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Old 06-16-2015, 03:20 PM
 
4,586 posts, read 5,579,907 times
Reputation: 4369

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Quote:
Originally Posted by MortonR View Post
This describes the HOA that I preside over.

We recently attempted to amend the covenants to require new owners to reside in their house for a year before renting. We had a big turnout at that meeting - the first time in years since there have been ANY, and I mean ANY, residents show up for a meeting.

Everybody was worked up (why else would they show up) and took the Board to task for not including them, doing our own thing, etc.

It got rather quiet when we asked how many of them had shown up for previous meetings where all of this was discussed in advance. Suddenly everyone was nice. Everyone left in a good mood and some even suggested that they might show up for future meetings.

This is what really frosts me - no one shows up for meetings, no one wants to participate in the running of the HOA, which in our case takes about 15 minutes a month, if that, not including meetings. When they're confronted with a situation that they're invested in for some reason, suddenly they're all "advocating".

Hmm.

I rest my case.

RM
Why do you need RULES to live in your own house??? Makes no sense to me at all. It's like having someone decide for you what shoes to wear on any given day! You cannot be polite and civilized? you need by-laws to be civil? What are we? Animals???

I am not going to WASTE my time on EARTH coming to an HOA meeting and listen to all the things I CANNOT DO after spending 6 figures on a HOUSE I WANT TO CALL HOME! IF you don't pay my mortgage you have no right to tell me what to do with MY house.
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Old 06-16-2015, 03:29 PM
 
4,586 posts, read 5,579,907 times
Reputation: 4369
Quote:
Originally Posted by spbbound View Post
My past community actually has a ban on the parking of pickup trucks in the driveway or on the street. It was put in there by the original developer and in nine years there's never been enough people at a meeting to have it removed. About four years after I moved in, the then-president of the HOA decided she didn't like pickup trucks so I started getting violation letters. There was absolutely nothing I could do. No one supported the move but her, but the bylaws were bylaws and there were only three pickup owners in the development at the time, and the other two could park theirs in the garages if absolutely necessary. I had a Chevy 2500 (not commercial, no signage, no equipment rack, just plain pickup) so it wouldn't fit in my garage. I had to keep it at my office for a few months until fortunately she lost her position. Since that time, no future president has enforced the no-pickups rule, probably because there's at least ten or twelve in the neighborhood now, but they will just find something else to go after.
Now see, this is where they get abusive and unreasonable. These people have no right to tell you what car you can and cannot drive. Like it is here with the damn garbage bins. Instead of them OFFERING solutions as to where and how to cover them(their sight) outside, they want us to keep our cars out and our garbage bins in the garage. NOT happening because 1. we have no space in the garage, 2. I am not keeping my cars outside in the elements so the garbage bins be out of sight for those board BORED members! and 3. (which should be #1) it is HIGHLY unsanitary for me to cook and eat and breathe in the disgusting smell of a garbage can kept inside a garage that does not have AC and it gets to over 100 degrees F! My garage door opens straight into the kitchen, and I am not cooking in that smell.
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Old 06-16-2015, 03:35 PM
KPB
 
1,517 posts, read 1,507,059 times
Reputation: 1314
Kinda off topic but if you live in Avila you can't have a motorcycle, or if you do you have to trailer in/out of neighborhood.
I don't think I could live in a neighborhood w/ a HOA, but to each there own.
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Old 06-16-2015, 03:40 PM
 
Location: Florida & Arizona
5,908 posts, read 7,241,767 times
Reputation: 7484
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoProIP View Post
Why do you need RULES to live in your own house??? Makes no sense to me at all. It's like having someone decide for you what shoes to wear on any given day! You cannot be polite and civilized? you need by-laws to be civil? What are we? Animals???

I am not going to WASTE my time on EARTH coming to an HOA meeting and listen to all the things I CANNOT DO after spending 6 figures on a HOUSE I WANT TO CALL HOME! IF you don't pay my mortgage you have no right to tell me what to do with MY house.
I think the issue is pretty simple for folks such as yourself:

Florida state law dictates that the presence or existence of an HOA has to be disclosed in advance, that is, at the time a property is marketed and/or an offer to purchase is presented. I know that's not the exact wording and that some of our resident realtors will clarify if necessary, but it gets the idea across.

If you don't want to live in a home that is covered by a homeowner's association, don't buy one.

It's not like you wouldn't know going into the purchase. It's disclosed numerous times, and you'll have to sign several documents at or before closing that attest to your understanding of such.

