HOA's can be restrictive but there are benefits. If they were so bad there would be no new ones, a developer would run and hide from building a HOA community. I live in a condo and served on the condo board for a few years. People get upset about the rules but they have been the same from day one but the problem is the rules get overlooked, problems develop and getting things back in order makes people upset.
The main reason for HOA/condo rules is to keep things looking good and in order which is a good thing for property values but some people just want to do what they want to do and for them they should not be in a HOA development.
The logic in bold is nearly insurmountable... although, in a lot of areas where the housing market crashed hard (Phoenix, for example), it created opportunity for not only the less fortunate, hard working folks to get into a house, but also those who are broke because they are lazy. So a lot of HOAs around here are pretty ghetto to start with. But those HOAs survive because broke folk jumped at an opportunity to own. Still, there are some fairly impressive ones coming up such as Tartesso and Verrado... but those communities remind me of the
Axiom and
By&Large, "your very best friend."
I currently live in an HOA in Peoria. I will never live in one again. Remember this is a free country, unless you live in an HOA.
This is really the sense that I get from the HOA horror stories I've read.
funny how we as a society complain about big government and how we must defend our individual rights...but when offered a chance to govern over our peers(hoa board) how quickly we forget and how quickly we wish to subjucate/ dictate...lol.
^^This.
My HOA was virtually non existant, very few rules when I bought the house new, as a matter of fact my HOA does not even own land and does not have a "vested intrest" in the property like most HOAs do. They do not maintain any common grounds, all that land was donated by the builder to the city, and the city maintains it.
They changed the rules, as time went along, whether I liked it or not. Thus gradually becoming more restrictive over the years. And no, they never tell the homeowners what is on the agenda for meetings, so most normal people do not show up (I do). So bad things get put in the rule book.
Also if you upset one of the board members, chances are they will single you out and make life miserable. I have found some of these people (board members) are control freaks that like to dictate to others to show thier superiority and control. Very few have the ability to govern anything, yet they are in that position. Most of them have a personal agenda when they became a board member in the first place, and it is usually a personal desire.
There are more horror stories about living in an HOA, than wondeful stories about living in one. HOAs rules routinely infringe on constitutional rights because it is in the "rules". I suggest board members look at their own HOA rules and see if that is true in their HOA, if so change or eliminate the rule.
In this part of the country most of the new homes are in an HOA, so not much choice anymore.
People (especially those that fall into a category that I call "sheeple") seem to have a need for drama. It's like they want to live in their own little reality TV show, and if they don't like you for whatever reason (they're racist, or don't like your church, or jealous of your NSX or whatever), they get their jollies by toying with your life. Not cool. There should be laws (not bylaws, but actual laws enforceable by the executive branch) that overrule HOA rules in such circumstances. Such as having to prove repeated violations and breaches of contract that are detrimental to the "community."
I like living in an HOA community for many reasons.
First, there are no commercial vehicles allowed to be parked on the street, in driveways overnight, or on weekends if it's the homeowners vehicle.
Second, the landscaping is done by the company hired by the HOA. If I don't like how my lawn is being done I call the management company and they contact the landscapers.
Third, the sprinklers are controlled by the HOA so I don't have to pay for the water to run them.
Fourth, we have 24/7 armed security at the gatehouse with cameras that capture each car coming and going.
I may seem like I live in a prison to those of you without an HOA, however down here in Florida they do add value and for $365/mo I get a lot for my buck.
Holy crap! $365 a month? More power to you, sir! Even if I could afford it, I think my values system/world view would be unable to justify it. That's awesome, though, that it's insignificant to your lifestyle. Good on ya, and God bless America (that is, capitalism).
Not too sure how I feel about the commercial vehicles thing, though. I can see a restriction on medium and heavy duty trucks, but a pool guy's pick up truck parked in his driveway seems like it should be okay. To me, forcing someone to keep their property off of their own property is beyond my capacity to fathom. My mind is more willing to accept the existence of the Easter Bunny than to accept something like that as even enforceable in the United States (I know, I know: contracts).
This I agree with. And the main reason HOS's exist. But they take it way too far these days. I hope you never have an issue with an HOA.
^^ Also "this."
Some of the things that I have heard from talking to coworkers and friends really put me off about the HOAs around here:
Certain ones dictate that every house will have a certain number (
exactly a certain number, no more, no less) of trees and bushes and rocks in the yard... wtf?
Others dictate that parking head-in is the only acceptable way to park in your drive way...
Some even go so far as to dictate the number of trees in your back yard (!)
Only two people whom I've spoken to face to face like their HOA. One of them is the president of his HOA (and a decent guy).
The other has no interest in working on his cars (and is, like many, opposed to others doing it in his neighborhood).
I love to work on my cars... which means that I'll either have to bite the bullet for a few years and move into an HOA for a while, or just hold out for the right non-HOA property (which, ironically, are MORE expensive around here than the HOA properties).
I am down here in Chandler in an HOA neighborhood. I would never go back to an area without an HOA. Some people, no matter how much income they bring in don't take pride in the appearance of their residence. Shitty lawns, weeds, overgrown trees, cars under covers; all eyesores. It definitely affects property value as mentioned earlier.
With that being said, I do have a very strict HOA e.g. trash can must be put away on trash day. But I do appreciate where I live. Great area.
I hear ya on that... I would just feel bad knowing that my dues were funding teh enforcement of otherwise unconstitutional regulations... it just doesn't sit well with me to worry about how my neighbor keeps his yard... but I have always lived in apartments, so maybe I'll feel different about it after I get into a house.
:tongue:
