Not a rant on HOAs, just comments.

[KEH]

Lots of discussion on HOAs on here. I've never dealt with one but will venture some suggestions.

You guys with garages think you have problems but the Amateur Radio Operators have problems also. Generally the problems concern having not only an outside antenna, but a large enough one to reach out. The stealth antenna solutions are interesting. Having a vertilcle antenna disguised in a flagpole is one solution. Usually the operator tries to get a house on high ground with a large attic that can hold antennas.

My suggestion for anyone wanting to repairand/or store cars is to select a lot and build instead of buying. Design the house to cover as much lot space as is practical and affordable. Have at least a 4 car garage on the ground floor and have a rear entrance so you can drive the car through to the back yard if necessary. I don't know if a HOA was involved in this example, but there were articles in the paper about the neighbors (in a historic district) complaining a little about them tearing down the existing and a lot about them digging up a large Magnolia tree or two. Anyway, I watched the build and they covered most of the lot and included a 4 car garage with a brick fence around the parking area. Obviously we're talking money.


Have the entrance on one side of the front and mybe some living space there, along with stairs to the living area upstairs. The only disadvantage to this is that exhaust and other fumes will get into the upper story unless the bottom floor is sealed off good. A good ventilation system for the garage would be need also.

It may be possible to select a lot where the garage area can be built into a bank of earth with a ground level entrance. This would solve a lot of heating and cooling problems, along with noise problems.

Obviously you should examing the HOA rules and ask neighbors if the HOA is reasonable or just wannabe Nazis.

All the above is assuming you don't just solve the whole problem and live in a non HOA area.

KEH

 

[t100]

I don't have problems with HOA, the problem is WHO are on the HOA board. people whom have a life, normally don't bother to be on the HOA board, those are most low life do.

 

[bazzateer]

a brick fence

Do you mean a wall?

 

[therealwormey]

thats a lot to read,,maybe if i knew what HOA meant it would make sense,i live in the middle of about 30 acres and never dealt with nobody from the HOA ,,i find acronyms are useless unless you state what it means the first time its used

 

[KEH]

HOA = Homeowners Association. I live on 100 acres and deal with as few rules as possible.

KEH

 

[KEH]

Bazzateer, wall as a term will do nicely. They also have a nice ornamental steel gate.

KEH

 

[Thruxton]

Although I haven't dealt with a HOA, I have dealt with an organization whose activities had an effect on what I could do with my home. Solution = joined organization, worked with them (ultimately became chair), got input on the org's decisions. Good solution all around, I think.

 

[W_A_Watson_II]

I've lived in my last location with any form of a HOA! We have enough folks in the government trying to tell everyone how to live, I don't need anymore damn neighbors who can't live their own lives to tell me how to live mine.

 

[therealwormey]

HOA = Homeowners Association. I live on 100 acres and deal with as few rules as possible.

KEH

thanks,,,HOA,,,i consider myself unaffiliated. i hate rules, laws, permits and taxes

 

[justanengineer]

Ive lived under quite a few HOAs and never had problems. A few of them Ive actually really liked for various reasons. My favorite HOA was one in a gated community. I rented the guest house of an elderly couple that liked having someone capable and willing to check on them once in awhile, in exchange, I lived basically free in a community of houses with a price tag of $1 million+. The HOA funded a gym, swimming pool, and daycare that was free to all, and it was definitely a nice place to live otherwise. Admittedly, that was rather extraordinary, but my current one is pretty nice too. The current HOA gets a private contractor to remove the snow from the roads in the winter, and keeps the area around the small lake/big pond here mowed and manicured. Given the rate at which the city removes snow, Im pretty glad that at least I will be able to get out of my own neighborhood in the winter. HOA happy...yes I am. Will I ever buy a house in one (always rented)? Id consider it if they were in areas with large property acreages.

Many people sit around and ***** about HOAs, but IMHO, these people need to grow up a bit and learn to communicate or get the heck out. Ive never had a problem completing any of my projects because of them, and Ive had no garage more often than not to work in. Let them know you want to paint that car early one morning in the driveway, allay any fears of children inhaling fumes/overspray hitting anything, then go do it. Id much rather deal with a HOA than an area with politicians creating silly laws. My parents cant have an unregistered vehicle or toy on their property without getting a hefty fine every month...

