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It actually is one of the most beautiful properties we have owned; in a tie for our mountain-side 8 acre place in Colorado. Unlike there, however, here there are no jobs. Since we have owned across the northern states, cold doesn't bother us at all. As a result, for us, it's perfect. Due to some bitter cold, no retirees want to come here, and due to lack of jobs, no young families either. As a result, it is very low cost of living area- perfect for us.
It actually is one of the most beautiful properties we have owned; in a tie for our mountain-side 8 acre place in Colorado. Unlike there, however, here there are no jobs. Since we have owned across the northern states, cold doesn't bother us at all. As a result, for us, it's perfect. Due to some bitter cold, no retirees want to come here, and due to lack of jobs, no young families either. As a result, it is very low cost of living area- perfect for us.
I can certainly understand the allure of living in an HOA community. It's not for me, but I get it.
I'm glad to live in a county where I can do whatever I want with my property with only three exceptions: no rendering plants, no recycling businesses, and no mining operations. Those three require special permission from the county. Otherwise, I can do as I please on my little 3 acre mini-farm, and my neighbors can do what they want on their property, too. It's refreshing. People around here would not take too kindly if the county dictated what they could or could not do on their own land.
The lack of zoning hasn't hurt the local real estate market, either, as there's been a whole bunch of very high end homes sold out in the county. Some are in "gentleman farm" type developments that do have HOA's, others are not.
I can certainly understand the allure of living in an HOA community. It's not for me, but I get it.
I'm glad to live in a county where I can do whatever I want with my property with only three exceptions: no rendering plants, no recycling businesses, and no mining operations. Those three require special permission from the county. Otherwise, I can do as I please on my little 3 acre mini-farm, and my neighbors can do what they want on their property, too. It's refreshing. People around here would not take too kindly if the county dictated what they could or could not do on their own land.
The lack of zoning hasn't hurt the local real estate market, either, as there's been a whole bunch of very high end homes sold out in the county. Some are in "gentleman farm" type developments that do have HOA's, others are not.
No zoning where I live either. Zoning was voted down a couple of times in the past. The subdivision across the street where a farm used to be has a lot of building rules concerning home construction.
I'm one of those people who had always said "No way" to living under any HOA because of all the horror stories I'd read - Telling people they couldn't leave a garage door open, that they couldn't put plant pots in front of the house, what type of drapes they could hang in the windows, etc.
Almost 2 years ago my wife and I were forced to move, and after deciding upon the general area we ended up in a place which has an HOA (although they call it a POA here). I was very much against it at first, but my wife was so taken by the place that I made absolutely certain to obtain a copy of the restrictive covenants and read them front to back multiple times to make sure there was no way we could end up in one of those aforementioned situations. The covenants were drawn up over 50 years ago, which probably explains why they don't contain anything outrageous. You can't open up an auto repair shop on a residential lot, can't keep pigs or chickens, mustn't turn your property into a junkyard, etc. The most restrictive aspect from our point of view is the requirement to get any additions or changes to the exterior of the house or outbuildings approved by the designated Architectural Control Committee which is tasked with maintaining the woodland feel of the area and making sure that homes "blend in" with the setting. I felt I could live with that, as after having a fence erected and making any changes we might want to make on the outside approved by the ACC, that would be it. And now we've been here a while, in terms of general living I much prefer the peace and quiet we have compared to the nearby towns which are far too noisy and busy for me.
However, what I have noticed is the apparent attempted overreach by the ACC into things which are not within its powers. Apparently a few years ago the ACC decided that it would no longer approve white fences. Fair enough - Everybody who purchased a home here agreed to the restrictive covenants in place and that the ACC might change its policy on these things over time. But now the ACC is going after people who have existing white fences which had already been approved by that same ACC before they were erected, demanding that they be removed or painted a different color. There is nothing in the covenants which gives the ACC the power to demand that something previously approved be changed or removed. Right now there is a fight going on with an 80-year-old man who, quite correctly, is standing his ground.
It was this notice which sent me reading through the ACC's policy manual and finding several other instances of "policies" they have added in the last few years. For example, the ACC now demands that boats, motorhomes, trailers and similar vehicles have screening erected so that they can't be seen from the road, and if that can't be achieved then the unit must be removed from the lot. It then says that an RV or similar will be "allowed" to be parked at a home for a very limited period of time for loading and unloading. Having read the covenants from cover to cover multiple times, I can say with absolute certainty that the ACC has absolutely no say in what vehicles are parked on private lots, in what manner, or for how long, nor does it have the power to demand that they be screened from view. One of our neighbors has already received a letter from the ACC on this issue.
There are a few other things, but this post is probably already long enough. I'm not one to be intimidated by threats such as this, but how many residents will just go along with what they're told without putting up a fight? The more that groups like these get away with, the more they will push even further.
I'm one of those people who had always said "No way" to living under any HOA because of all the horror stories I'd read - Telling people they couldn't leave a garage door open, that they couldn't put plant pots in front of the house, what type of drapes they could hang in the windows, etc.
Almost 2 years ago my wife and I were forced to move, and after deciding upon the general area we ended up in a place which has an HOA (although they call it a POA here). I was very much against it at first, but my wife was so taken by the place that I made absolutely certain to obtain a copy of the restrictive covenants and read them front to back multiple times to make sure there was no way we could end up in one of those aforementioned situations. The covenants were drawn up over 50 years ago, which probably explains why they don't contain anything outrageous. You can't open up an auto repair shop on a residential lot, can't keep pigs or chickens, mustn't turn your property into a junkyard, etc. The most restrictive aspect from our point of view is the requirement to get any additions or changes to the exterior of the house or outbuildings approved by the designated Architectural Control Committee which is tasked with maintaining the woodland feel of the area and making sure that homes "blend in" with the setting. I felt I could live with that, as after having a fence erected and making any changes we might want to make on the outside approved by the ACC, that would be it. And now we've been here a while, in terms of general living I much prefer the peace and quiet we have compared to the nearby towns which are far too noisy and busy for me.
However, what I have noticed is the apparent attempted overreach by the ACC into things which are not within its powers. Apparently a few years ago the ACC decided that it would no longer approve white fences. Fair enough - Everybody who purchased a home here agreed to the restrictive covenants in place and that the ACC might change its policy on these things over time. But now the ACC is going after people who have existing white fences which had already been approved by that same ACC before they were erected, demanding that they be removed or painted a different color. There is nothing in the covenants which gives the ACC the power to demand that something previously approved be changed or removed. Right now there is a fight going on with an 80-year-old man who, quite correctly, is standing his ground.
It was this notice which sent me reading through the ACC's policy manual and finding several other instances of "policies" they have added in the last few years. For example, the ACC now demands that boats, motorhomes, trailers and similar vehicles have screening erected so that they can't be seen from the road, and if that can't be achieved then the unit must be removed from the lot. It then says that an RV or similar will be "allowed" to be parked at a home for a very limited period of time for loading and unloading. Having read the covenants from cover to cover multiple times, I can say with absolute certainty that the ACC has absolutely no say in what vehicles are parked on private lots, in what manner, or for how long, nor does it have the power to demand that they be screened from view. One of our neighbors has already received a letter from the ACC on this issue.
There are a few other things, but this post is probably already long enough. I'm not one to be intimidated by threats such as this, but how many residents will just go along with what they're told without putting up a fight? The more that groups like these get away with, the more they will push even further.
Time to consult with an attorney?
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