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You can never be sure who your neighbors will be unless you live on 10 acres without any close by.
You might think these are bad, but others may move in who are much worse and you will wish you had the previous ones back.
When I was a kid I lived on 90 acres and the "neighbors" got hurt hunting and showed up on my door step in camo with big guns shouting for us to let them in. I was 8 and my friend was too and no adults.
Bottom line, people are everywhere. Got to get used to it.
Our hoa will fine you if you have a violation for an extended period of time.
I didn't say he should move to the country. I said off the grid, as in not near anyone at all.
If you were to drive the various neighborhoods that do have an HOA, and take a good look at the overall condition of the entirety of properties, you may find some that are in truly pristine condition, but, more than likely, there will be the exceptions, as for the fines, well, they have little teeth to them. My point wasn't directed at the efficiency of the HOA construct, but moreover, to point out that you can't "fix" your neighbors. What we really need is some teeth in county/city rules with respect to the notion of property rights as opposed to the rights of others who are forced to have their views disregarded and their complaints destined to become a civil/legal matter.
The OP's complaint isn't something that can be ameliorated by HOA rules, I know that much firsthand, the well meaning boards are hamstrung by the idea that we are all neighbors, and most make every attempt to "fix" the behavior, and more often than not fail in that pursuit. We are a nation of live and let live types, but, at days end, some folks just aren't all that clued in to what that means with regard to OBLIGATIONS, as well as rights. I suspect that a lot of those who denigrate the other for their imagined over-response are the same ones with the jacked Dodge Ram on their front lawn..
If you were to drive the various neighborhoods that do have an HOA, and take a good look at the overall condition of the entirety of properties, you may find some that are in truly pristine condition, but, more than likely, there will be the exceptions, as for the fines, well, they have little teeth to them. My point wasn't directed at the efficiency of the HOA construct, but moreover, to point out that you can't "fix" your neighbors. What we really need is some teeth in county/city rules with respect to the notion of property rights as opposed to the rights of others who are forced to have their views disregarded and their complaints destined to become a civil/legal matter.
The OP's complaint isn't something that can be ameliorated by HOA rules, I know that much firsthand, the well meaning boards are hamstrung by the idea that we are all neighbors, and most make every attempt to "fix" the behavior, and more often than not fail in that pursuit. We are a nation of live and let live types, but, at days end, some folks just aren't all that clued in to what that means with regard to OBLIGATIONS, as well as rights. I suspect that a lot of those who denigrate the other for their imagined over-response are the same ones with the jacked Dodge Ram on their front lawn..
We had a gung-ho board at one time and there was a new owner that started to build his family home with all required permits but no HOA approval... the new owner had inherited the property from an Uncle.
The Board went legal when the owner just laughed at them...
The end result was 3 years of legal fees that caused assessments to tripple... a home that was left unfinished and city staff that detested the HOA/Owner for being dragged into the mess.
The HOA was founded in 1948 and the CC&R were very basic and covered road maintenance, drainage, minimum home size, type of roof and setbacks...
Today, it is like a small telephone book...
After this fiasco, the Association hired a professional HOA management company at additional cost with a lawyer partner...
My HOA experience is been uneventful... but I will never buy into another one.
They probably aren't viewing the home under construction as "someone's house" yet. You're getting really defensive here. Truth is nobody knows if they are going to be good or bad neighbors yet. What people are saying is it's probably not fair to judge them on move in day. The things you've described, while perhaps not up to your personal standards, are normal things that most people do when they move.
The kids apologized so their upbringing must be at least respectable. If they had smarted off and kept riding around the yard that would be a real cause for concern.
Anyway, I hope it works out and I'd just encourage you to not make up your mind about them based on this one experience.
The OP already stated that he's buying a completed model home with full landscaping.
I would be concerned if the new neighbors felt like it was okay to let their garbage pile spill over onto the sod and yard of the MODEL HOME in a neighborhood. Doesn't matter if anyone is living there now, it is a completed home and likely has signage to indicate that the home is pending sale or the like.
I would not move there, if I was the OP.
