HOA fun...our first TWO violations...yay!

[Lisa loves Pooh]

What happens if you don't comply? Do they tar and feather you? Force you out of the neighborhood?

I have no idea--they gave us a novel.

so we looked up things important to us and perused those bits and just skimmed the rest as we only had a short window to cancel our purchase contract on the home.

I acknowledge our sins with the playhouse. The fence was funny. We don't have one so without the picture, I had no idea what they were talking about.

Our purchasing options were limited for what we needed and all viable home candidates were only in HOA communities. That feature is really popular up here.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

our house was also a foreclosure.

As part of our sale...the seller was obligated to pay the accumulation of overdue dues and the HOA also gave us (as part of the process somewhere) the outstanding violations that had to be taken care of pretty much immediately).

I think the neighbor's fence broke recently b/c I too noticed it. Don't know why the inspection braniac thought it was mine since my yard isn't fenced.

I hate our HOA - I never want to live in a community with one ever again.

We bought our house in Novemeber last year and they've sent us notices every couple of weeks. The first one arrived two weeks after we first moved in, telling us that our front lawn needed work. Well of course it did, the house was a foreclosure and we were working on the inside first since that was the bit we lived in. We got the lawn taken care of fairly quickly, but not before they'd sent us four more "friendly reminders".

The most recent stack of mail from them have been regarding weeds. We have no idea what they're talking about, there are no weeds in our lawn. However, just reading this thread I wonder if they mean weeds growing in cracks in the driveway. I mean, there aren't many but there are a few. Hmmm, maybe that's it.

I thought the point of an HOA was to keep the neighborhood looking nice - I fail to see how one or two weeds in my driveway spoils the look of the community

 

[Feralpeg]

They can fine you and put a lien against your property until the fine or any unpaid dues are paid.

In Florida, they cannot put a lien against your home. They can levy fines, but they have very little teeth to collect them. The most they can do is take you to court, but there are so many cases that they rarely do.

I like our HOA (no, I am not a member of the board). They do try to make people keep their homes looking decent. It never ceases to amaze me how people let their homes go. They put so much money into buying them and then they don't even bother to mow the yard. Right now, there is a home next to mine. The owner has simply walked away. The HOA is, at least, trying to keep the yard mowed. It still looks terrible, but they are doing what they can considering the house now belongs to a bank.

 

[Hannathy]

why do people go along with them? and why do people join them? I guess I don't understand the need for them in single family homes and developments. If enough people got together could you vote them out of existence?

I know I would never buy a house with one. as far as the yard being mowed most towns and communities have ordinances on the books that take care of that anyway so why put up with the HOA's?

 

[bonoriffic]

We lived in a townhome with a HOA that consisted of elderly people who walked the property daily looking for violations. We would receive burned out garage light notices all the time, usually the next day after the bulb went out.

My favorite was a demand to replace my screen door as it had a rip. The rip was less than 2 inches, in the corner, and unless you were 2 or 3 feet away impossible to see. I wrote back a sarcastic letter about their commitment to quality, but as the rip was impossible to be seen by anyone and represented a miniscule percentage of the door (complete with over the top math to show how insane this was). I received a reply that it was their policy that minor problems quickly become major ones and they need to be repaired. I replied that my foundation had a tiny crack in it, please replace my foundation per their policy.

The management company switched hands, we moved out, and I claimed victory having avoided repairing the screen.

 

[SaraJayne]

I dislike HOA's quite a bit so we bought in a neighborhood without one. Everyones yard and house still look nice and well kept dispite someone having to tell us to do it.

Same here. And I won't EVER live in one that has a HOA.

Yet our neighborhood (like yours) looks nice and tidy and all the houses/yards are well kept.

Unless you're paying my mortgage, you (general you lol) won't be telling me what I can and cannot do with my property.

 

[OK!]

