I had posted earlier about our coastal cottage HOA being a little bit of a problem compared to every other HOA we have ever belonged to. Well, since I posted that, a new board got elected and just like last time there was a board change 2 or 3 years ago, we got hit with a compliance notification. Two problems - one minor assholery - debris from storm had caused some limbs and stuff to fall in our yard . One Medium - our driveway was too dirty. That one made me a bit mad because I drove around the neighborhood and noticed quite a few of us that live on the marsh side flood zone had stained driveways (marsh rises with a combo king tide and big storm and driveway gets about an inch of dirty marsh water that when it recedes and dries, it leaves dark stains).
I made the usual comments about HOA over stepping but realized that our driveway was dirty and I knew when I bought the house that we had to deal with an HOA. But we had another problem - a previous owner had painted the driveway and if I pressure washed it, parts of the paint would chip off (there was evidence of that in one area from prior owner) and not look so good. That meant the only way to clean it would be scrubbing and using some safe biodegradable cleaners and gently cleaning.
Trivial Spanish Moss debris in yard and some weeds in the island (get a life, people):
Filthy driveway (and some more weeds):
So, while I scrubbed, my wife pulled the weeds, removed the limbs and after a few days of work, we made it right. Really sucked. I did feel better that while doing the work, I heard 3 pressure washers being run down the street and saw a bunch of trucks with professional crews to clean driveways drive down the street. Then, I felt a lot better when a neighbor stopped to chat and told me that she had also been written up in this recent round of enforcement for multiple infractions. Seems like every few years, they go on a rampage, write up dozens of houses, get complaints, lighten up enforcement and then next time an all new board gets elected, the cycle continues.
Looked good when done but damn, I want those 15+ hours back (too cheap to pay someone, nor do I trust them to not tear up the paint on the driveway which would then cost us a lot more money to re-do).
Does this **** and make me pissed to belong to an HOA - yes. But enough to move - no. When we bought this house, we initially did our searches specifically eliminate any HOA neighborhoods and could not find a nice coastal house with the right surroundings (marsh, beach, or other waterfront was a requirement). Our real estate agent knew all the HOAs and which were worse than others, we got one of the good ones.
Things I like about the HOA - the architectural standards for home construction. You drive through the neighborhood and every house is different. All designs and materials are appropriate for the coastal feel and Georgia. I like the gates at south and north entrance/exits of the neighborhood. People can not cut through to get to the Marina. The only non-residents on the road are contractors and golfers going to the golf club (requires tee time to come in).
Things I dislike - the definition of not keeping the house up. Yes, our driveway wasn't pristine, yes there was some limbs with Spanish Moss in the yard but come on, not that bad.
thumbs up.