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The OP already stated that he's buying a completed model home with full landscaping.
I would be concerned if the new neighbors felt like it was okay to let their garbage pile spill over onto the sod and yard of the MODEL HOME in a neighborhood. Doesn't matter if anyone is living there now, it is a completed home and likely has signage to indicate that the home is pending sale or the like.
I would not move there, if I was the OP.
First, until somebody lives there most people don't think of it as "someone's home". Secondly, I don't know what the OP's definition of "piles of trash" and "spilled over" mean. It's clear he's got lofty expectations so what may be piles of trash to him may be a typical amount with minor encroachment to most. Perhaps if he photos of said garbage? I wonder the city hasn't picked it up yet?
I'm not taking sides. I don't know, I'm not there, and haven't seen pics. I'm just playing devils advocate here.
You're fixing to spend a lot of money on a home. If the actions of your possible future neighbors bother you then you should go with your gut. As you have probably noticed, people have wildly different opinions about what constitutes a "good neighbor" and having had the misfortune of living near some not-so-"good" ones I can tell you, you will be a lot better off somewhere else if you already have concerns. We are lucky now and I thank God every day I go to work, knowing our neighbors are considerate to us and each other.
Personally, I am against zoning or HOA's. People must develop self-discipline to be responsible toward their neighbors, and society as a whole. Piling rules upon rules fosters resentment and gives the bad apple an excuse to act like a butt. "Well it isn't against the rules; get over it!". Conversely there are always those for whom any sacrifice of your own life-style will not be enough. You will never do anything right in their eyes. It is better to have like-minded neighbors who either don't want to hear dogs barking at 2 A.M. or all don't really care how much barking is going on. etc. This is about living around like-minded people; not who is bad or good.
To me the thing is you are making judgements on a financial burden that will probably last a goodly part of your working life. Don't "hope" things will be okay after you move in. They won't. In fact, any issues you have now will only expand once the housing addition is completely sold out. We looked at one years back before anyone moved in and the streets were way too narrow in proportion to the amount of driveway each homeowner had. Sure enough, now that the neighborhood is full you can only have one-way traffic because all the driveways are so short there is only room for one car per home and overflow fills the streets. The time for criticality and tough decisions is now. You will be so much happier.
If you were to drive the various neighborhoods that do have an HOA, and take a good look at the overall condition of the entirety of properties, you may find some that are in truly pristine condition, but, more than likely, there will be the exceptions, as for the fines, well, they have little teeth to them. My point wasn't directed at the efficiency of the HOA construct, but moreover, to point out that you can't "fix" your neighbors. What we really need is some teeth in county/city rules with respect to the notion of property rights as opposed to the rights of others who are forced to have their views disregarded and their complaints destined to become a civil/legal matter.
The OP's complaint isn't something that can be ameliorated by HOA rules, I know that much firsthand, the well meaning boards are hamstrung by the idea that we are all neighbors, and most make every attempt to "fix" the behavior, and more often than not fail in thuat pursuit. We are a nation of live and let live types, but, at days end, some folks just aren't all that clued in to what that means with regard to OBLIGATIONS, as well as rights. I suspect that a lot of those who denigrate the other for their imagined over-response are the same ones with the jacked Dodge Ram on their front lawn..
Y Don't "hope" things will be okay after you move in. They won't. In fact, any issues you have now will only expand once the housing addition is completely sold out. We looked at one years back before anyone moved in and the streets were way too narrow in proportion to the amount of driveway each homeowner had. Sure enough, now that the neighborhood is full you can only have one-way traffic because all the driveways are so short there is only room for one car per home and overflow fills the streets. The time for criticality and tough decisions is now. You will be so much happier.
This is where being proactive can help... also, using your best people skills which is important as it sets the tone.
I managed a lot of rental property and the interpersonal relationships between tenants was more work than keeping things in good repair.
I would get calls that someone's company plays the music too loud when picking them up... I would then ask is the person aware of how you feel and the answer would almost always be no...
Sometimes the answer would be they don't want to be confrontational... but, they are fine having someone else do the dirty work.. anonymously of course.
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