 

[jkeyser14]

HOAs can be a pain even if you don't live there. A coworker and I park at a midway point between our houses and carpool to work. The community where we park has a HOA, but the community is located along a public road. They kept leaving us nasty notes threatening to have us towed. I kept printing out the county PLATS showing that the road was a public road and leaving it as a response to their notes. They finally worked up the balls to have people from the HOA board come out and try to scare us into not parking there by yelling and threatening us.

I called the police and an officer came out. He told them that we were in the right and that they need to stop harassing us. We haven't seen them since . For a while I was still afraid someone is going to f'up one of our cars as retaliation just because these people we so nasty and full of hate, but nothing's happened so far.

 

[ford33]

I own 4 rental properties and live in a townhome. All have Home Owners Associations HOA’s. I have served on HOA boards for 7 years. Here are my thoughts on 10+ years peacefully coexisting in controlled communities.

It is not fair to lump HOA's into one bad bunch. Yes, some board members are jerks and have agenda's to promote. Virtually all HOA boards have members who volunteer their time and whose sole purpose is to help make the community a safe place for families, who try to keep property values high in these tough times. Occasionally board members deal with the unreasonable ill-informed homeowner jerk.

If you are having a problem with an HOA, then you need to look at what you are doing wrong. It's not the HOA being unreasonable when it tells you that you cannot fasten your satellite dish to the roof, or have a basketball hoop and stand in the driveway, or install an ugly 4 inch white PVC pipe outside your home from basement to chimney top because a "Home Depot radon inspection kit" claims you have radon gas. Let's not even go to the "classic car" in the driveway with a flat tire and muffler that's laying on the ground. It's not the HOA who has a problem, it is you.

You decided to purchase a wonderful looking, well maintained home in a community of pruned trees and golf course quality lawns. Everything works as it should and nothing looks bad. Congratulations for making this decision. Your family and friends all tell you what a beautiful area this is and how they might want to live here too. But in that stack of papers you signed at purchase, was a document that stated you have read and will abide by the rules of the home owners association. If you signed that document and now are complaining about the HOA then you are the person described above. It is you that has the problem not the HOA. If the HOA is on your case it's because you are doing something wrong and it violates the rules of the community. In short, you are making the community look like ****.

Your "classic car" isn't a classic, it's a piece of junk that you need park somewhere else. The basketball hoop on a sloped driveway doesn't work well, wakes the neighbors with the noise and causes the landscaper extra time to cut the grass which cost everyone more money and after 3 years is rusty and bent and has a torn net. Your roof is likely the biggest single expense to the association so understandably HOA's get upset when the DISH network installer you hired drills holes into it which causes the roofers warranty to be invalid in that area when it leaks water into your neighbors kitchen wall. That same DISH installer cut the tree limbs blocking the view of the sky and left a gaping hole in the tree canopy of the neighborhood. When the HOA sends you the bill for the repairs and orders the satellite dish taken down, you say you are being persecuted because of your age, handicap, race or religion. No, you are a jerk and they know it but you don't.

If you live in a controlled community you benefit from all the services and high standards the community offers. Bask in the glow of knowing you will not wake up one morning to find your new neighbor installed a 30 foot high flag pole overnight and in full view of your kitchen window and is now flying the largest <fill in the blank> flag you've ever seen. At night when you go to bed the halogen lights keeping that flag awash with pride from bright lights are pointed at your bedroom window. In most communities you have no recourse. You're on your own. I hope you can speak their language and they are nice understandable people. Most likely they are jerks who lived in an HOA controlled community and finally left to live in a friendly place. Welcome to the neighborhood.

P.S. I have personally been involved in every one of these scenario’s, except for the flag one. In every case, we hired a lawyer to force, by legal means, the HOA’s right to remove or fix the violation. It was a waste of money for the HOA but had to be done. The HOA never lost a single case in court or out of court. Property laws favor the HOA’s rights over individual rights in controlled communities. The HOA must enforce all the rules and good ones always do. One consolation for me from each court victory was that the homeowner jerk paid not only for his/her lawyer to put on a defense but also paid for the HOA lawyer to prosecute them. It is their monthly HOA dues which paid for our HOA lawyer. Payback is what some might call it. Sweet.