I like our HOA (no, I am not a member of the board). They do try to make people keep their homes looking decent. It never ceases to amaze me how people let their homes go. They put so much money into buying them and then they don't even bother to mow the yard. Right now, there is a home next to mine. The owner has simply walked away. The HOA is, at least, trying to keep the yard mowed. It still looks terrible, but they are doing what they can considering the house now belongs to a bank.

I walk every morning through my neighborhood and, thank goodness, it looks like the HOA or someone has decided to step up and mow some of the yards of foreclosed homes that were SERIOUSLY getting out of control. There were only like 4 or 5 of them, but they were horrible--choked with weeds, sidewalks obscured, etc. They all had notices from someone (I was nosy and stopped to skim one of them but don't remember who issued it) posted on stakes in the middle of the yard about how they were in violation of some land clearing ordinance but since the homes were clearly uninhabited I wondered who was supposed to take care of things.

Personally, I'm happy to have the HOA simply because they're taking care of all of the stuff outside that I don't want to have to deal with myself.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I wouldn't live in a suburban neighborhood without an HOA. Down here they are democratically elected, so they are only as zealous as your community wants them to be. I much prefer living in a community where we all agree to live by a reasonable set of rules to living in one where people are free to let their homes fall into a state of disrepair, leave cars or junk on their lawns, , etc. I prefer having an HOA draw up and enforce those rules rather than a city ordinance because I also like it that people can choose to live in neighborhoods with different (or even no) HOA rules.

 

[golfgal]

I received a note on my door about my girls hanging their pool towels over our patio railing within a week or so of moving in. No violation, just a friendly reminder.

To me things like this make a neighborhood look lived in. Is it really that big of a deal. I could never live in an area that has a HOA for single family homes. I can see them in a townhome development because of the common ownership of the buildings, etc. but NEVER in a place with a single family home. We have never had a HOA and our neighbors all seem to be able to keep up their house and property without someone sending them letters and putting liens on their property to do so.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I will never live somewhere that has an HOA. I think their purpose is ridiculous and when people stop worrying about crap that doesn't matter (who CARES if your playset isn't built?!) and start focusing our energy on things that do, the world will be a much better place.

I seriously cannot stand how incredibly nosy, judgmental, and busybody-ish some people are. It makes my hair stand on end.

 

[MushyMushy]

Note to self- Never move where there is a HOA.

I agree. Some of them just get crazy (such as the poster with the beach towels hanging). I think it's outrageous that anyone would give others the power to tell them how to keep their property.

I'd just gone to visit a friend in Columbus. Pretty neighborhood, though not to my liking because every house was identical. Friend told me that her HOA was having a complete nuclear meltdown because one of the owners had put a yellow door on his house. At first I thought "how tacky," but when we went to look at the house, the yellow door was gorgeous. It was more of a golden harvest color, and totally fit the neighborhood.

But I guess we just can't have yellow doors, now can we? What's next? Red? Purple??

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Holy smokes. I had no idea HOAs could be so overbearing! We live in a semi-rural neighborhood without one, but everyone is really good about maintaining their own space. Sorry some of you have to deal with micro-management in your own home!

 

[aprilgail2]

I dislike HOA's quite a bit so we bought in a neighborhood without one. Everyones yard and house still look nice and well kept dispite someone having to tell us to do it.

Yes- same with my neighborhood. The only time there was a problem was when a house was foreclosed (right next door to mine). I called the town and they came over and did a major clean up of the yard and house. I had my landscaper just cut the front lawn so it looked decent. In time it sold and is a beautiful house once again- no big deal

I would never buy with a HOA unless there was no where else to live in this country!

and the same for our neighborhood

I agree-- its like living in a communist country!!! If I pay hundreds of thousands of dollars I want to be able to do what I want with MY house. I would NOT be amused to have someone coming into my backyard taking pictures. HOA's are run by little people that are on a power trip.

I don't think there is anywhere left where I live that doesn't have an HOA. Ours isn't bad at all. I know some that are terrible and really are nit picky, luckily we aren't one of them.

Thats funny because before the Disboards I had never even heard of a HOA- they don't have them around here!

