I hate my HOA!!! - Long Vent

[nuke]

I hate cookie cutter neighborhoods where every other house looks the same. I like my old established town with different houses, different flowers, different trees and no rules. Guess what? It looks really nice. I can't think of one family on our block that doesn't do their lawn or rake the leaves. No pink houses, no car parts. Maybe it's a regional thing?

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I hate cookie cutter neighborhoods where every other house looks the same. I like my old established town with different houses, different flowers, different trees and no rules. Guess what? It looks really nice. I can't think of one family on our block that doesn't do their lawn or rake the leaves. No pink houses, no car parts. Maybe it's a regional thing?

sometimes the very point of an HOA is to PREVENT the cookie cutter look - not promote it!

 

[Bob Slydell]

My personal opinion is that HOA's are for people who want to control what their neighbors are able to do. Some are reasonable, and others are just ridiculous.

I agree. It's all about your neighbors and how much of a PITA they care to be.

My only problem with our HOA is that they blindly went with a management company to run the business side of things that proceeded to rob us blind, so we had to pay extra to replace the funds the company stole.

 

[mickeysgal]

I hate cookie cutter neighborhoods where every other house looks the same. I like my old established town with different houses, different flowers, different trees and no rules. Guess what? It looks really nice. I can't think of one family on our block that doesn't do their lawn or rake the leaves. No pink houses, no car parts. Maybe it's a regional thing?

We're completely the opposite.

We came from a cookie cutter neighborhood that had no HOA. Our neighborhood now with the HOA prevents just that - everyone from looking the same.

 

[tcmata]

I've learned over the past few years that this topic can become a very heated debate between those who love HOA's and those who loathe them. Our first house was not under an HOA and neighboring houses were not always kept up, there were numerous non-working cars parked there, etc. Since we moved 7 years ago, it has continued to go down. We moved to a community with an HOA about 6 years ago and just recently moved this past month to another community with an HOA. For us, we choose to live with an HOA. Our HOA guidelines are reasonable to us and we like the way our division looks as well as access to the pool, community center, etc. That's not to say that places without HOA's are necessarily the pits...they aren't. But after experiencing a neighborhood go down rather fast, we choose an HOA community and enjoy it. Choosing an HOA (or not) isn't "right" or "wrong"- it's a personal decision that you have to be comfortable with. We've never had a bad experience with an HOA to date so we'll stick with it.

 

[ilovejack02]

Someone mentioned call the city to report violations. I live in a very small town right outside of B.R.. There is no one to call, and Im pretty sure no rules lol.
Baton Rouge, which is a major city only allows you to call on grass violations when grass is over 2 feet tall and then the property is put on a list, the city will come out and cut grass and charge property owner. THe problem is there is only 2 crews for the whole city!!! This is a city of at least 400,000 people and only two crews to do the clean up, goodness Ill take an HOA instead of dealing with that crap.

 

[goofyforlife]

Frankly I don't want the type of people who would paint their house purple, store four parts cars in the side yard, breed beagles, or allow their lawn to get knee-high living next to me.

Exactly why we moved into an HOA community.

In my neighborhood the HOA dues are to provide services such as a pool /QUOTE]

Our dues are only $35 a month (for the townhomes) and we have an outdoor pool from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I've seen our communities budget and the pool takes most of the money.

Those that like HOA's, would you like people telling you not to color your hair pink?? To me, it's the same thing.

Kinda depends, In certain situations (like jobs), Your appearance is important to a company. Would you respect a banker who sat in front of you who had a nose ring and a mohawk? i think not. It's like when some folks have to wear uniforms. We all have to conform to some standards in life.

Personally I wish my HOA would do a little more. Some houses and yards are looking pretty sad (mold on roofs and fences, weeds taking over lawns, etc.).

Ours is pretty low key too... I'm hoping they ask some of the neighbors to tow the line and purchase lawnmowers though....

Funny how different people are!