 

[drmarkr]

Ive lived under quite a few HOAs and never had problems. A few of them Ive actually really liked for various reasons. My favorite HOA was one in a gated community. I rented the guest house of an elderly couple that liked having someone capable and willing to check on them once in awhile, in exchange, I lived basically free in a community of houses with a price tag of $1 million+. The HOA funded a gym, swimming pool, and daycare that was free to all, and it was definitely a nice place to live otherwise. Admittedly, that was rather extraordinary, but my current one is pretty nice too. The current HOA gets a private contractor to remove the snow from the roads in the winter, and keeps the area around the small lake/big pond here mowed and manicured. Given the rate at which the city removes snow, Im pretty glad that at least I will be able to get out of my own neighborhood in the winter. HOA happy...yes I am. Will I ever buy a house in one (always rented)? Id consider it if they were in areas with large property acreages.

Many people sit around and ***** about HOAs, but IMHO, these people need to grow up a bit and learn to communicate or get the heck out. Ive never had a problem completing any of my projects because of them, and Ive had no garage more often than not to work in. Let them know you want to paint that car early one morning in the driveway, allay any fears of children inhaling fumes/overspray hitting anything, then go do it. Id much rather deal with a HOA than an area with politicians creating silly laws. My parents cant have an unregistered vehicle or toy on their property without getting a hefty fine every month...

Get back to us when you've actually owned a house in a community with one.

Renting doesn't count....

 

[copterdoctor]

this is as big of a can of worms as all the snapon vs harbor freight threads......

 

[nate379]

I say to each their own on an HOA. For me it would be pure hell to live in a place that I couldn't cut my own lawn, do any additions/repairs, etc without written approval, be limited on number of cars, dogs, hookers.

It's one thing if you are renting and have to follow the landlords rules, but if I'm spending 200, 300, 400k on a place, I'll be damned if I have to follow someone's rules.
Of course when I looked at houses, one of the first things I checked was for no HOA.

For some people an HOA or condo is the perfect thing. That's fine too... to each their own.

 

[GMCAMARO]

When the wife and I were just starting out we bought a Condo, the biggest mistake of our lives and the best lesson of our lives.

As a result when we bought or first house we always buy antique houses or houses on water.
Currently we live in a house on a small lake with 5 bays in 2 separate structures.

We have owned 2 antiques 1 built in the 1780's another built in the 1930's.
We have owned 2 on water, both bodies of water large enough to ski on, and both houses had garages.

The lesson being life is hard enough with out having to deal with another set of rules and bills.

 

[SuperSocket]

Lots of discussion on HOAs on here. I've never dealt with one but will venture some suggestions.

You guys with garages think you have problems but the Amateur Radio Operators have problems also. Generally the problems concern having not only an outside antenna, but a large enough one to reach out. The stealth antenna solutions are interesting. Having a vertilcle antenna disguised in a flagpole is one solution. Usually the operator tries to get a house on high ground with a large attic that can hold antennas.

My suggestion for anyone wanting to repairand/or store cars is to select a lot and build instead of buying. Design the house to cover as much lot space as is practical and affordable. Have at least a 4 car garage on the ground floor and have a rear entrance so you can drive the car through to the back yard if necessary. I don't know if a HOA was involved in this example, but there were articles in the paper about the neighbors (in a historic district) complaining a little about them tearing down the existing and a lot about them digging up a large Magnolia tree or two. Anyway, I watched the build and they covered most of the lot and included a 4 car garage with a brick fence around the parking area. Obviously we're talking money.


Have the entrance on one side of the front and mybe some living space there, along with stairs to the living area upstairs. The only disadvantage to this is that exhaust and other fumes will get into the upper story unless the bottom floor is sealed off good. A good ventilation system for the garage would be need also.

It may be possible to select a lot where the garage area can be built into a bank of earth with a ground level entrance. This would solve a lot of heating and cooling problems, along with noise problems.

Obviously you should examing the HOA rules and ask neighbors if the HOA is reasonable or just wannabe Nazis.

All the above is assuming you don't just solve the whole problem and live in a non HOA area.

KEH

You can not build any structures even it you can not see it from the road without the HOA approvals. HOA would have to approve your flag pole, garage addition, garage behind your house, etc.

If you chose to build (depending where you're at), you should select the largest property without any HOA involvement.

 

[shoot summ]

So much HOA ignorance in this thread....

