for some folks, and not for others, Those who want a comfy shoe and nothing to do probably like HOA's, those who would prefer a garden for a front yard and a treehouse for their kids to play in, would do better to buy somewhere else.

[PLBR]

I disagree scissor, there are many people in search of homes on here, from areas of the U.S. HOA's have not over run. You act like we are all slobs unless being told what to do.
This area has been taken over by HOA's and not everyone has FULL knowledge about the ins and outs of them. It is important to know if it's the right fit for your family's lifestyle. They all look great on the surface but read some of the horror stories about what good people have been put through. Everyone is a co-owner, but it isn't as clear cut as that. Has there ever a post on here that you haven't put in your 2¢?

[Cryinsham30]

I see nothing wrong in any of those pictures except for my personal distaste of fenced in front yards.

1. Fenced front yard with nice flowers and a mowed lawn behind.
2. A boat oh noes a boat in a front yard eee ghast a boat in south florida, near the ocean. the horror, that thing must be a rat trap a roach trap and infested with unsightly people from foreign lands
3. a $50K truck parked with a $45K, iin good repair and not blocking any egress/ingress, oh the shame.
4/5/6/7, I guess you have an issue with vehicles being used in a town that has little to no public trans? and unaffordable taxi/uber service?

and a family that has outgrown their house and uses their garage as storage while parking a vehicle in the driveway, geez we should send a lynchin NAH a lynchin is too good for them, we should burn it down NAH that is too much effort, lets form a committee without telling them, use backdoor legal tactics to steal their house from them, then feel good about ourselves sipping mimosa's around the club house.

[Cryinsham30]

and i would absoloutely look in those area's, what you see is hard working good people generally, that would give you the shirt of their back if you needed it. Imagine a scenerio where a hurricane took out your house, but spared your neighbors, the neighbor may not like/feel safe letting you in their home, but would happily let you take a shower/cook a meal in their RV etc. I dunno, maybe im the one askew, maybe my conservative hard working middle class up bringing and way I lead my life is wrong, maybe I should try to buy more stuff and close my doors from the sunlight only coming out when its time to complain about my neighbors not living up to the standards I set for them.

[PLBR]

Cryingshame30, From 1 military retiree to another....I like your way of thinking. I so miss the wonderful neighbors I met in my many homes all over the world during my years in the military. This is the only HOA I have ever lived in...and it's like I'm in a battlefield again.

[Cryinsham30]

Originally Posted by PLBR

Cryingshame30, From 1 military retiree to another....I like your way of thinking. I so miss the wonderful neighbors I met in my many homes all over the world during my years in the military. This is the only HOA I have ever lived in...and it's like I'm in a battlefield again.

Thank you, and yes my family and I's travels have yielded many great friendships and lifelong bonds with folks who do not even share a common language, I would say I may have been sheltered by living around such great people, but we lived on the economy in Germany and S. korea and while I was recruiting in Atlanta.

We are considering a move to PSL, mostly due to health reasons, yet it seems there are enclaves of folks who think they know better how I should live my life, and well, I don't handle that too well, if its a city ordinance issue, sure I am all for it, if its the busy body, internet connected self righteous prayer warrior that uses the phrase "well just bless their little heart" more than once in idle conversation, then well they can go suck an egg.

[Cryinsham30]

here is some photo's of walking around my yard, caution graphic photos that may require the cluthcing of pearls or smellin salts;






critters kept my grass in check, but man the milking and the feeding and the staying up all hours to make sure kidding went ok.

The point being is, different strokes for different folks, I am a college educated secure communications specialist and electronics tech, i hold 2 degrees and a few certifications, yet I still like doing stuff myself, my way and with the folks I care about. Now if something in my yard/house causes danger or is truly offensive (like something hate or religious affiliated) then by all means I should be corrected, but beyond that live and let live folks.

[PLBR]

Amen Cryinsham30. I'll trade homes with you any day. Not sure if East Florida is the place for you after living with all your beautiful creatures. I grew up here, but realize now since moving back that it is not the same Florida it was in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Even Bee hives and chicken houses are hard for many people in these parts to comprehend or understand the importance of. Here you will be living next door to people that saturate their yards and homes twice a year with pesticides. Have you thought about Texas, Arizona California? I also lived in Germany (Kussel and Bruenigweiller) 6 years. What a wonderful adventure it was. I sure hope you find your ideal place. What are you going to do with your 4 legged family?

[Cryinsham30]

Originally Posted by PLBR

Amen Cryinsham30. I'll trade homes with you any day. Not sure if East Florida is the place for you after living with all your beautiful creatures. I grew up here, but realize now since moving back that it is not the same Florida it was in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Even Bee hives and chicken houses are hard for many people in these parts to comprehend or understand the importance of. Here you will be living next door to people that saturate their yards and homes twice a year with pesticides. Have you thought about Texas, Arizona California? I also lived in Germany (Kussel and Bruenigweiller) 6 years. What a wonderful adventure it was. I sure hope you find your ideal place. What are you going to do with your 4 legged family?

Sold off most of the critters, still have meat and hair rabbits (wife spins yarn) and some ducks/creatures in the pond etc. Unfortunately, when we started the dairy business I was in good health, then at 33 I had to have a hip replaced, and 6 weeks later a blood clot nearly took me out. Now 3 years after that, my right hip has been replaced again due to recall, my left hip has been done and my back/neck is shot. I won't go into details, but all my injuries are service connected but not purple heart/combat related. So I cannot hold up the heavy lifting of small farm life, enter my beloved wife/high school sweet heart, she has medical issues with cold specifically reynauds and various palsies, so she cannot milk/work. in the cold or handle the types of hay that are popular here.

I am terrified of neighborhood living, I love my privacy, my animals, and my way of life but to me water ='s freedom, I can still scuba dive/fish/drive a boat etc and spend time with my family that way, right now I am on the sidelines watching my children grow up and I hate it, so thats the trade off of moving back to suburbia, trading my tractor(s) for a boat so to speak and hitting the water with the family.

Wife made fun of me yesterday, I finished a 10x10 ish sized wooden deck around our redneck above ground pool, it took me 6+ weeks and is barely passable, I could of hired it out for 1/3rd the cost and done in 1 day, but the point was I wanted to do it, I wanted it my way, then it sunk in to her what I've been saying about HOA's and city life in general, had we been in PSL doing this, I would of needed a permit and inspections for the pool, a licensed electrician for the bonding and pump outlet, inspections and permits for the deck and if I didn't finish in time I would of had to pull more permits or risk being forced to tear MY DECK down.

we were in bitburg/trier area for our tour, just a little over 3 years, but we fit a lot into those 3 years, and still have about 200 bottles of great wine in our cellar, and lots of friends on our christmas card list.