HOA vs HOME MECHANIC

[the tool man]

I was working on my grandma's Astro van and tge HOA did not like that so I got into an argument with the HOA I hate the HOA does anybody have the same problem with the HOA

 

[9GUY9]

No, its just you. Everybody else loves HOA's.

 

[stage20]

No, its just you. Everybody else loves HOA's.

i can hear that evil laugh from over here.

 

[kaffine]

They are just enforcing the rules that were agreed to when the house was bought and or rented. No reason to get mad at the poor guy trying to enforce the agreed upon rules.

Don't like HOAs don't live in one.

 

[Gerald O]

HOA? What's that?

 

[Walterchang]

Read the rules, they are usually very vague and can be used against them. My hoa would bust my balls all the time over silly things, I confronted them on several things that they could not prove and then it magically went away.

 

[MR_T]

No, its just you. Everybody else loves HOA's.

I don't miss my hoa days

 

[Jbizzle]

Let's hear more about the argument! What happened?

 

[DIC]

My sister had an ant bed next to her mailbox post and she got a letter from HOA.
Couldn't pay me to live in a neighborhood with a HOA

 

[jim1987]

HOA'S are for snobs, and just freaking stupid..I paid for my house. I'll be damned if you're going to tell me what I will and will not do to or on my own property. (Minus of course actual laws such as oh well say murder)

 

[jchetty]

HOA'S are for snobs, and just freaking stupid..I paid for my house. I'll be damned if you're going to tell me what I will and will not do to or on my own property. (Minus of course actual laws such as oh well say murder)

The only thing I get from this post is that you're a snob and rather stupid if you can not imagine one plausible scenario where an HOA would be beneficial

While I would not choose to live in an HOA- in certain instances they are good. While I am not a fan of HOA, I more strongly detest neighbors whom:

refuse to maintain their property, refuse to shovel the sidewalk, have loud dogs or louder design tastes, or have a few junk cars in the driveway for extended periods (+5 years) - and won't work on them or cover them.

I am lucky that all my neighbors are great people.

 

[monomach]

I was working on my grandma's Astro van and tge HOA did not like that so I got into an argument with the HOA I hate the HOA does anybody have the same problem with the HOA

I wish I lived in a HOA that just plain banned Astro vans. I don't want to see those things.

I also wish I lived in one so that my next door neighbor would be allowed to have the following in his front yard:

a) 6"+ grass
b) broken down pallets aka "firewood"
c) the right rear door to a Chevy Blazer. Not the rest of the truck, just the right rear ****ing door, leaning against a tree

 

[66dave]

Ok-so i will throw in my 2cents...I live in a nice neighborhood, and totally agree with what Jchetty mentioned above about keeping up the look (and home values). I thought instead of fighting the HOA why not take it over. So that is what I did, now I am the president.

The role of HOA president has zero monetary kickbacks, but what you do get is the ability push for sanity. Quick example, my neighbor (great guy) loved his 76 Chevy truck, the old HOA crew busted his chops because it had a slow leak from the rear main seal, leaving small amount of oil on the driveway. You be the got a letter, so when I see **** like that I dismiss it and look for the real issues (parents not putting swim diapers on kids and they **** in the pool).

Point being instead of griping do something about it. If you do not like the CC&Rs or the HOA then change them.

 

[66dave]

HOA? What's that?

Home owners association

 

[jim1987]

The only thing I get from this post is that you're a snob and rather stupid if you can not imagine one plausible scenario where an HOA would be beneficial

While I would not choose to live in an HOA- in certain instances they are good. While I am not a fan of HOA, I more strongly detest neighbors whom:

refuse to maintain their property, refuse to shovel the sidewalk, have loud dogs or louder design tastes, or have a few junk cars in the driveway for extended periods (+5 years) - and won't work on them or cover them.

I am lucky that all my neighbors are great people.

Around here, all things get taken care of by city ordinance or county commissioners. So sorry, don't see the need for hoa..

 

[coe]

I'm not a fan of living in a neighborhood with an HOA even though that is my situation right now. I understand their purpose, but in my opinion, some HOAs let the power go to their head. We were a bit naive when we purchased our house to what exactly an HOA was; next house, no HOA!

With that being said, we've had two incidents with them. The first is that we were told that there was to be no parking on the streets (except for guests). At the first HOA meeting one of the residents questioned this policy. Before the HOA board could respond a police officer that lived in the neighborhood, and was a patrolman for our area, said that the HOA could not enforce this as the roads belonged to the city. Also, we were encouraged to park on the street in the hopes that crowded streets would cause people to drive slower.

The second incident is that we are not supposed to have more than two cars parked in the driveway overnight. I've got four drivers in my family (i.e. four vechicles) plus two project cars (these two are kept in the garage). I received a written warning in the mail one day telling me that I had to park two of the four cars in the garage. After I calmed down a bit, I sat down and reviewed the HOA policies (I know I should have read them a bit more clearly before moving in but at the time I only had two cars - wasn't thinking far enough in to the future). As it turns out the policy does not define what "overnight" is. I had a lawyer friend take a look and he said that this was a big loop hole (along with a few others he found). I Called the HOA representative the following day and told them that the overnight parking policy was un-enforcable and why. No arguments. Told me they would remove the fine and update the policy (never saw an update to the policy).