There are many different kinds, some mandatory with dues, some volunteer with no dues, and everything in between. Lumping them all together as a single evil entity is like lumping all GJ members into a scumbag garage workers entity. Doing so is very ignorant, bet you are the same people that lump all gun owners into crazed maniacs as well.....

I had a bad experience with a waitress once, does that now make all waitresses bad?

This is a tired old argument, as stated in many threads, if you don't like the rules, don't buy/rent in the HOA. Our HOA is voluntary, we work to make a safer community, and try to control the erosion of our home values. We aren't nosy or controlling, but we have alot of folks in the area that want us to be, funny how the HOA get's blamed for the way the residents want the HOA to behave.....

 

[W_A_Watson_II]

If you are having a problem with an HOA, then you need to look at what you are doing wrong. It's not the HOA being unreasonable ...

Well, when the head of the Board is the developer and tells you you can't park out side or on the street, and it clearly states in the documents her Lawyer wrote up 15 years ago say you can as long as it's not more than 24 hours you know you have a problem that is not yours.

Go back under your Socialist State of Chicago Rock and leave the rest of us free folks alone.

 

[Cobra_Bob]

Some of you guys are identifying actions of individuals and relating them to an organization as a whole. We all know life doesn’t work that way.

Each HOA is governed by its own group of members and they all have different rules. Mine works fine. YMMV.

I enjoy coming home and the yard is immaculate. I enjoy the weekly block parties in the common areas. Etc…

Serve on a committee, pitch in during cleanup days, and be sociable. You’d be surprised how most people can find common good.

 

[t100]

I lived in Los Angeles for many years in an HOA town house complex. the HOA due started at $100 per month, when I moved out 4 years ago it got up to $300. yes, it has a swimming pool, jacuzzi and an armored guard at night, but does it justify that much? that's 1/4 of my mortgage on my current 2100sqft house in the midwest.


like I said, it's not HOA, it's the people. sure they are "volunteers", but they got to spend the money. few are good but many of them are jobless low life which have to **** someone just to show they have a ****, male or female.

 

[Crusty Nut]

I own 4 rental properties and live in a townhome. All have Home Owners Associations HOA’s. I have served on HOA boards for 7 years. Here are my thoughts on 10+ years peacefully coexisting in controlled communities.

It is not fair to lump HOA's into one bad bunch. Yes, some board members are jerks and have agenda's to promote. Virtually all HOA boards have members who volunteer their time and whose sole purpose is to help make the community a safe place for families, who try to keep property values high in these tough times. Occasionally board members deal with the unreasonable ill-informed homeowner jerk.

If you are having a problem with an HOA, then you need to look at what you are doing wrong. It's not the HOA being unreasonable when it tells you that you cannot fasten your satellite dish to the roof, or have a basketball hoop and stand in the driveway, or install an ugly 4 inch white PVC pipe outside your home from basement to chimney top because a "Home Depot radon inspection kit" claims you have radon gas. Let's not even go to the "classic car" in the driveway with a flat tire and muffler that's laying on the ground. It's not the HOA who has a problem, it is you.

You decided to purchase a wonderful looking, well maintained home in a community of pruned trees and golf course quality lawns. Everything works as it should and nothing looks bad. Congratulations for making this decision. Your family and friends all tell you what a beautiful area this is and how they might want to live here too. But in that stack of papers you signed at purchase, was a document that stated you have read and will abide by the rules of the home owners association. If you signed that document and now are complaining about the HOA then you are the person described above. It is you that has the problem not the HOA. If the HOA is on your case it's because you are doing something wrong and it violates the rules of the community. In short, you are making the community look like ****.

Your "classic car" isn't a classic, it's a piece of junk that you need park somewhere else. The basketball hoop on a sloped driveway doesn't work well, wakes the neighbors with the noise and causes the landscaper extra time to cut the grass which cost everyone more money and after 3 years is rusty and bent and has a torn net. Your roof is likely the biggest single expense to the association so understandably HOA's get upset when the DISH network installer you hired drills holes into it which causes the roofers warranty to be invalid in that area when it leaks water into your neighbors kitchen wall. That same DISH installer cut the tree limbs blocking the view of the sky and left a gaping hole in the tree canopy of the neighborhood. When the HOA sends you the bill for the repairs and orders the satellite dish taken down, you say you are being persecuted because of your age, handicap, race or religion. No, you are a jerk and they know it but you don't.