We actually looked for a subdivision that DID have a HOA!
They are the ones that want to block the streets with their boats and vehicles...PITB!

We looked for HOA too. I looked a one nice home in a non HOA neighborhood but once we drove around the block and i saw the boats, and cars, and trash, and grass knee high... (and could hear the dueling banjos in the background) We ruled that house out.

 

[lulu71]

Frankly I don't want the type of people who would paint their house purple, store four parts cars in the side yard, breed beagles, or allow their lawn to get knee-high living next to me.

Anne

Hey, don't knock purple houses. For some home styles, purple is a perfectly acceptable color. Creole cottages around here, done right, should be purple as this is one of the historically accurate colors in the palette for this style.

As for HOAs, I hate them. We lived in one of "those" subdivisions for a year and couldn't wait to get out! People really had too much time on their hands to be worrying about some of the things they would get in a uproar over. We moved back "home" and whaddya know? Everyone's houses look neat and lawns are maintained and there are no HOA police running around.

 

[kimmikayb]

Ok, I admit, I'm not familiar with HOA. I've lived in small towns and in the country for most of my life. So if I understand it correctly....you pay a fee every month for a group of people to tell you what and what not you can do with your house and yard? What else do they do?

Oh boy, give me my farm any day. I don't think HOA would be for me.

 

[binny]

OK, I admit, I'm not familiar with HOA. I've lived in small towns and in the country for most of my life. So if I understand it correctly....you pay a fee every month for a group of people to tell you what and what not you can do with your house and yard? What else do they do?

Oh boy, give me my farm any day. I don't think HOA would be for me.

yep. Thats pretty much it.


I will agree though, that when done right, it can be a good thing. If it takes care of your parks or pool and other amenities while not being in your face. I can see that as a benefit.


That has NOT been my experience though. At all. In fact in our last neighbourhood before we moved in the board members embezzled something like $50,000 and all moved away.
After the HOA recovered from that they focused all of their energy on going after the mostly rule abiding homeowners. Some had visitors that parked in front of their own house for more than 2 days, or one lady who missed the date on her HOA dues by TWO days and put a lien on her house for the $40!! While letting the idiots across the street have 2 project cars that didn't move in 2 years, not water their lawn ( irrigation is free here and they had sprinklers) and let their kids party to 2 the morning.

When confronted about the board member said "yeah I know. I live further back in the neighbourhood so I don't have to see them. Ive heard bad things though. I cant imagine living across the street from them. There really isn't anything I can do."

 

[Nana Annie]

I think you have to do a lot of research about the particular HOA in the neighborhood before you choose to move into a HOA neighborhood. Some are wonderful, such as ours and some are nightmares, such as the one where a close relative lives in.

A close relative lives in a golfcourse, patio home community, started out as mostly retired people. The HOA is on a power kick. Because the HOA board members are all retired, they literally walk from house to house with clipboards every week noting a single weed in a garden, etc. People are constantly getting notices. However, as new laws are being passed regarding restrictions on the power of a HOA, and younger professionals start grabbing the houses and are aware of these new laws, the retired, overzealous board members are being challenged right and left. The president just quit over improprieties regarding power plays. So, lesson learned - an HOA is only as powerful as you let them be.

As for our HOA - we live in a large subdivision with about 7,000 houses ranging from the mid 500's to over a million. Our fees go to maintaining the pools, tennis courts, miles of trails and greenbelts and the many parks in the community. The HOA has also negotiated a very resident favorable contract for trash removal, which is included in our fees.

Also included in our fees are all the community social events our HOA organizes. Every spring, there is a huge egg hunt for the kids. There are ice cream socials at the pools. There are youth nights, one for the younger kids, another for the high schoolers. Supervision and snacks are all provided for the residents out of the HOA budget. There is a casino night for the adults, and concerts in the parks for families to bring a picnic and listen to. A 4th of July parade with a large pancake breakfast afterwards in the community park is also part of our dues. All this for $35.00 per month and a one time yearly payment of $175.00. Our HOA works tirelessly to get local businesses to donate much of the refreshments or works with the town to open it up to all town people (our development is 75% of the small town) and thus able to use some tax monies for the events and not have to raise our fees.