And I would posit that it's not a matter of civility or politeness. While we can debate the issues around the purpose of HOAs, what it boils down to is human behavior, and what some consider acceptable behavior is not for others. This allows those who desire to live in a neighborhood without the potential for neighbors parking on their lawns, or rebuilding the engine of their truck in the driveway for four weeks, or parking their RV in front of the house for several weeks, etc., etc., etc. to do so.

Yes, there are some HOAs with covenants that are very restrictive. Again, you have access to that information prior to even making an offer on a house in the area, so it's easy to avoid.

We have an original owner in our neighborhood who, for reasons well beyond the comprehension of most, decided that they no longer wanted to be a part of the HOA. They stopped paying dues. Despite notices, debt collectors, etc., they held out for four years. We finally filed a notice of foreclosure on their property, which, I would add, was granted by the courts.

This was over a $200/year fee.

Because they wanted to be "most right" they ended up risking the loss of their home and ultimately paid close to $5,000.00 (that's a five followed by three zeros) for the back fees, penalties, and the HOA's legal fees.

Until the legislature rules otherwise, or our HOA is dissolved, they will be bound by the bylaws and covenants of the HOA. Why? Because they agreed to be when they bought the property.

Sorry about the rant, but this attitude of "I don't want an HOA telling me what I can or can't do with my property" makes about as much sense as I don't know what.

Again, this boils down to: "If you don't like it, don't do it. If you choose to do it, you can't say you weren't warned and that you accepted the consequences."

'nut said.

RM
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Old 06-16-2015, 03:45 PM
 
Location: Florida & Arizona
5,908 posts, read 7,241,767 times
Reputation: 7484
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoProIP View Post
Now see, this is where they get abusive and unreasonable. These people have no right to tell you what car you can and cannot drive. Like it is here with the damn garbage bins. Instead of them OFFERING solutions as to where and how to cover them(their sight) outside, they want us to keep our cars out and our garbage bins in the garage. NOT happening because 1. we have no space in the garage, 2. I am not keeping my cars outside in the elements so the garbage bins be out of sight for those board BORED members! and 3. (which should be #1) it is HIGHLY unsanitary for me to cook and eat and breathe in the disgusting smell of a garbage can kept inside a garage that does not have AC and it gets to over 100 degrees F! My garage door opens straight into the kitchen, and I am not cooking in that smell.
Have you attended a meeting and offered a solution?

This was an issue for us as well when the County came out with the roll around garbage and recycling containers. We made a change to the bylaws allowing them to be stored on the side of the garage behind a bush or small fence and gave everyone a year to comply.

That allowed them to plant something and let it grow, too.

If you're not part of the process you have no standing to complain.

RM
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Old 06-16-2015, 03:47 PM
 
Location: Florida & Arizona
5,908 posts, read 7,241,767 times
Reputation: 7484
Quote:
Originally Posted by KPB View Post
Kinda off topic but if you live in Avila you can't have a motorcycle, or if you do you have to trailer in/out of neighborhood.
I don't think I could live in a neighborhood w/ a HOA, but to each there own.
Certainly restrictive, but again, not a surprise to the owner who takes the time to read the bylaws and covenants before making an offer or purchasing.

And I would suggest that someone living in Avila probably has the means to trailer their bikes, too.

RM
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Old 06-16-2015, 03:52 PM
KPB
 
1,517 posts, read 1,507,059 times
Reputation: 1314
Quote:
Originally Posted by MortonR View Post
Certainly restrictive, but again, not a surprise to the owner who takes the time to read the bylaws and covenants before making an offer or purchasing.

And I would suggest that someone living in Avila probably has the means to trailer their bikes, too.

RM
I agree on if you don't want a house in a HOA then don't buy one.
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Old 06-16-2015, 04:17 PM
 
4,586 posts, read 5,579,907 times
Reputation: 4369
What is left that's not part of an HOA? how are the schools? Are those areas affordable for middle income people? $30k to $50k??? (Families, not singles)?

We have been OVERRUN by these HOA policed communities everywhere we go.

Downtown is not livable for families; those who live in ST are 1%-ers. Where do you suppose we go exactly? The entire state is overrun with this types of communities.


Having access to this information is irrelevant. That doesn't change the fact that these HOAs are abusive and don't do $hit for the homeowner. Ours is wasting thousands on replacing the flowers by the entrance every two weeks instead of buying plants that last without dying in this heat!

The one we had back down in Miami was ran by the homeowners and not a company, and we did help each other out, and no one trashed the neighborhood. So, it IS possible to have a reasonable HOA. The problem we have here is that too many people are transients, and don't plant roots enough to TAKE OVER the HOA and run it properly.

