View Full Version : I don't get it, why buy a house in an hoa?
Drilldov2.0
06-19-2012, 21:33
It's just like renting with a property management group telling you what you can and cannot do, but with your own property! And they collect dues which most seem to use to their own amusement and wants. (mine has their own suvs with lights on them, lol)
I got fined for not mowing my lawn on a regular enough basis... on January 9th!
Recently, got back from about 6 weeks on the road (had about a 1.5 days home) to 6 letters from the HOA. (12 actually, since they send to both owner and tenant to the same address) I haven't opened them yet, I am going to send them all back "return to sender, addressee unknown." If I am in town I am going to the next board meeting. Finding a place to live without an HOA is a pain. Fuck those little nit-picking bastards! I am going to go season some pork shoulder, get the smoker ready and sip some Crown.
So you're the asshole refusing to mow his lawn when it's snowing!
YOU RUIN IT FOR EVERYONE! [Bang]
Drilldov2.0
06-19-2012, 21:38
Actually, I think we need to have the State enact some laws regulating HOA's such as AZ. has. Get a few, bored libtard assholes with nothing better to do and it turns into a big mess in a hurry. They bank on the reasoning that it would be too expensive to fight them in court (since you are funding them anyway)
Drilldov2.0
06-19-2012, 21:39
So you're the asshole refusing to mow his lawn when it's snowing!
YOU RUIN IT FOR EVERYONE! [Bang]
You are the bastard that called the hoa on me!!
yep. fuck HOAs.
I just want to know how to get rid of one or get out of one without having a lien put on the house (which is bullshit).
Ours is $45 a month and all we get is trash. no pool, no parks, no mowing, no snow removal. all that includes is trash service (which is $15 a month) and "common areas" watering and snow removal. and right now the grass in those areas looks dead.
This WILL be my last HOA that has any kind of fees associated with it.
Most cities have ordinances in place now that require all newly built subdivisions to have HOA's. It allows the city not have to worry about code enforcement since the HOA gets to enforce their own codes.
I have an HOA where I live and they catch stuff fairly quick. I've avoided fines up this point but I have had to make some fairly costly repairs to my home to avoid them. It really does suck getting those love letters in the mail but at the same time it keeps people from parking broken down cars in their driveways and painting their houses obnoxious colors.
My next house is going to be on land. That way if the neighbors park their broken down shit on their property I'll be far enough away that I won't give a crap. Hell if I have land I just might start to collect broken down crap.
Hell if I have land I just might start to collect broken down crap.
My lifelong dream.....
kidicarus13
06-19-2012, 21:51
Not all HOA's are nazi-like. Like unions, HOA's started for the right reasons but have morphed into something else.
Drilldov2.0
06-19-2012, 21:52
Most cities have ordinances in place now that require all newly built subdivisions to have HOA's. It allows the city not have to worry about code enforcement since the HOA gets to enforce their own codes.
I have an HOA where I live and they catch stuff fairly quick. I've avoided fines up this point but I have had to make some fairly costly repairs to my home to avoid them. It really does suck getting those love letters in the mail but at the same time it keeps people from parking broken down cars in their driveways and painting their houses obnoxious colors.
My next house is going to be on land. That way if the neighbors park their broken down shit on their property I'll be far enough away that I won't give a crap. Hell if I have land I just might start to collect broken down crap.
Holy shit, am I the only one who has a problem with that? Bsically that exempts the local govt. from doing what they are supposed to do and allows a private party to levy a tax against the citizens of their community (private homeowners) without any oversight?
Great-Kazoo
06-19-2012, 21:58
Never had an HOA never will. You chose to live in an area where there is one. This is why we always buy in older neighborhoods.
Hell I live down the street from the Munsters and my HOA was bitching to me about grass too. If the damn thing exists at all, they should be concerned about a dilapidated house. Next time I get something, I'm driving around to all the HOA areas and taking pictures of their dead shit.
HOAs are un-American.
I have been renting a townhouse for the last year and I have seen the HOA in action at the complex I live in. What a joke. Not to mention the property owner pays $250 a month for it! All I have seen them do is some shoveling in the winter and even then it's sketchy. The cops got called because one of the shovelers whistled and called out to one of the resident's 12 year old daughter. It was a hoot! Money well spent there. [ROFL2]
Drilldov2.0
06-19-2012, 22:10
Never had an HOA never will. You chose to live in an area where there is one. This is why we always buy in older neighborhoods.
Well it was the only choice at the time. Never again. Some people are afforded enough time to shop around for months. Some work too much.
I pay $56/mo.
It covers Trash, general area snow/grass.
Not really happy with paying HOA.
I moved to this place, because HOA was $25 when we moved here. It went all the way upto high 60s, and went down to 56.
We use to have a crappy property management company, but we recently changed to cheaper management who does better job.
Well it was the only choice at the time. Never again. Some people are afforded enough time to shop around for months. Some work too much.
we were in kind of the same boat. We could either get a HUD home that had potential problems, never knew what it would end up looking like until the current residents moved out....or a brand new home in an HOA but we got to pick everything and have it built the way we wanted, up to standards, with a warranty and worked in lots of extras.
Holy shit, am I the only one who has a problem with that? Bsically that exempts the local govt. from doing what they are supposed to do and allows a private party to levy a tax against the citizens of their community (private homeowners) without any oversight?
It gets worse.
My wife and I spent over a year house hunting and despite the fact that it was a buyers market we had a tough time finding what we wanted. We were within inches of building a new home in the Wheatlands subdivision (SE Aurora/Centennial) until we found out that they had two HOA's. There is a community HOA (private) and a metro HOA (city). When all is said and done you are paying $85 a month in HOA dues for what they claim to be maintenance of all of the wonderful facilities offered to the residents; a pool is not one of those facilities.
As if the HOA due's aren't bad enough check into the property taxes of newly built subdivisions. City and county government's now allow builders to take bonds out to pay for the roads, street lights and etc. the bonds end up as levies in the form of property taxes. When you buy a new home you assume that the cost of all of the roads and etc. were built into the cost of the home but that is wrong and the sales guy at the new home office will tell you that property tax is 1% which is an out and out lie. New homes now run close to 2%+ for property tax alone. If you purchase a $300K home expect to pay close to $6K in property tax and $85 a month in HOA's. None of that property tax money or HOA money will be recovered when you go to resale your home.
stevelkinevil
06-19-2012, 22:34
HOA's and their insidious takeover of all metropolitan housing is why I refuse to buy a house till I can move into the middle of nowhere. However lately it seems now you have POA's (property owner assoc.) I rented a house in an HOA once, and because I dont want this to be a novel I will not go into the outrageous nature of their rule. Bunch of busybodys in a poorly run beurocracy whom have control over your property. I cannot for the life of me fathom how we as Americans allowed this takeover of our communities. (oh that's right it started where all communist anti-liberty movements start, Komifornia)
GilpinGuy
06-19-2012, 22:37
I am going to go season some pork shoulder, get the smoker ready and sip some Crown.
We'd get along just fine. [Beer] I just smoked up 10 lbs. of bacon today.
Wait...does your HOA allow you to emit smoke of any kind? [LOL]
HOAs are out of control for the same reason that government is out of control. People generally can't be bothered to be involved. I see the signs for the HOA meetings every month and think, "I should go to that and give those bastards a piece of my mind!" but I never go, because I just plan to move instead.
Personally, I think that HOA need to be 100% auditable by the public, and all money collected should be kept in a reserve fund for when things get damaged and need to be replaced. Have enough money in the reserve fund and nothing damaged that year? No fees next year.
The HOA at my place just got switched to some clowns that hire their friends and over pay them. Also, we have an issue where the brick veneer has fallen off of several buildings because it was not installed correctly. Now, EVERY passage way between buildings has been chained off for going on two years now while they wait on a settlement with the builder. You can't even get to any of the "common areas" because the access points are chained off. If the HOA would save monthly fees instead of paying their friends to do who knows what, certainly not repave the parking lot, pick up trash, fix the bird screen on my chimney, or mow the lawn more than once a month, then maybe they could have already fixed the buildings for the residents while being tied up in court. Not to mention that two summers ago they came around and told everyone that all the buildings were going to get new roofs.
Zundfolge
06-19-2012, 22:49
Never had an HOA never will. You chose to live in an area where there is one. This is why we always buy in older neighborhoods.
That and mature trees.
HOAs are out of control for the same reason that government is out of control. People generally can't be bothered to be involved.
That and they WANT to be able to tell their neighbors when to mow and what color they can paint their house (as I'm sure well see from the posts defending HOAs that may follow).
