Draconian HOA in this new Parrish subdivision (Samoset: for rent, houses)

[geeksweep]

Originally Posted by kiggy

I know what you meant. I'm just trying to understand the mindset of the HOA ruling about parking cars in a driveway. If there's no disorder of any kind, who cares?

also what if a family has more than 2 cars? does that mean that they can't move there? Or if they are living there and they want to buy their new child a car they can't because they would have 3 cars total with only a 2 car garage? If you really can't have cars parked in the driveway overnight then I guess everyone in the subdivision only has 2 vehicles right?

[FLHfan]

Originally Posted by geeksweep

also what if a family has more than 2 cars? does that mean that they can't move there? Or if they are living there and they want to buy their new child a car they can't because they would have 3 cars total with only a 2 car garage? If you really can't have cars parked in the driveway overnight then I guess everyone in the subdivision only has 2 vehicles right?

Find a house with a 3 car garage.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I cant believe some subdivisions do not allow cars in the driveways overnight. Not all of us are old farts with grown kids. What happens when you have 3 teenagers in the house that drive? That's 5 cars. Most people cannot afford or find a home with 5 garages. Solution - leave the those crazy HOAs to the old folks.

[ctwhitechin]

We relocated from CT to Parrish in 2014, had home built shortly thereafter in Harrison Ranch, i am thankful we have a proactive HOA because I'm sure one of my neighbors that rents would have trucks and cars on their front lawn if they could.

So far I have done 3 projects that require HOA approval, such as adding gutters, screening and extending my lanai, etc. They do send out letters for things that people should have common sense about, like unkempt properties and retrieving empt a trash containers, but drive around some neighborhoods in St Pete or Bradenton with no deed restrictions, looks like sanford and son. I guess some can be a little more overbearing than others, haven't heard about too much about too much mulch or grass is too long scenario yet, but the HOA keeps the community looking nice, not like a free for all section 8 community with crap laying around everywhere. As far as repainting homes, I think we have 18 color choices to choose from and they can't match your direct neighbors colors.

Our hoa is about $90 a month I think, it is rolled into my mortgage. Trust me, it is well worth it, our hoa is very nice the few times I needed approval for something I just emailed them the application with the contractor proposal, always approved...but you just have to abide by guidelines, such as our lanai screens have to be bronze, not white, things like that.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

cthitechin - I am so sorry that your neighbors are trashy enough to park cars on the lawn - I have lived in several states and in the neighborhoods we lived in - no one would dare park their cars on the lawn - I guess it all depends on the area you live in -

[tricon7]

I finally found a nice place in Clearwater with a voluntary HOA, which we do pay. It's a great-looking neighborhood, just like something out of Father Knows Best. Close to the beaches and *everything* shopping. We don't have HOA monitors inspecting for violations and very surprisingly - we don't have cars in driveways up on blocks, garage mechanics working in their yards, or yards with grass three feet high. I guess it's because those who can afford to live in this neighborhood have enough pride to not have their property look like a dump. I have the freedom to put out some potted plants if I wish or have a birdbath or hang a hummingbird feeder. It's great - I think we made the right decision.

[upgrader]

Originally Posted by tricon7

I finally found a nice place in Clearwater with a voluntary HOA, which we do pay.

Yup, a deed restricted community with a voluntary HOA seems to me to be the sweet spot of Florida living.

If the voluntary board gets all bossy, the residences can just refuse to fund them. So much easier than a recall.

If you move into a deed restricted community without reading the restrictions, well, shame on you.

[Shabotnik]

Originally Posted by upgrader

If you move into a deed restricted community without reading the restrictions, well, shame on you.

[LindaBea]

We lived in Lakeside Preserve for 8 years. While it's a beautiful community, the HOA is out of their mind. We were forced to power wash not only our driveway, walkway and house, but they insisted that we do the CURB TOO. They were nuts. We had a lawn guy come to cut our grass and weed our garden. They actually took pictures of our flowerbed and made the lawn guy come back to pluck a few weeds in the flower bed. We had multiple problems with the tile in that house. the building of our home was not done in a respectable manner. Tile cracked within the first year and they said they couldn't match it because they used discontinued tiles. The bathroom shower was tiled improperly, so we had to have it redone. AVOID LAKESIDE PRESERVE! They make you pay HOA fees but only offer a playground. For less money, I live in a community with a pool and tennis courts and the HOA is NOT up in our faces. Look around, ask neighbors. Look for these types of forums to find out what you're getting into. I am happy with our HOA. Our community is friendly and people watch out for each other. They don't have rats out there looking to find problems that don't exist!

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by LindaBea

We lived in Lakeside Preserve for 8 years. While it's a beautiful community, the HOA is out of their mind. We were forced to power wash not only our driveway, walkway and house, but they insisted that we do the CURB TOO. They were nuts. We had a lawn guy come to cut our grass and weed our garden. They actually took pictures of our flowerbed and made the lawn guy come back to pluck a few weeds in the flower bed. We had multiple problems with the tile in that house. the building of our home was not done in a respectable manner. Tile cracked within the first year and they said they couldn't match it because they used discontinued tiles. The bathroom shower was tiled improperly, so we had to have it redone. AVOID LAKESIDE PRESERVE! They make you pay HOA fees but only offer a playground. For less money, I live in a community with a pool and tennis courts and the HOA is NOT up in our faces. Look around, ask neighbors. Look for these types of forums to find out what you're getting into. I am happy with our HOA. Our community is friendly and people watch out for each other. They don't have rats out there looking to find problems that don't exist!

Alrighty then! Thanks for coming back 11 years after your first and only post to warn us!