Have you ever traveled outside the US? Most people elsewhere don't need to this Bull$hit to own homes in nice areas! are Americans that uneducated that they need to be policed like this? Don't we have enough law enforcement as it is? I think it is counterintuitive and useless to have an HOA.

I don't need someone to tell me to mow my lawn, I have eyes, I can see it grow!

Quote:
Originally Posted by MortonR View Post
I think the issue is pretty simple for folks such as yourself:

Florida state law dictates that the presence or existence of an HOA has to be disclosed in advance, that is, at the time a property is marketed and/or an offer to purchase is presented. I know that's not the exact wording and that some of our resident realtors will clarify if necessary, but it gets the idea across.

If you don't want to live in a home that is covered by a homeowner's association, don't buy one.

It's not like you wouldn't know going into the purchase. It's disclosed numerous times, and you'll have to sign several documents at or before closing that attest to your understanding of such.

And I would posit that it's not a matter of civility or politeness. While we can debate the issues around the purpose of HOAs, what it boils down to is human behavior, and what some consider acceptable behavior is not for others. This allows those who desire to live in a neighborhood without the potential for neighbors parking on their lawns, or rebuilding the engine of their truck in the driveway for four weeks, or parking their RV in front of the house for several weeks, etc., etc., etc. to do so.

Yes, there are some HOAs with covenants that are very restrictive. Again, you have access to that information prior to even making an offer on a house in the area, so it's easy to avoid.

We have an original owner in our neighborhood who, for reasons well beyond the comprehension of most, decided that they no longer wanted to be a part of the HOA. They stopped paying dues. Despite notices, debt collectors, etc., they held out for four years. We finally filed a notice of foreclosure on their property, which, I would add, was granted by the courts.

This was over a $200/year fee.

Because they wanted to be "most right" they ended up risking the loss of their home and ultimately paid close to $5,000.00 (that's a five followed by three zeros) for the back fees, penalties, and the HOA's legal fees.

Until the legislature rules otherwise, or our HOA is dissolved, they will be bound by the bylaws and covenants of the HOA. Why? Because they agreed to be when they bought the property.

Sorry about the rant, but this attitude of "I don't want an HOA telling me what I can or can't do with my property" makes about as much sense as I don't know what.

Again, this boils down to: "If you don't like it, don't do it. If you choose to do it, you can't say you weren't warned and that you accepted the consequences."

'nut said.

RM
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Old 06-16-2015, 04:32 PM
KPB
 
1,517 posts, read 1,507,059 times
Reputation: 1314
You can find homes that are in perfectly fine neighborhoods w/ no HOA. You can even find them in S.Tampa.
Not everything in S.Tampa is a million dollars.
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Old 06-16-2015, 04:48 PM
 
Location: Sunny Florida
7,136 posts, read 12,629,704 times
Reputation: 9547
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoProIP View Post
Why do you need RULES to live in your own house??? Makes no sense to me at all. It's like having someone decide for you what shoes to wear on any given day! You cannot be polite and civilized? you need by-laws to be civil? What are we? Animals???

I am not going to WASTE my time on EARTH coming to an HOA meeting and listen to all the things I CANNOT DO after spending 6 figures on a HOUSE I WANT TO CALL HOME! IF you don't pay my mortgage you have no right to tell me what to do with MY house.
I never saw the need for or lived in an HOA community when we lived in the Midwest. An HOA wasn't necessary in our former neighborhoods because people just kept their properties nice. It was expected and no one even gave it a thought. It was just a given. We lived in many different communities and had no issues for 50 years.

When we decided to relocate to Florida and were house shopping, I kept noticing that I'd find a house I liked, but when I looked out the windows, or walked around the neighborhood, I'd often see things I considered unsightly. I saw cars on blocks, trash bins in the front yard, old furniture in the yard, etc. and these things were in nice, middle class neighborhoods. I asked our realtor about this and she said that Florida was different and if we wanted to live in a tidy neighborhood we should look at homes in HOA communities.

I had read about HOA horror stories on this site, and wasn't eager to get into an overly restrictive HOA, so the focus of our search changed. We began looking for a nice house, in a nice HOA neighborhood, with reasonable rules and regs. It took us over two years to find a house that fit all of our criteria, but it worked out well and it's easy to abide by our HOA's rules.

The fact of the matter is that if you bought a home in an HOA community, the HOA has every right to enforce their rules and regs. You signed off on these restrictions when you bought your house and you are expected to abide by them.
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