If you live in a controlled community you benefit from all the services and high standards the community offers. Bask in the glow of knowing you will not wake up one morning to find your new neighbor installed a 30 foot high flag pole overnight and in full view of your kitchen window and is now flying the largest <fill in the blank> flag you've ever seen. At night when you go to bed the halogen lights keeping that flag awash with pride from bright lights are pointed at your bedroom window. In most communities you have no recourse. You're on your own. I hope you can speak their language and they are nice understandable people. Most likely they are jerks who lived in an HOA controlled community and finally left to live in a friendly place. Welcome to the neighborhood.

P.S. I have personally been involved in every one of these scenario’s, except for the flag one. In every case, we hired a lawyer to force, by legal means, the HOA’s right to remove or fix the violation. It was a waste of money for the HOA but had to be done. The HOA never lost a single case in court or out of court. Property laws favor the HOA’s rights over individual rights in controlled communities. The HOA must enforce all the rules and good ones always do. One consolation for me from each court victory was that the homeowner jerk paid not only for his/her lawyer to put on a defense but also paid for the HOA lawyer to prosecute them. It is their monthly HOA dues which paid for our HOA lawyer. Payback is what some might call it. Sweet.

I'm not calling you out specifically, but you took all the common HOA gripes and just repackaged them into a positive spin for your point of view. One example:
A car in the driveway, no matter the condition, is still in MY driveway. How does a flat tire or whatever cause an unsafe condition for a family in the same 'hood?
I'm happy for you that HOA works well for you, but it doesn't for me. That is why I don't live where I am repressed by one. My property, my rules. I've got enough rules in my life without someone dictating my housing regs.

 

[Chris Adams]

snip
yes, it has a swimming pool, jacuzzi and an armored guard at night, but does it justify that much? that's 1/4 of my mortgage on my current 2100sqft house in the midwest.


snip

I'm visualizing Robo-Cop.

 

[Chris Adams]

On topic, both sides make valid points.

I do not live in an area covered by a HOA, but we are still idiotically restricted. I say idiotically because the restrictions are applied by skin color, not by law.
That is, you can violate any city or zone ordnance if your skin color matches that of code enforcement.
Animal control is the same way, thus free running unlicensed pit bulls on every block.

In the next city over, a friend of mine bought 100 acres down near the river, so he could do pretty much what he wanted. This was 30 years ago.
He has over 100 cars parked there, and a several huge private garages, a sprawling house etc.
Big family home, no city rules.

Last year the city annexed him. Now he has to follow city rules which include no more than 4 cars on his property. He has seven family members that drive at home...
However, down the street is a house with over 40 cars parked there every night.
They have no problems with enforcement. The law 'doesn't see' them at all. close to 60 people live in a 4 bedroom house and strangely, are invisible.

It's not about the law or the rules, it's about intelligent enforcement.

People in fancy neighborhoods should be able to enforce their local HOA rules, if they bought under them.
People in rural or semi-rural areas should be allowed slack if they bought under those conditions.
It's the people who change the rules after others have invested that are the problem.

 

[mmhouse]

The nice thing about living in communities with HOAs (or not) is that everyone has a choice. Those who believe the benefits of an HOA outweigh the limits they put on residents' activities can live in communities with them. Those who are unwilling to live with such limitations or see no value in them can choose to live elsewhere.

The only problem I see with HOA's is when someone chooses to live in the wrong place. Is this the HOA's fault?

If you don't like the rules don't buy a house there. If you like the rules and don't mind abiding by them then do. What's so complicated about that?

Why do some 'hate' a system that is completely voluntary?

(Yes, I've lived in many communities with HOAs and have never had a problem with them.)

 

[nate379]

Agreed. The neighbor I have problems with tried calling in my parts Jeep a year or so ago. It was missing doors, hood, etc but had 4 tires and moved around.

Well he got an "awakening" when they were briefed I could have up to 4 junk vehicles on the property without it being a problem.

One thing if a guy is obviously collecting JUNK, but at the time I had 6 running vehicles in the driveway (large driveway... can fit many more) and that one Jeep.

