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Well you might work it out with them and I might work it out with them since death is a pretty exceptional circumstance but the problem is that we think like human beings. Most of the 55+ crowd that lives in these places do not think like human beings and their boards of directors represent that. They got theirs to hell with you pretty much sums up their thinking over there.
guess you missed thread #98 or have a selective reading issue
I live in a 55+, a family just moved in, bought a resale home, he is 55, wife 54, two kids 12 and 14, completely legal.
That is only for the moderator to decide. And I don't hate them. I just would never live in one myself.
I would think not since your disdain for and ageism toward 55+ individuals has been repeated ad nauseum. Perhaps this isn't really a board on which you have anything useful to offer since it's primarily populated by those of us rather long in the tooth.
Last edited by Curmudgeon; 11-29-2011 at 07:29 PM..
I would think not since your disdain for and ageism toward 55+ individuals has been repeated ad nauseum. Perhaps this isn't really a board on which you have anything useful to offer since it's primarily populated by those of us rather long in the tooth.
Long in the tooth....long in the tooth....I resemble that remark.....
I was worried that the discussion about children would be a thread killer. Looks like it was. I considered it way off topic once it became so vociferous and never did understand why a mod didn't stop it.
I was worried that the discussion about children would be a thread killer. Looks like it was. I considered it way off topic once it became so vociferous and never did understand why a mod didn't stop it.
Not sure children per se became the topic, but used as a red herring when the complaint was the control that HOA's can have.
I think most saw through the they hate children approach.
A childish approach at best.......LOL....was that a pun?
Back to the subject at hand. People considering living under an HOA must understand/accept just what control(s) they can have and that is a valid subject and I expect (hope) people are learning from this.
Agreed. We actually want an HOA in place. If you could see what's happened in our neighborhood you'd understand. The street is filled with cars because the garages are filled with junk or, in at least one case, one of the people can't pull in/back out with a second car in the garage without breaking off her passenger side mirror.
The yards are being let go, and the worst offender is right next door. The man is a pig and it shows in the back yard, which is a mud hole that has become a sloppy vegetable garden because he's too lazy to take care of grass. It's also the repository for anything he is too lazy to take to the dump or just thinks he may need someday.
The rest of the area is going the same route. I want to live somewhere that people are forced to take care of their property if they don't think it's necessary for them to do so.
Yeah, we think an HOA is a great idea, as long as it's not run by a bunch of Nazis.
1. Less issues if the units/homes are full time occupied by the owners rather the rental/seasonal usage. It then becomes occupiers versus renters and it gets nasty, nasty.
2. Single family and townhomes have less issues then apartment building style multi-units as there is no common usage like halls, elevators, lobbies, parking lots, etc.
3. Single family home HOA issues generally center around issues likes fences, out buildings, driveways, parking, street parking, curb appeal a big issue, etc. Many things one can do as a private homeowner (like any style/color fence) will be regulated by an HOA.
4. Town homes have some of above #3 issues but less so such as landscaping usually done by the HOA. Yet they can have their own issues like common storm/front doors for continuity reasons.
5. Childless people (all ages) will usually favor developments with less amenities as they do not use them and the HOA dues will be less. Those with children will favor single family home developments with many HOA amenities like pools, tennis, parks, etc.
6. Anyone considering living in an HOA controlled enviroment should get a copy of the HOA Covenants and read them. Read them carefully, very carefully. Experience says they will hold up in court. If you have an issue with them then it will be less expensive and less aggravating if you say thank you and move on down the road.
7. Few if any real estate people have read the HOA Convenants, so do not depend on their answers to your questions.
One very contentious issue has always been vehicle parking. Some examples:
1. Vehicles can only be parked in driveways, designated parking areas, and in the street but not overnight in the street. Nothing can be parked anywhere else meaning like in ones yard.
3. No commercial vehicles (usually those with signs on them) can be parked overnight even in ones driveway. Like a panel truck with a business name on it. One place had a discussion if a marked police car was a commercial vehicle. Cooler head prevailed on the police car.....LOL
4. No recreational vehicles (boats, jet skis, campers, etc.) can be parked overnight even in ones driveway.
HOA living is not for everyone. It is a life style choice.
1. Less issues if the units/homes are full time occupied by the owners rather the rental/seasonal usage. It then becomes occupiers versus renters and it gets nasty, nasty.
2. Single family and townhomes have less issues then apartment building style multi-units as there is no common usage like halls, elevators, lobbies, parking lots, etc.
3. Single family home HOA issues generally center around issues likes fences, out buildings, driveways, parking, street parking, curb appeal a big issue, etc. Many things one can do as a private homeowner (like any style/color fence) will be regulated by an HOA.
4. Town homes have some of above #3 issues but less so such as landscaping usually done by the HOA. Yet they can have their own issues like common storm/front doors for continuity reasons.
5. Childless people (all ages) will usually favor developments with less amenities as they do not use them and the HOA dues will be less. Those with children will favor single family home developments with many HOA amenities like pools, tennis, parks, etc.
6. Anyone considering living in an HOA controlled enviroment should get a copy of the HOA Covenants and read them. Read them carefully, very carefully. Experience says they will hold up in court. If you have an issue with them then it will be less expensive and less aggravating if you say thank you and move on down the road.
7. Few if any real estate people have read the HOA Convenants, so do not depend on their answers to your questions.
One very contentious issue has always been vehicle parking. Some examples:
1. Vehicles can only be parked in driveways, designated parking areas, and in the street but not overnight in the street. Nothing can be parked anywhere else meaning like in ones yard.
3. No commercial vehicles (usually those with signs on them) can be parked overnight even in ones driveway. Like a panel truck with a business name on it. One place had a discussion if a marked police car was a commercial vehicle. Cooler head prevailed on the police car.....LOL
4. No recreational vehicles (boats, jet skis, campers, etc.) can be parked overnight even in ones driveway.
HOA living is not for everyone. It is a life style choice.
Thank you for this thoughtful and informative post, especially #6 above which I bolded. For the last ten years I have been a member of the board of directors of a 26-unit townhouse association. No age restrictions with us, but the general problems are the same. We don't have the parking issues, as the street parking is not controlled by us, but by the city. There is one common driveway from which we access our garages on both sides (the driveway running down the middle), and there is no parking in the driveway period, unless you are with your car, like washing it or the like. There are two main sorts of problems, which derive from both ends of a spectrum. At one end, there are people who move in without following your recommendation in number 6 above and then get in a snit when they are told they cannot paint their front door any color they want (on the outside). At the other end, there are control freaks with a Nazi mentality who become board members, of which we fortunately have only one out of five board memebers. I am in the middle of the spectrum and try to enforce the rules in a reasonable manner while moderating the Nazi. If we didn't enforce anything our property would start to look like a shanty-town and our property values would suffer. I think it was TekFreek who posted in that vein upthread and I agree with him.
Yep, HOA living is not for everyone; it is a choice. I am pleased with my choice, but not so sure I am pleased about being on the board, which is often an emotional tug-of-war when people let their personal feelings trump their rationality.
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