As far as working on vehicles goes, never have had a problem, and I do everything on my own cars from rebuilding engines/transmissions to metal fabrication. The only thing I don't do is paint at home.

The HOA isn't *all* bad, you just have to work with them a little

~Ron

 

[gearhead1]

HOA'S are for snobs, and just freaking stupid..I paid for my house. I'll be damned if you're going to tell me what I will and will not do to or on my own property. (Minus of course actual laws such as oh well say murder)

Ditto. My property, if I want to have a hobby then so be it. No way I could live anywhere with a HOA, just not worth it to me. The average person hates car stuff. Some people can't stand you doing anything they remotely don't like, even if they can't see it or hear it.

 

[rice rocket]

Around here, all things get taken care of by city ordinance or county commissioners. So sorry, don't see the need for hoa..

Yeah, pretty much this.

Everyone has fears of the "bad neighbor" that'll "drag down the property values".

(a) that doesn't really happen
(b) the city ordinances usually keep most people in line

The rest of the **** is just power getting to their heads. I know people who've gotten fined by the HOA for dumb things, like cracking the garage door slightly for ventilation (HOA policy was that it must be closed at all times except when opening to move things in/out), putting out the trash for collection a few hours too early, painting their house in a non-HOA approved color, non-running cars stored in the driveway, etc.

Ugh.

You guys enjoy your "communities", I'd rather not live in a housing development anyways, I prefer houses to not all look the same.

 

[58Yeoman]

HOA? What's that?

Nice Buick!

 

[volleyball]

With that being said, we've had two incidents with them. The first is that we were told that there was to be no parking on the streets (except for guests). At the first HOA meeting one of the residents questioned this policy. Before the HOA board could respond a police officer that lived in the neighborhood, and was a patrolman for our area, said that the HOA could not enforce this as the roads belonged to the city.

Taking legal advice from a police officer is not always best. Doesn't matter if it is a city street, you agreed to not park there. guests did not so I could invite the whole forum to park there and be ok, the owner of the home could not.

I think anybody active here would most likely not be a fan of HOA's. But they have their place. We chose what group we want to belong to. We like to feel part of a community. And if a bunch of people want to live in a uniform, then let them. No different than the guys who wear Harley stuff all the time.

 

[Giddyup]

I was going to ask what a HOA is but Gerald O with the neat Buick asked, then it took till post #14 to get an answer, so now I can say. There is no way I would live any where with a HOA..... Neat thread though..

 

[info2x]

I think we almost made it a week without a HOA thread.

 

[laser3kw]

I wish I lived in a HOA that just plain banned Astro vans. I don't want to see those things.

I also wish I lived in one so that my next door neighbor would be allowed to have the following in his front yard:

a) 6"+ grass
b) broken down pallets aka "firewood"
c) the right rear door to a Chevy Blazer. Not the rest of the truck, just the right rear ****ing door, leaning against a tree

gee monomach, do you live in New Milford (south of Rockford)?

 

[PCMusicGuy]

HOAs should all be abolished and disbanded. If a community has a problem with one of the neighbors or their activities, we should just go back to the old ways: torches and pitchforks.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I think we almost made it a week without a HOA thread.

It's getting to be a daily occurrence, I think. There should be a filter that automatically dumps any post with HOA, Sears or Harbor Freight in the message.

 

[n8n]

They are just enforcing the rules that were agreed to when the house was bought and or rented. No reason to get mad at the poor guy trying to enforce the agreed upon rules.

Don't like HOAs don't live in one.

Easier said than done, in some areas.

Around here (NoVA) pretty much every neighborhood newer than the 40's or so has a HOA.

It's $%^@ evil.

 

[Piece-it Pete]

HOA? What's that?

It's-a slang-a for-a ho-a

Pete

 

[SteveCh]

In a town where my wife and I were looking at a house lot, the HOA in the neighborhood has a rule disallowing parking in your driveway overnight. At night, there can be NO cars of any kind outdoors. If you don't have enough garage space, or you have a visitor with a car overnight, you have to park in a field they've set up a couple blocks away. A field set up for parking cars that won't fit into garage space.

I cannot for the life of me imagine ever living with an HOA. Not my idea of a good life.

By the way, a friend of my wife's repainted a windowsill on a window in the back yard. One window, absolutely no way for anyone to see it unless they were actually in the backyard, standing there. They didn't like the color. She lost a case in court over it and had to repaint the sill, pay the HOA a big fine, and pay for court costs.

Willingly live in a place with an HOA, you are nuts.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

HOA's are good for condo's and bad for stand alone homes outside of retirement communities. My rentals are condos and the HOA takes care of everything.

The HOA in my neighborhood was dissolved 7yrs ago and I couldn't be happier.

 

[AndrewV]

I wish I lived in a HOA that just plain banned Astro vans. I don't want to see those things.