I'm not calling you out specifically, but you took all the common HOA gripes and just repackaged them into a positive spin for your point of view. One example:
A car in the driveway, no matter the condition, is still in MY driveway. How does a flat tire or whatever cause an unsafe condition for a family in the same 'hood?
I'm happy for you that HOA works well for you, but it doesn't for me. That is why I don't live where I am repressed by one. My property, my rules. I've got enough rules in my life without someone dictating my housing regs.

 

[justanengineer]

Get back to us when you've actually owned a house in a community with one.

Renting doesn't count....

I will be sure and report back if I do...

Sorry if renting doesnt count. Ive only lived under one HOA or another for most of ten years now, often paying double or triple what most of the local homeowners do. My rent with few exceptions has had to cover the mortgage (usually at a higher than average payment rate), taxes, HOA dues, repairs, and a small income for the landlord. Nope, I dont own the property (I just pay for it), but in several cases my lease has been longer than it would take for my landlord to sell the house. Furthermore, I am the one actually on the property dealing with the HOA and abiding by their rules day in and day out despite not having a say in any of their policies. IMHO that would give me more right to be angry with them than anyone, but I never have been. Basically, I put up with the same amount as anyone else, at a greater price, so why doesnt it count again? I suppose if you had an answer you would have explained it the first time.

 

[W_A_Watson_II]

It's the people who change the rules after others have invested that are the problem.

AMEN!

 

[VWandDodge]

I live on a private road and will never do so again once I move. There are seven houses there and getting anyone to chip in for road dues is a royal PITA. The one person who has lived there the longest thinks he owns the road, but the way he "maintains" it is proof that people can indeed **** up a one car funeral. He got really pissed at me last fall for trimming overgrowth in the bar ditches and for cutting down trees.

I have some friends who live in an HOA and "get away" with a driveway full of cars as well as cars lined up in front of the house -- the wife serves on the HOA board. Now, just being on the board doesn't exempt her, but she does serve as a voice of reason if/when someone else wants to turn into a Nazi about the neighborhood.

I disagree about people here bitching about "losing their freedoms" with nosy neighbors and city enforcement codes. Those who whine the most about their freedom seem to forget that responsibility goes hand in hand with it. I wouldn't have a problem living in town next to someone who has a vehicle or two in his driveway that don't move or have a flat tire; however, I would have a big problem living next to someone who is stacking junk everywhere. I would also have major issues with someone who doesn't mow his grass. That is a health hazard in that it invites rodents, snakes and other vermin.

Depending on the situation, I might live in an HOA as it's a means of protecting my property values from some jackass who screams about his freedom.

 

[Crusty Nut]

Agreed. The neighbor I have problems with tried calling in my parts Jeep a year or so ago. It was missing doors, hood, etc but had 4 tires and moved around.

Well he got an "awakening" when they were briefed I could have up to 4 junk vehicles on the property without it being a problem.

One thing if a guy is obviously collecting JUNK, but at the time I had 6 running vehicles in the driveway (large driveway... can fit many more) and that one Jeep.

I know what your saying, but JUNK is a very subjective point of view. To some, a spot of primer is a junk car, to others extreme rust is a junk car. Where does it end? With the people on the HOA board. Good for them and the home owners that subscribe to that. I do not.

 

[nate379]

Yeah that is true. Many years ago I owned an 82 Rabbit. It got called in several times for "junk". It was in great shape, not a spot of rust, no dents, and I drove it everyday. BUT I lived in a neighborhood that everyone was middle class and tried to act like they were upper class, so that car wasn't "good enough" to be parked there.

The neighbor that called in the Jeep here, it's quite funny cause right now his grass is about a foot tall. Hello pot, meet kettle huh?

There are things that people do that annoy me, like the kids running around the neighborhood screaming ****** murder. I have run out of the garage before thinking someone had got hurt but it's just them playing.... I just tune it out or close the door.

