Not a rant on HOAs, just comments.

[gatewaysysop]

Lots of good stuff (mostly) in this thread. I agree, points to be had on both sides of the argument for and against HOAs.

In my personal experience, I rented for a couple years in a condo community with an HOA, but currently have my own home in an older, non-HOA community. I like to think I've seen shades of both sides of the coin, but 1 data point does not make for sound inference, much less a basis for broad generalization. that being the case, I'm staying out of the for/against argument.

However ,with that having being said, I did discover one thing about HOAs that is something I think most people should consider and that is who runs it. At least out this way, there are organizations that maintain the community and basically run everything for the HOA. The HOA still has a board and meetings, but all the day to day stuff, collection and spending of monies, repairs and upkeep is all handled by a third party. Turns out, complaints and enforcement also go through this third party.

The fact that the third-party maintained communities all over town resulted in, among other things, money problems, no timely enforcement, no timely repairs, poor maintenance (pool, grass, trees, parking lot, you name it) and their employees being, overall, absolutely apathetic to the concerns of the people living there and paying them. Of course the board loved them, because they were dirt cheap, so they never got fired (despite not being able to do repairs for a while because they nearly bankrupted themselves as a company). The implication was always that firing them and hiring someone else was going to cost money and nobody would pony up, so the status quo remained long after I left.

My honest advice, if you decide to live someplace with an HOA, is to definitely check out how things are run. If it's a fly-by-night, crooked, third-party managed deal like this, run like hell.

 

[Del Swanson]

I worked with a guy once who was on a HOA board. He told me gleefully how he was going to make his neighbor tear down his new above-ground pool because the color of the pool didn't match EXACTLY the color of his house. He said it was about two shades too light! *****!

 

[Cobra_Bob]

My house…my rules. Isn’t that what the king said? Some of you will see the irony it that. Some of you will not.

 

[VWandDodge]

I worked with a guy once who was on a HOA board. He told me gleefully how he was going to make his neighbor tear down his new above-ground pool because the color of the pool didn't match EXACTLY the color of his house. He said it was about two shades too light! *****!

That, right there, would piss me off, and IMHO is a legitimate case of justifiable homicide.

Someone in my office was HOA President for his ASSociation for a year, maybe more (he kept getting roped into it). One day he was commenting how they were going to go after one resident for a "junk" car in the driveway. I asked him what the problem was, and his comment was, "It never moves". So I continued, asking if the car was wrecked, missing doors, body panels --??? Nope, it just sits there. So I told him straight to his face, "Why the **** don't you people mind your own business? How do you know that the car is inoperable? If the tags are current, what does it matter? How do you know there isn't another person in the house you never see? How do you know that perhaps they park the car there to give the appearance that someone is home at all times?" He didn't have an answer, and I pressed him, "That's what wrong with you HOA people. You're too busy making judgement calls and trying to tell other people how to live. What would you do if the car had a flat tire or two?" Oh, well in that case, they'd have it towed at the owner's expense. "Oh? What does it hurt if the car is in the driveway? How do you know if the person isn't pinched for funds and has to wait a couple of weeks, until payday, at which point he/she can get the tires replaced?" Oh, he didn't think of that. So once again, I told him he and his entire board are a bunch of assholes and someone should tell each and every one of them to **** off.

What's funny is one of their biggest problem residents was an attorney who would always threaten the association with legal action or complain about other residents, yet said attorney had a large boat parked in her driveway, and the ASSociation rules stated boats had to be stored off to the side of the garage or in the back yard.

 

[dclassical]

I think one problem comes from people who will think "Well I do not like the idea of living in an HOA, but I am sure it will work out and I can still do what I want". This is one source of the problem.

For one thing if you are going to live in an HOA, get the rules and regulations. It is free to get. When I lived in one, I requested it before buying a house. I still have it and it is a 127 pages long. I did read all of them and even requested the missing pages (skipped pages). Buying a house is a major purchase and I cannot understand how people will not take the time to read these documents. They are honestly not hard to read or understand. And then I was able to make an informed decision.

Same with signing the contract... you bet that I read every single page before signing them. The other persons were annoyed because it took a long time, but why would you sign a document you do not read? This is not the iTunes user agreement, it is a MAJOR purchase.

I think that if someone decides to live in an HOA, they need to inform themselves of the situation.

