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... It will be hard for you to find a newer home that is not part of a homeowners association. They are there but not easy to find. I know this because we looked on both coasts and in many cities to find a non-HOA home we liked that did not need lots of renovation.
We've owned homes/condos in 5 HOA/COA's and never again. They are great for some people but we aren't those people.
Maybe they needed renovation because there was no HOA or zoning board making regular repairs to properties mandatory.
In any area I've lived, it's not hard to find a home that's not in an HOA. It's just hard to find a nice home that is in a tidy neighborhood and doesn't need a ton of upgrades and improvements. If you want new, there is usually the option to build a custom home.
Maybe they needed renovation because there was no HOA or zoning board making regular repairs to properties mandatory.
In any area I've lived, it's not hard to find a home that's not in an HOA. It's just hard to find a nice home that is in a tidy neighborhood and doesn't need a ton of upgrades and improvements. If you want new, there is usually the option to build a custom home.
Well, just because it's not hard to find a non-HOA in your area doesn't mean it's universal. In many places this is not the case and finding a non-HOA home can be quite difficult unless you're willing to not live in that area which is sometimes not too feasible given desired schools, etc.
When we bought our current home, our town had a moratorium on all new building permits and non-HOA homes were so rare that finding one was near impossible (they're the most desirable homes here). Even HOA homes were in short supply but at least there was some inventory of those homes. We decided on this town due to the schools so we held our nose and bought into an HOA neighborhood. Believe me, in the South, living in the right school district is HUGELY important.
Started out, wasn't too bad - pretty sensible board, rules, etc. Over the years, the board has changed dramatically with huge changes in our rules. Now we seem to have a plethora of busy bodies and since my daughter has graduated, we can finally move somewhere without HOAs since schools are no longer a priority.
In this case, it wasn't a lack of our reading the rules, etc when we bought. It was an influx of new residents (mostly transplants) who have made my neighborhood too intolerable by their "interpretation" of the rules. I always have very, very nice homes and well taken care of but when I have a two month delay to select a tan which ends up being the same flipping color I initially picked, I call this onerous.
I'm researching buying my next home. I'm pretty sure I want a condominium, but I'm not completely ruling out houses, either. Over time, I learned that tract home subdivisions almost always have a home owner's association (hereafter: HOA). Houses on traditional gridded streets usually don't have one. So far, I'd prefer not to have one. It's easier to deal with just one set of cops (city) than two (city + HOA).
In the research process, I've read plenty of horror stories about HOA's. The horror stories were plentiful, ranging from having to fix a broken window (reasonable, even good) to paying a $50 fine for a newspaper left out in the yard (stupid). In that light, it seems like HOA's are just a nuisance, run by people with too much time on their hands, who were bullied in school, and are now delighted to make other people's lives more difficult, not to mention play favorites with certain residents. Plus, charge X dollars per month for the privilege of that. True or not, don't shoot the messenger; I'm just posting what I read in other sources.
But there has to be some tangible purpose to HOA's. Otherwise, they'd be disbanded long time ago. So what do HOA's actually do? What benefit do they provide for residents, outside of enforcing rules? Either way, if I were to buy a house and not a condo, I'd buy one that doesn't have an HOA. But I'm still interested in finding out about its role.
If you choose liberty and freedom - free will - to do as you wish, an HOA is not for you. An HOA can dictate what color blinds or curtains you can put inside your house if they can be seen. Some can dictate the style/color of doorknobs you have on exterior doors. What color of roofing shingles do you like? An HOA can tell you what is acceptable. Wanna put up Christmas decorations or flags for holidays? You may have to erect an HOA approved flagpole on your property. I have friends who have moved deep into the woods due to not being able to perform minor car maintenance such as changing oil.