 

[darkk]

I bought a summer home/cottage. I didn't know at the time it was a seasonal home they never told me. The area (around the lake) also had association fees...never mentioned that when I bought the place either. I am one of those people as you put it, that hates anyone telling me what I can and can't do on or to my own property. The association fee thing popped up after about 3 years of non-payment, as I was unaware, I refused payment and they notified the town that I was living there year round and they wanted to lien my property. I never signed anything with association on it or an agreement to their rules. They evidently charged the fees for a *beach clubhouse and beach maintenance* that I didn't even know existed. I hate the beach anyways. I had a really tough time getting out of paying the fees and abiding by the association fee requirement. My saving grace was the lack of paperwork and or my signature on it. I had also removed the seasonal gas floor furnace and installed a hot water baseboard heating system. They were a little pissy about that also. I did win and it really really really pissed off my whole neighborhood. The town had a real hard time accepting me turning it into a year round home. Because I could prove I did the heating system the first year, I was living in it year round and the house was assesed that first year, no notice as to seasonal use or association was to my benefit. They allowed the zone change begrudgingly. But as I said before....I don't care, my house my rules. Thanks for ******* lawyers that don't pay attention. hahaha!

 

[ratdoggy]

Here we go again. If you don't like an HOA. You are probably (NOT ALWAYS) the jackazz who has **** parked on your lawn and doesn't give a ratsazz what his neighbor thinks about how his house looks. Let's just close the thread now instead of 22 pages later.

 

[Jazz]

I have been in my house for 9 years now. When I first was looking for a house (my second home actually) I had only 2 specifications.
1. NO HOA (period!)
2. A 2 Car garage - Miniumum!

That eliminated 99% of all the houses available. I have never regretted moving to my current house, I only wish the garage were bigger

 

[Frank The Plumber]

Unfortunately a n HOA will only be about as good as the oldest people in the area that have not a thing to do.
Typically a HOA is used to bully or be a JB to people that are not liked. When it goes this route screw it. If you enjoy talking BS or trash talking people behind their backs you may want to be an officer in one of these great little groups of wonderful people.

 

[Mike_C]

I refused to look at any homes in a HOA, city codes have enough rules to keep everyone in line as it is. I live in a nice neighborhood, and I can work on my trucks when I want. I have respect for my neighbors, and keep my lawn looking nice, and the rest of the house. I am also aware of the noise I am making when working on my trucks, putting the power tools away after it gets so late at night, well before the time the city code says I can make loud noises till. I also try to limit how long at a time I am running power tools in the garage.

Read to many BS complaints about HOA's. Not being able to change oil on your car in your drive way. Or doing any work on it in the driveway. Issues with parking on the street, or even in the driveway.

I also don't like how some want every single house to look the same, that drives me nuts. Though that is mainly a issue with town homes.

 

[oldgoat]

Here we go again. If you don't like an HOA. You are probably (NOT ALWAYS) the jackazz who has **** parked on your lawn and doesn't give a ratsazz what his neighbor thinks about how his house looks. Let's just close the thread now instead of 22 pages later.

I totally disagree. The people I've known that have had the evil HOA come down on them were people that kept their houses clean and the yards mowed. They were in trouble because the kept their boat or truck parked in the driveway too long to suit the biddies looking for somebody. Or they didn't like some other piece of decor that didn't meet the fine print of the codes. Sorry but to me for the most part it seems like the HOA's are nothing more than a bunch of nose in the air people that want to have everything their way or no way. That is why I wouldn't buy into a HOA. I have better things to do that deal with a bunch of snobs.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I bought a summer home/cottage. I didn't know at the time it was a seasonal home they never told me. The area (around the lake) also had association fees...never mentioned that when I bought the place either. I am one of those people as you put it, that hates anyone telling me what I can and can't do on or to my own property. The association fee thing popped up after about 3 years of non-payment, as I was unaware, I refused payment and they notified the town that I was living there year round and they wanted to lien my property. I never signed anything with association on it or an agreement to their rules. They evidently charged the fees for a *beach clubhouse and beach maintenance* that I didn't even know existed. I hate the beach anyways. I had a really tough time getting out of paying the fees and abiding by the association fee requirement. My saving grace was the lack of paperwork and or my signature on it. I had also removed the seasonal gas floor furnace and installed a hot water baseboard heating system. They were a little pissy about that also. I did win and it really really really pissed off my whole neighborhood. The town had a real hard time accepting me turning it into a year round home. Because I could prove I did the heating system the first year, I was living in it year round and the house was assesed that first year, no notice as to seasonal use or association was to my benefit. They allowed the zone change begrudgingly. But as I said before....I don't care, my house my rules. Thanks for ******* lawyers that don't pay attention. hahaha!

