People that want to control everyone else are who need to be controlled.
I'll bet dollars to donuts that the people bitching about HOA's or saying you dont need them have been fortunate enough to never have asshat neighbors.
HOA's arent needed to have a good neighborhood. However, if you have asshat neighbors move into a good neighborhood there is nothing you can do to put a stop to the jackassery and shenanigans they will pull.
Read some stories on forums of some of the problems people have had with neighbors, and then counter point that with problems with HOA's.
I'd MUCH rather face the HOA president pissed off because I didnt mow my grass on time than to stare off against an unruly neighbor who decided to replace his transmission in his driveway.....3 months ago.....and didnt get it done because he decided to have chickens in his back yard.....And got tired of hauling his trash to the curb so he just dumped it in a "burn pit" behind the chicken coop!
Can HOA's be a bit over the top? Sure. But I definitely consider it the lesser of 2 evils.
I handle HOA matters, but this is not legal advice - this is common sense advice based on experience. I can tell you that the single best way to have an enjoyable experience living in an HOA is to immediately become active in your HOA. Go to meetings, join committees, run for offices. Also, don't act like an entitled prick (By joining an HOA, you actually do give up some of your property rights. Be sure you know which ones you gave up and which ones you retained).
While being involved, inject the voice of reason. Instead of making Mr. Jones remove his illegally built wheelchair ramp for his wife, ask him to seek retroactive approval from the architectural committee and Board for the ramp.
Also, make sure that the actions of the Board are as open as possible - only hold private meetings for matters related to residents' financials and the like.
Finally, send threatening letters only 1) after consulting with the HOA's attorney and 2) after trying to resolve the matter informally and as nicely as possible - bend over backwards to try to solve problems without getting nasty. Remember, these people are your neighbors.
MotionMan
HOAs can go overboard, but like most things, you only hear the negative stories being reported and the vast majority are fine. Mine is $75/yr and if anything, they aren't strict enough; however, the neighborhood is upper middle-class so most people keep their houses and yards in good shape without having to be poked or prodded. My biggest complaint is that one of my neighbors tends to put dozens of yard decorations out for Christmas and doesn't bother picking them up until March. The HOA needs to say something about cases like that.
I think you might change your tune if you had to pay ~$200/month like most HOAs are around here. Granted, mine is for a townhouse development which covers any exterior damage...but even for single family developments, HoAs are never that cheap around here. Most are around $100/month
I'll take that bet. My neighbor has had an air compressor on his roof for 3 years. He's had the siding off for 4 years and claims depression is causing him to not want to fix the issues. Long story, but he's pissed at the city so he's taking it out on them (and us). The house has been condemned and he can't live in it, but when the weather was nice, he was coming over and working on the inside (when he removed the roof, the rain came in and knocked down the ceiling everywhere), and part of the outside. I think eventually the city will demolish it (cross fingers), but really, in the whole scheme of things, our street is pretty nice. Its just this one guy, but I wouldn't want an HOA even with the headache this neighbor has been.
75/yr seems really cheap. What can the HoA do with that little money anyways? I just got the annual budget sheet for our HoA and the management fee for the HoA management co is 24K/yr alone! Legal Fees - 30K, Copies - 1.8K, Postage for mailings - 800/yr. BS! They just raised our fees by 18% and the common grounds havent been kept up at all. All the gutters are clogged, leaves everywhere....
My point is that around here, you'd be hard pressed to find a HoA community that charges less than 100/month. and for that kinda money, you'd expect the grounds to be pristine
Just a random thought I had the other day about HOAs:
Can they force you to participate in Christmas lights? We have a street near us that has an HOA, and all of the houses on it are lit up like the Griswolds. It becomes a sightseeing thing in December, where there is a constant stream of cars slowly going up and down the street looking at the decorations.
I always wondered what would happen if someone lived in one of those houses and either couldn't afford the decorations or electricity bill, or just didn't want to participate.
RIIIGGGHHHT..
I'll just pencil those meetings and responsibilities in between the 50 hour work weeks, baseball, soccer, basketball, cub scouts, boy scouts, church, school, and the myriad of other things I do on a regular basis.
No, the answer is not to join them, its to beat them or not be around them. Until the HOA pays my mortgage, I'm not going to give up any of my property rights. City and county laws are a given, but
there's ZERO reason I should have to put up with someone else telling me what to do with my property.
They do quite a bit with that money believe it or not. We've got 300 to 400 houses IIRC. With the money, they maintain the playground and dog park, the entrances, etc. I'll have to look at the next financial statement when it comes out to get more detail.
Ugh. Do not want. Cookie cutter community. Barf..
Ugh. Do not want. Cookie cutter community. Barf..
Nice generalization. My subdivision is all custom homes -- no tract builder. Thanks for playing though.
Nice generalization. My subdivision is all custom homes -- no tract builder (not that there is anything wrong with that). Thanks for playing though.
Have you lived in a HOA?
Tell me you've got at least a half an acre.
Most people who do not like HOAs 1) do not understand how HOAs work 2) have been screwed by their HOA or 3) are the people HOAs were created to protect other homeowners against (which would explain their dislike of HOAs)
MotionMan
Tell me you've got at least a half an acre.
Most people who do not like HOAs 1) do not understand how HOAs work 2) have been screwed by their HOA or 3) are the people HOAs were created to protect other homeowners against (which would explain their dislike of HOAs)
MotionMan
I'll bet dollars to donuts that the people bitching about HOA's or saying you dont need them have been fortunate enough to never have asshat neighbors.
HOA's arent needed to have a good neighborhood. However, if you have asshat neighbors move into a good neighborhood there is nothing you can do to put a stop to the jackassery and shenanigans they will pull.
Read some stories on forums of some of the problems people have had with neighbors, and then counter point that with problems with HOA's.
I'd MUCH rather face the HOA president pissed off because I didnt mow my grass on time than to stare off against an unruly neighbor who decided to replace his transmission in his driveway.....3 months ago.....and didnt get it done because he decided to have chickens in his back yard.....And got tired of hauling his trash to the curb so he just dumped it in a "burn pit" behind the chicken coop!
Can HOA's be a bit over the top? Sure. But I definitely consider it the lesser of 2 evils.
I lived in a hoa neighborhood for 8 years without issue. I got one letter saying I needed to edge my yard. I edged the yard and that was that. I really did want to have a storage shed built in the back but I could never bring myself to submitting a form to the hoa for approval. It just didn't sit right with me. I told myself that it was a temp living arrangement and I would move someday. I eventually did and it feels great. I just don't like the idea of someone telling me what i can do with my property.