As for maintaining the neighborhood - we have rules, but the HOA board is reasonable and flexible. There is a book of acceptable color combinations you can paint your house without having to get approval. If you want something different - you can submit it for approval. As long as it is not a bright carribean color (wouldn't go well in our neighborhood), it will probably be accepted. You can park cars in the driveway and on the street. You do have to have your front yard 75% living materials - but it can be xeriscaped and there is no list of bushes, plants, etc.

I wouldn't trade all the social opportunities we get as a family due to our HOA's hard work and dedication to making our community a very family friendly and desired place to live. And being assured that although most people really do care about their home and yard, we will have recourse if Uncle NASCAR** wannabe moves into the million dollar home next door and starts running a car parts exchange in his driveway. Or if somebody starts to paint their house and doesn't finish that the HOA will gently remind them that it has to be all one color (excepting trim) within a certain time frame.

**No disrespect to any NASCAR fans meant - we actually have a neighbor down the street very into racing. You see his big semi out front once in awhile and his cars are at the track or in his garage. He maintains his sport and his home in a very tasteful way. And because he does, the HOA tolerates his Semi out front for a day or two every so often. And the kids LOVE to see his cars when they are there

 

[cardaway]

I have found that while they may work in some places, some HOA's are totally worthless because people within those communities choose to ignore the fact that live in a community with CC&R's.

 

[Pam]

Um, I said PARTS (junk) cars covered in blue tarps. Big difference. Not sure if you're trying to pick a fight, or if you just need to go back and reread what I said.

Anne

Ummm... I read and comprehended what you said the first time, so there was no need to go back and read your post again. I understood fully that you were talking about PARTS cars.

I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you at all. I guess I was just stating my opinion, much like you did. And to be honest - you insulted me with the comment about the beagles. Sorry -- someone knocking my dog's breed is a sensitive issue with me.

Well put. I'm out of this thread because it looks like the minions have come out in force to attack me personally instead of having a rational discussion, and I'm not going to feed their frenzy. Too bad, as it could have been a good discussion.

Anne

I don't consider myself a minion and I don't feel that I attacked you. I was simply defending my beagle's honor.

I feel that this is still a rational discussion -- with many different views being shared on the subject.

Hey, don't knock purple houses. For some home styles, purple is a perfectly acceptable color. Creole cottages around here, done right, should be purple as this is one of the historically accurate colors in the palette for this style.

I agree with you. My cousins own several houses - the last one they purchased was a Victorian. They did some research and decided to paint the house purple. I was on the fence when they announced their color choice but the house turned out fabulous!

 

[KirstenB]

We've lived in 2 neighborhoods with HOA's. My dh is on the board of ours right now, which is ironic given that he's a super-introvert. Unfortunately, it's really hard to get folks to serve on the board, so he's serving a second term. We live in a rural neighborhood with custom homes, so very few of the homes look even remotely alike.

Our dues maintain the 2 lakes/ponds, picnic area, and the entryway into the 'hood. There are a few folks who blatantly complain about the rules of the HOA. I feel like saying "why did you choose a neighborhood with covenants, then, duh!" These are the same folks who tend to have a "starter" home and a "starter" yard. I'm not sure they will ever move past the starter phase. They have no interest in the appearance of their property. ON the other hand, there are other "starter" homes that look terrific because their owners take pride in their appearance.

I have no beef with folks who don't like HOA's. Just don't move into a community with one, then gripe when they try to enforce, in our case, minimal convenants. OP, this last comment isn't directed at you, but rather the folks who show up once a year to an HOA meeting, and complain the entire time about the covenants, but would rather die than actually serve on the board and work for changes.