So much in in your post, it made me giggle like a school girl

 

[KEH]

The main point in my OP was that is you were going to have to live in a HOA area, BUILD the house to conform to the rules, but include space inside to do with as you wish and not have the necesity of adding on and dealing with every little rule maker later.

KEH

 

[jkeyser14]

I own 4 rental properties and live in a townhome. All have Home Owners Associations HOA’s. I have served on HOA boards for 7 years. Here are my thoughts on 10+ years peacefully coexisting in controlled communities.

It is not fair to lump HOA's into one bad bunch. Yes, some board members are jerks and have agenda's to promote. Virtually all HOA boards have members who volunteer their time and whose sole purpose is to help make the community a safe place for families, who try to keep property values high in these tough times. Occasionally board members deal with the unreasonable ill-informed homeowner jerk.

If you are having a problem with an HOA, then you need to look at what you are doing wrong. It's not the HOA being unreasonable when it tells you that you cannot fasten your satellite dish to the roof, or have a basketball hoop and stand in the driveway, or install an ugly 4 inch white PVC pipe outside your home from basement to chimney top because a "Home Depot radon inspection kit" claims you have radon gas. Let's not even go to the "classic car" in the driveway with a flat tire and muffler that's laying on the ground. It's not the HOA who has a problem, it is you.

You decided to purchase a wonderful looking, well maintained home in a community of pruned trees and golf course quality lawns. Everything works as it should and nothing looks bad. Congratulations for making this decision. Your family and friends all tell you what a beautiful area this is and how they might want to live here too. But in that stack of papers you signed at purchase, was a document that stated you have read and will abide by the rules of the home owners association. If you signed that document and now are complaining about the HOA then you are the person described above. It is you that has the problem not the HOA. If the HOA is on your case it's because you are doing something wrong and it violates the rules of the community. In short, you are making the community look like ****.

Your "classic car" isn't a classic, it's a piece of junk that you need park somewhere else. The basketball hoop on a sloped driveway doesn't work well, wakes the neighbors with the noise and causes the landscaper extra time to cut the grass which cost everyone more money and after 3 years is rusty and bent and has a torn net. Your roof is likely the biggest single expense to the association so understandably HOA's get upset when the DISH network installer you hired drills holes into it which causes the roofers warranty to be invalid in that area when it leaks water into your neighbors kitchen wall. That same DISH installer cut the tree limbs blocking the view of the sky and left a gaping hole in the tree canopy of the neighborhood. When the HOA sends you the bill for the repairs and orders the satellite dish taken down, you say you are being persecuted because of your age, handicap, race or religion. No, you are a jerk and they know it but you don't.

If you live in a controlled community you benefit from all the services and high standards the community offers. Bask in the glow of knowing you will not wake up one morning to find your new neighbor installed a 30 foot high flag pole overnight and in full view of your kitchen window and is now flying the largest <fill in the blank> flag you've ever seen. At night when you go to bed the halogen lights keeping that flag awash with pride from bright lights are pointed at your bedroom window. In most communities you have no recourse. You're on your own. I hope you can speak their language and they are nice understandable people. Most likely they are jerks who lived in an HOA controlled community and finally left to live in a friendly place. Welcome to the neighborhood.

P.S. I have personally been involved in every one of these scenario’s, except for the flag one. In every case, we hired a lawyer to force, by legal means, the HOA’s right to remove or fix the violation. It was a waste of money for the HOA but had to be done. The HOA never lost a single case in court or out of court. Property laws favor the HOA’s rights over individual rights in controlled communities. The HOA must enforce all the rules and good ones always do. One consolation for me from each court victory was that the homeowner jerk paid not only for his/her lawyer to put on a defense but also paid for the HOA lawyer to prosecute them. It is their monthly HOA dues which paid for our HOA lawyer. Payback is what some might call it. Sweet.

Your entire statement describes why people hate HOA's. What right do you have to pass judgement on someone's classic car? To assume that every homeowner who doesn't agree with the HOA rules is a "homeowner jerk"? To get a lawyer involved and try to sue away your problems? Everyone has different opinions, what makes yours or the HOA's a more valid opinion than anyone else's?

I agree that when someone enters into a HOA they have a contract and they need to follow the rules of the HOA. But attitudes like yours are exactly why I won't ever own a home where there is a HOA.