I also wish I lived in one so that my next door neighbor would be allowed to have the following in his front yard:

a) 6"+ grass
b) broken down pallets aka "firewood"
c) the right rear door to a Chevy Blazer. Not the rest of the truck, just the right rear ****ing door, leaning against a tree

Do you live in the sticks, or just have a neighborhood shadetree down the street?

 

[Repsolracer22]

to those who are reasonable & intelligent that said HOAs have their place, but arent for everyone ... congrats to you. Thats exactly correct. They have their place and plenty of people like having an HOA & paying into it. I had a condo and an HOA and I freakin hate that ****. They weren't terrible, but they were definitely strict about enforcing the rules.

ANy time that I got a letter from them it was well deserved. So whatever. I bought 30 acres and I dont have any neighbors at this point in my life. You couldnt pay me to live in an HOA neighborhood now. BUT they do have their place and I dont think anyone should be complaining .... freakin move if you dont like it. You're the one that agreed to the rules in the first place. Vague rules or not ..... you know you cant work on **** in the parking lot, blast loud music, leave trash out, paint your place all different colors, run a junk yard, speed through the parking lot, etc etc etc .... be a decent person and abide by the rules YOU AGREED to ... or move. simple

 

[Jay Sco]

Hmmm, the HOA you say? Interesting topic, I'm surprised it's never been brought up before.
Did grandma's van get fixed?

 

[Trey T]

OP: You chose to buy and own a property that has restriction (aka deed restriction). This doesn't happen overnight. If you feel like they harassed you, point to the deed restriction and prove them wrong.

There's nothing complicated about this.

 

[stage20]

i cant keep my garage door open during the day? F U HOA. haha.

 

[silversilvia]

My 2 cents on the HOA is that sometimes you can't avoid it. When I was looking for a house I was looking in a particular neighborhood area that belongs to a particular school district. I read the hoa rules and all seem reasonable and driving around the neighborhood I can see that everyone keeps their house nice. In fact I can see where the hoa ends as the rental houses started (my hoa does not allow renting of the property) and u can see junk cars parked with tarp over them and **** in the yards along with rough looking houses. So I basically knew what I was signing myself into and was okay with that. My neighbors are nice and the only time I got any notice was when I first moved in I left the garage can out 2 days past trash day.

What I don't like to hear is people that complain about HOA knowing that when they moved in. HOA aren't for everyone so don't move in to one and complain about it. People that don't want to move into HOA I can certainly respect that too.

 

[Lassen Forge]

i cant keep my garage door open during the day? F U HOA. haha.

$100 fine for the first offense, $250 for each subsequent. And if you don't pay, they can slap a lein your home - and then fine you for having a lein. Good luck escaping. BTDT.

Hostage-taking Overbearing @$$#o!*$? Something you have to pay a monthly fee to own your home, then pay a huge fine if you don't do what the HOA says you have to? No F'n way.

Got stuck in one once - as a dumb kid, thought it was a cool house, price was right, didn't realize that paying $100 a month to the "Association" meant they could also fine us $250 for a loose board in the fence, or $750 for oil stains that were on the driveway before we bought the house, or $100 for using a "non-HOA approved mowing device" (Old fashioned reel mower VS their approved gas powered special). Tried to find out where the $$$ went, but no accountability.

I threw the house back on the market 6 months later. Took somewhat of a bath on the thing, but at least I was no longer a hostage. We had a group who tried to start one in a neighborhood I bought into years later - we sued them to stop them.

NOTHING good about an HOA. Sure, houses are painted different colors. Some have lawn, others rock, a few deep landscaping, and the rare one weeds. But ya know what - it's not MY property to tell them what to do - if I wanted that, I'd go back to renting. And maybe clean up my shop... speaking of, I gota go make room for a drillpress (which isn't allowed under some HOA rules...)

 

[Gerald O]

HOA? What's that?

Home owners association

I looked up HOA on google and it showed me this:

 

[jchetty]

NOTHING good about an HOA. Sure, houses are painted different colors. Some have lawn, others rock, a few deep landscaping, and the rare one weeds. But ya know what - it's not MY property to tell them what to do - if I wanted that, I'd go back to renting. And maybe clean up my shop... speaking of, I gota go make room for a drillpress (which isn't allowed under some HOA rules...)

See this is just not true. Maybe where you live, but out here we get snow. Sometimes a lot. Paying someone to remove it gets costly. If I was physically unable to do yard work or remove the snow, I would seriously consider an HOA.

Landscapers are costly and some make crazy money during bad snow years. I envy you guys that live in rural America with miles between neighbors. Out here in the NE- NJ being one of top densely populated states- you will run into nightmare neighbors someday.

But I am fortunate so f u HOA. But they do have a place for many reasons.

 

[George in Rancho Cordova]

A friend lives in an area with a HOA.
His neighbor has been dinged multiple times for leaving his garage door open.
All they can do is put a lien on the property. He says they will get paid when he dies or sells the place, not before.

My suggestion:
Open the garage door;
take a photo straight on at the opening;
Have a vinyl wrap of the photo made to fit the garage door;
then, it looks like the door is open when it is closed!

Of course, the HOA must have a rule against that, too.

 

[Gerald O]

Some HOAs can actually foreclose on your property to collect.