 

[disneyfans95]

I dislike HOA's quite a bit so we bought in a neighborhood without one. Everyones yard and house still look nice and well kept dispite someone having to tell us to do it.

Amen! I could never imagine having some HOA looking over my shoulder. We bought our first home a year ago and if there was a HOA, we would not even look at the showing.

Our area looks great and we don't have some idiotic association telling people what to do.

 

[ilovejack02]

I really wish we had an HOA , well we did at one time but the neighborhood is over 30 years old and disbanded ages ago. No one abides by the rules in the bylaws and hasn't in years. My next door neighbor died and house hasn't been returned to bank but will be soon. Guess its a matter of red tape for now.

Her yard is almost 3 feet high , hubby and I mowed for awhile but about a month ago the cranky old guy on the other side threw a fit and said hubby threw grass on his lawn. DH specifically mows in a way to throw the grass back into lawn he is cutting but im sure the wind might have blown some back over. Man called the police , who laughed at him but now hubby refuses to be harassed by the neighborhood meanie. SO now no one does it and no HOA to take care of it.

I love our neighborhood, but some folks could use reminders about trimming trees, not putting up metal fences , mowing grass , not painting your house neon purple which someone has done in the back of block oh and the huge skating half pipe in the front yard of the house full of teenagers. Couldn't they have put it in the back yard at least ??!! Maybe they could just move the huge rack of canoes on the side of the house to the back yard. Im sure their neighbors LOVE looking at this all day and if they put up the house for sale, this really won't do much to enhance the selling potential .

Sometimes an HOA is a good thing!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Not sure of the laws in your state, but here in ca a little different. I lived in HOA, the problems were so bad with them, we went to court, they thought they had the right to tresspass, but if someone else when on to someones property it was tresspassing. Long story short, they wanted a jury trial, they lost and they were ordered to move. When someone pays my mortgage then they can tell me what to do. All it is to me is people who have nothing better to do than tell people what they can and can not do. It is sad. Jo

 

[DisneyLover83]

What happens if you don't comply? Do they tar and feather you? Force you out of the neighborhood?

In our neighborhood the HOA can put a lien on the property and even foreclose on your home. I would imagine it would take a while to get that far but our HOA claims they have "that power"

 

[golfgal]

I really wish we had an HOA , well we did at one time but the neighborhood is over 30 years old and disbanded ages ago. No one abides by the rules in the bylaws and hasn't in years. My next door neighbor died and house hasn't been returned to bank but will be soon. Guess its a matter of red tape for now.

Her yard is almost 3 feet high , hubby and I mowed for awhile but about a month ago the cranky old guy on the other side threw a fit and said hubby threw grass on his lawn. DH specifically mows in a way to throw the grass back into lawn he is cutting but im sure the wind might have blown some back over. Man called the police , who laughed at him but now hubby refuses to be harassed by the neighborhood meanie. SO now no one does it and no HOA to take care of it.

I love our neighborhood, but some folks could use reminders about trimming trees, not putting up metal fences , mowing grass , not painting your house neon purple which someone has done in the back of block oh and the huge skating half pipe in the front yard of the house full of teenagers. Couldn't they have put it in the back yard at least ??!! Maybe they could just move the huge rack of canoes on the side of the house to the back yard. Im sure their neighbors LOVE looking at this all day and if they put up the house for sale, this really won't do much to enhance the selling potential .

Sometimes an HOA is a good thing!

Well, I can see where you would like a HOA.

 

[mamian16]

Good luck with your HOA Yikes

 

[PatsMom]

My last house had an association - I will never live with one again. We put up a storm door that was white, full view, matched the house, matched the other three storm doors in our cluster, and got whacked because we didn't ask permission first! No one really objected to the door, just one busy body that wanted to whine because we didn't ask his permission first. I loved that house but was glad to leave the association when my husband retired.

I don't think I'd ever find an association that would allow me to have my pink flamingo lawn ornaments and my Mickey Mouse lawn gnome!