Good answers so far. But like with cops abusing their power in the name of safety, it's not too difficult for HOA's to abuse their power in the name of property values. Those HOA's are the ones that people complain about, which includes posting on the internet. "Seinfeld" even had an episode or two about Jerry's parents' having trouble with their HOA. Honest HOA's that diligently do their jobs get talked about far less often.
That's why I started this thread; its tone was meant to be neutral. That said, I prefer not to have one. But since I'm planning to buy a condo, I'm sure there will be an HOA there. So I want to learn about them, so I know how to avoid the bad ones, as well as understand their role.
Yes there will be a Condo Association. There are lots of common elements to maintain, like parking lots, hallways, lobbies, landscaping, snow removal (in your area), roofs, pest control, trash removal, a party/meeting room (or clubhouse) and potentially a swimming pool, elevators, laundry facilities, and a fitness room. Basically everything on the property that is not part of an individual unit.
The condo association that I have belonged to for 30 years basically the common elements mentioned, plus manages when a problem in one unit like leaks affects another unit.
An HOA in a single family neighborhood can be anything or all things that have been previously mentioned on the thread, but IMO is offloading government to a privately operated micro-government which does not have the pesky constitution to abide by. It also has taxing power which is not part of official state taxes. Over the different places I have lived, Texas seems to be the most addicted to HOAs.
I'm researching buying my next home. I'm pretty sure I want a condominium, but I'm not completely ruling out houses, either. Over time, I learned that tract home subdivisions almost always have a home owner's association (hereafter: HOA). Houses on traditional gridded streets usually don't have one. So far, I'd prefer not to have one. It's easier to deal with just one set of cops (city) than two (city + HOA).
In the research process, I've read plenty of horror stories about HOA's. The horror stories were plentiful, ranging from having to fix a broken window (reasonable, even good) to paying a $50 fine for a newspaper left out in the yard (stupid). In that light, it seems like HOA's are just a nuisance, run by people with too much time on their hands, who were bullied in school, and are now delighted to make other people's lives more difficult, not to mention play favorites with certain residents. Plus, charge X dollars per month for the privilege of that. True or not, don't shoot the messenger; I'm just posting what I read in other sources.
But there has to be some tangible purpose to HOA's. Otherwise, they'd be disbanded long time ago. So what do HOA's actually do? What benefit do they provide for residents, outside of enforcing rules? Either way, if I were to buy a house and not a condo, I'd buy one that doesn't have an HOA. But I'm still interested in finding out about its role.
To ruin the joy of homeownership & terrorize hard working people. No other purpose. I wish they never existed.
An HOA in a single family neighborhood can be anything or all things that have been previously mentioned on the thread, but IMO is offloading government to a privately operated micro-government which does not have the pesky constitution to abide by. It also has taxing power which is not part of official state taxes.
Much to the astonishment of many HOA boards, there are laws that need to be followed.
My understanding is homeowners prevail in the majority of litigation with HOAs. Apparently, judges take a dim view of petty tyrants who run afoul of the law. Who knew?
There are many wonderful condo and townhome associations. Because of all the shared walls, roofs, foundations... there has to be some way to manage that.
The lesson is to stay informed, get involved, and keep your eyes open.
The real purpose of homeowner associations are to collect the money to provide the community homeowners the services that the lazy, lying, crooked local government officials should be providing with tax dollars, but skirted their obligations when approval was given to build the development.
Originally Posted by james777 View Post
The real purpose of homeowner associations are to collect the money to provide the community homeowners the services that the lazy, lying, crooked local government officials should be providing with tax dollars, but skirted their obligations when approval was given to build the development.
Hate to tell you, but those who can AFFORD to live in an HOA policed community aren't LAZY by any respect.
That is propaganda fed to you by greedy builders. I live in Florida, and we are infested with HOA's, and all of them are in communities where the "lazy" people you are referring to cannot afford to live. So take that BS elsewhere.
The "lazy" people that should be policed by HOAs have already destroyed miles and miles of neighborhoods sitting on prime real estate close to downtowns!
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