 

[tcmata]

Yes, if done right, it can be a really good thing for everyone. Our HOA fees also take care of the maintenance of the entrance (landscaping, fences, etc), pools and community center (maintenance and access), maintenance of the parks and other common grounds within the community. As well as things like Egg hunt for Easter, Fireworks for 4th of July, etc.

Where we personally live, within a 5 mile radius, you can definitely tell which neighborhoods have HOA's and those that don't.
One neighborhood that comes to mind has fences falling down and a bright yellow house with red trim (think Ronald McDonald colors). Yes, they have every right to paint it that color, but personally I wouldn't want to live next to it. I think for the most part, homeowners do their best to maintain their homes since afterall it is an investment. But sometimes it's the few that don't really care that lower your property value (or make it harder for you to sell your home).

If you are looking at a home that has an HOA, you just need to read all of the guidelines and the fine print and decide what is right for you and your family. If it's not for you or there are one or two things you don't agree with, you are better off looking elsewhere. Like I said before, we personally have never had a bad experience with an HOA. If we someday do, I'm sure it will have a strong impact on future decisions. But until then, we're happy with our HOA neighborhood!

 

[KariC]

Personally I wish my HOA would do a little more. Some houses and yards are looking pretty sad (mold on roofs and fences, weeds taking over lawns, etc.).

Me, too! Our neighborhood is still under construction, so the developer (not even the builder) controls the HOA. Well, he doesn't care.....so we've got some odd things going on in our "estate neighborhood" (that's what the builders call it). I'm sure a few neighbors will get their violations "grandfathered" in once the homeowners actually serve on a board.

I like the reasonable HOA guidelines that protect all of our property values. A home is often the biggest investment people have, and we want to ensure that the value isn't degraded by what neighbors might do. Brief examples that my parents' PUD is dealing with....too many rental properties, a landscaping company buying the starter homes for their illegal employees to live in (sometimes 10-15 per 3 bedroom ranch house), and greenspaces and ponds/lakes not always taken care of in a timely fashion. (This is a planned community from apartments to million dollar on the lake homes).

 

[lowie]

Here is the deal. DH and I bought an older home that needed some yard work. We have been really working hard to clear it out. There's probably about 15 years of overgrowth going on. Our grabage company will clean up any debris as long as its near the curb. You would think these people would be happy that
1. The house is not sitting vacant as most houses for sale here are.
2. We obviously take care of the place. (ie. New paint, landscaping)

but NO! I get some nasty call that I am violation of some HOA rule. The HOA is VOLUNTARY!! If the debris is not removed within 24 hours, they will give me a fine. It has been like this for any thing we do. I'm starting to think it's because we're not retired and this was a retirement area for quite some time.

I have people stop and yell out their windows things like "hey are you going to clean this yard up." I wonder if they said these same things to elderly woman we purchased the house from.

OP, you may want to read your governing documents for the community and also look for the laws of the state you live in. I know in Florida that the HOA can't just impose a fine after one warning, also fines cannot become a lien on your home.

i agree with the poster who recommemded sending a nice letter to the Board, letting them know your intentions to clean up and ask for patience.

as to the other 4.5 pages in this thread. i too specifically chose a community because of the HOA and the specificness (is that a word) of our documents (CCR'S, by-laws, whatever they're called where you live).

i like my cookie cutter neighborhood, the low cost of services we get in bulk rates (cable, DSL, alarm monitoring), the security guards and gates, the common areas. knowing that Joe down the road can't run a chop shop out of the garage or paint the house lime green. (not that there is ANYTHING wrong with lime green!)

i also run associations for a living and definately see the 'condo commandos' in action every day. i feel for those people living with those type of Boards. but if people don't like it they need to get involved and make changes OR get involved and see how hard it really is!

ok, i've gone way over my parenthsis quota for the day.

anyway, OP, if you live in florida and need some HOA advice let me know.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I think you have to do a lot of research about the particular HOA in the neighborhood before you choose to move into a HOA neighborhood. Some are wonderful, such as ours and some are nightmares, such as the one where a close relative lives in.