 

[paranoid56]

I also live in a HOA for for the most part its fine. they keep everybody happy with home values by making sure everybody has a nice yard and so on. now, what i dont like is when one person makes a stink over another and makes it a pita to do anything anymore. yes this person is me and the old bag across the street is the issue. I read all the docs on the hoa and they did have some items about working on cars and no machinery or equipment. both were very vague. And yep, i do brake the working on cars part all the damn time. I love cars and hate paying other people to do work i can do myself. so after the old lady moved back in (was out living in a home when i moved in) she would complain about me every month. and every month i would get a letter. then the last one was from the HOA attorney saying i have to remove my welders (two small hobby welders, tig and mig) from my premises because its "machinery and equipment" This is where i have a problem. So doing the only thing i could do is i joined the HOA board this month and currently writing up something to change the CCRs to allow working on cars.

i feel if you are not going to try to help fix the situation and or lend a hand then you cant really complain about HOAs.

 

[MorePower4me]

^^ I did a similar thing.
Joined the HOA, worked on getting the bad people out & replaced them with people who care (rather than try to exert authority). Its a long battle, but we love the house & neighborhood & it was worth the fight.
But, I knew the whole time, if it didn't work, I was bound by the CCR's I signed as to what I could & couldn't do.

Anyone who complains without trying to change things internally needs to sack-up. It certainly ***** going to a 3 hour long HOA board meeting after a 16hour day, especially when we were doing them 2x a week making sweeping changes - but everyone is volunteering their time because they are trying to do whats best for the community (and since they are VOTED in - they are representing what the community wants).

If you don't like the current rules/leaders/decisions - change them internally! I had great luck.

 

[Cobra_Bob]

same here...

My wife was on the board for several years. Now she’s taking a break by working on a committee. We have a 3rd party organization that does the nug work.

I work on our 5 vehicles all the time (just pull it in the garage and close the door). Sold my dirt bike because I couldn’t keep the dirtbike trailer at the house. Also sold the sea doo for same reason. Life goes on…

 

[logical]

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.

You sure you don't live in a commune?

 

[Ign]

I think one problem comes from people who will think "Well I do not like the idea of living in an HOA, but I am sure it will work out and I can still do what I want". This is one source of the problem.

Agreed. The other part of that - which no one who as agreed to live in an HOA is willing to admit - is that you need to understand the tide CAN turn against you at anytime.

You've agreed not only to their current rules but to be bound by future rules if passed by the board. You might think you're in the majority now but you can find yourself in the minority before you know it. Markets and demographics change all the time.

I know, I know, it'll never happen to "YOU." (not targeting dclassical)

 

[garfunkle24]

The basketball hoop on a sloped driveway doesn't work well, wakes the neighbors with the noise

So not only should people not have a basketball hoop, but their kids shouldn't be allowed to play with a ball in their driveway because it annoys you?

I think it's guys like you giving HOAs a bad rep.

 

[justanengineer]

So not only should people not have a basketball hoop, but their kids shouldn't be allowed to play with a ball in their driveway because it annoys you?

I think it's guys like you giving HOAs a bad rep.

I thought his comments were spot on, and I will go play any variety of ball at any opportunity or invite. His comment about the basketball hoop especially gave me a giggle as the neighbor across the street has that exact problem now. His hoop was put in a few years back when the kids were young and liked to play outside despite the sloped driveway, and was generally enjoyed by quite a few I am told. Now its rusty, flaking paint, the net got torn somehow, and is generally a pretty ugly eyesore in an otherwise well groomed neighborhood. I discussed it with him a few weeks ago (hoping for free steel) and will likely help remove it when he gets free, but he admitted straight out that for the short time that his kids were into it, he wished he had just taken them downtown to the public courts. Some things you just take for granted, and dont realize how bad they get until someone says something. That being said, I more than understand where a HOA would want to prevent that.

 

[SuperSocket]

I thought his comments were spot on, and I will go play any variety of ball at any opportunity or invite. His comment about the basketball hoop especially gave me a giggle as the neighbor across the street has that exact problem now. His hoop was put in a few years back when the kids were young and liked to play outside despite the sloped driveway, and was generally enjoyed by quite a few I am told. Now its rusty, flaking paint, the net got torn somehow, and is generally a pretty ugly eyesore in an otherwise well groomed neighborhood. I discussed it with him a few weeks ago (hoping for free steel) and will likely help remove it when he gets free, but he admitted straight out that for the short time that his kids were into it, he wished he had just taken them downtown to the public courts. Some things you just take for granted, and dont realize how bad they get until someone says something. That being said, I more than understand where a HOA would want to prevent that.

You were looking to take it down so you can get scrap metal? Really?


I'd say that is quite a conflict of interest.