A close relative lives in a golfcourse, patio home community, started out as mostly retired people. The HOA is on a power kick. Because the HOA board members are all retired, they literally walk from house to house with clipboards every week noting a single weed in a garden, etc. People are constantly getting notices. However, as new laws are being passed regarding restrictions on the power of a HOA, and younger professionals start grabbing the houses and are aware of these new laws, the retired, overzealous board members are being challenged right and left. The president just quit over improprieties regarding power plays. So, lesson learned - an HOA is only as powerful as you let them be.

As for our HOA - we live in a large subdivision with about 7,000 houses ranging from the mid 500's to over a million. Our fees go to maintaining the pools, tennis courts, miles of trails and greenbelts and the many parks in the community. The HOA has also negotiated a very resident favorable contract for trash removal, which is included in our fees.

Also included in our fees are all the community social events our HOA organizes. Every spring, there is a huge egg hunt for the kids. There are ice cream socials at the pools. There are youth nights, one for the younger kids, another for the high schoolers. Supervision and snacks are all provided for the residents out of the HOA budget. There is a casino night for the adults, and concerts in the parks for families to bring a picnic and listen to. A 4th of July parade with a large pancake breakfast afterwards in the community park is also part of our dues. All this for $35.00 per month and a one time yearly payment of $175.00. Our HOA works tirelessly to get local businesses to donate much of the refreshments or works with the town to open it up to all town people (our development is 75% of the small town) and thus able to use some tax monies for the events and not have to raise our fees.

As for maintaining the neighborhood - we have rules, but the HOA board is reasonable and flexible. There is a book of acceptable color combinations you can paint your house without having to get approval. If you want something different - you can submit it for approval. As long as it is not a bright carribean color (wouldn't go well in our neighborhood), it will probably be accepted. You can park cars in the driveway and on the street. You do have to have your front yard 75% living materials - but it can be xeriscaped and there is no list of bushes, plants, etc.

I wouldn't trade all the social opportunities we get as a family due to our HOA's hard work and dedication to making our community a very family friendly and desired place to live. And being assured that although most people really do care about their home and yard, we will have recourse if Uncle NASCAR** wannabe moves into the million dollar home next door and starts running a car parts exchange in his driveway. Or if somebody starts to paint their house and doesn't finish that the HOA will gently remind them that it has to be all one color (excepting trim) within a certain time frame.

**No disrespect to any NASCAR fans meant - we actually have a neighbor down the street very into racing. You see his big semi out front once in awhile and his cars are at the track or in his garage. He maintains his sport and his home in a very tasteful way. And because he does, the HOA tolerates his Semi out front for a day or two every so often. And the kids LOVE to see his cars when they are there

that sounds a lot like our experience!!!! (except our home values end where yours start and we have mixed use: apartments, senior housing, etc.)

the rest is spot on...we love it..and we get all this for basically only a little more what trash removal alone cost us in our last neighborhood. Pools, golf course, maintained walking trails, ponds, parks, playgrounds, beautiful treed areas, wonderful social activities, a rec building, boat launch on the river, a pavillion for activities, very low fee summer programs, field trips, etc........We consider it a great bargain!!!

as for ridiculous rules and enforcement: it is also important to remember that HOA rules are not above local, state laws, etc......they can try to make you think they do...they can try to enforce them...but when push comes to shove, I highly doubt they would be willing to take their chance in a court! Know your rights!

 

[salmoneous]

I would much rather live in a neighborhood with a purple house and a few unmowed lawns than live somewhere where I have to call up a bunch of busybodies and ask them what color I can paint my house - or ask them for permission to put a deck on my house - or get nagged about having my driveway door open.

My house, my castle.

I'm amazed at the number of people in the US who will voluntarily give up some of their liberty.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

as long as we are making a informed CHOICE to accept certain restrictions - I hardly call it giving up our liberties.....

and my HOA could care less whether or the garage door is open ...as I already said: many are very reasonable....