I live in a non-HOA area and yes, we have a couple neighbors that don't take care for their own property as well as I'd like but that's just it it's THEIR property. However for the most part our neighbors do just fine without all the nannystaters and busybodies (and most of the ones that don't are old widows ... who wants to hassle old widows on a fixed income? Authoritarians do, that's who ... a pox on them).
I live in a rural (County) area, and the previous subdivision I lived in, the HOA was a NAZI org. The President always voted himself back in since his family owned the majority of the vacant lots, and each lot is worth a vote. They charge $300 a quarter for Water and Sewer, and you're not even allowed to wash your car or water your garden. Hell, when I lived in Ft Collins, I watered my lawn three times a week, washed my two vehicles once a week, etc. My highest water/sewer bill was $33 for a one month period. Anyhow, they pick the rules they want to enforce, and ignore the rules they don't want to enforce. For example, we have rules on dogs at large (leash law) and barking dogs (noise ordanance), and they choose not to enforce those. They tried to restrict snowmobiles in the subdivision when 98% of the homeowners own and ride snowmobiles... that didn't last more then a few months. Glad I sold my house and moved the hell out of there.
The subdivision I'm living in now is great. I have a 100-meter range in my back yard and shoot one or two times a week. Mostly 5-round groups for accuracy, so I'm not doing any full-auto mag dumps or crazy stuff like that. I never shoot after 7 PM.
Last HOA meeting, the Pres. brings up the subject of shooting in the subdivision (someone must have complained), so I immediatly respond by saying; I'd like to comment. I'm the one who probably shoots the most (there are others who also shoot). When I was looking for land to build a house, I researched and studied the HOA rules (which doesn't restrict shooting), I spoke with the current HOA Pres. at the time, and also asked my neighbors on both sides of me if they mind if I shoot. I have a backstop, so no bullets are leaving my propery. If any one has any concerns, please come over to my house and I'll show you where I shoot.
Then one of the board members replied, can we come over and shoot at your place, and I replied yes!
The Pres. then said Ok, next item on the agenda.
After the meeting we had our HOA BBQ, and I had quite a few neighbors come to me and say, hey I'm glad we have you in our neighborhood, if we ever have any trouble, we know who to turn to for help. One guy even said, if they ever tell you that you cannot shoot anymore, you're welcome to come over to my place to shoot (he has land bordering our subdivision that doesn't fall under any HOA rules.
We need an HOA in our neighborhood to deal with road maintenance and snow removel since the County is not responsible (Private Roads), and with the HOA there to force everyone to pay their fair share, it works out. When I say fair share, it really is fair The snow removel company charges x-amount, the HOA divides that X-amount evenly by number of lots, and that's what we pay. No more, no less.
DangerLee_Industries
06-19-2012, 23:29
Another thumbs down for HOA. No way in heck I would ever buy in a neighborhood with one I enjoy my hobbies too much. I have enough people trying to tell me what to do on a daily basis I sure as hell don't need anyone telling me what I can and can not do to my own home or yard (not counting laws obviously).
I am very active around my house but also very respectful of my neighbors. I'm always tinkering, welding, running an impact or painting something in my garage. But I never do it at odd hours and if I'm making noise I try to do it as quickly as possible. My neighbors don't care because I'm usually the first person they turn to when they need help with a project or a vehicle and I help them every time...
Now do I want 22 illegals living in a 3 bedroom house next to me? No way but I'd rather take that chance then have a room of jack wagons giving me a ticket or whatever they do because I have a rolling chassis in my driveway since I'm painting the tub at the moment in the garage. Or have them tell me that I can't paint my house a certain color and that I can't leave my recycle bin on the side of the house.
I close on a place in Elizabeth next week and couldn't be happier. I'll make the drive into the city 5 days a week to be left alone and have the space to do what I do...
Bailey Guns
06-20-2012, 05:38
I'll make the drive into the city 5 days a week to be left alone and have the space to do what I do...
Ain't that the truth? I've lived in Bailey for 22 years. Yes it was a bit of a drive to work...and still is for the wife. But when we bought our first house it was way cheaper here than in the city. Not so much now.
And...not an HOA in sight.
I can pee off of my deck and walk around in my underwear if I choose to. I can park my car/RV anywhere I want. I can shovel/plow when I get around to it. Nobody tells me when/what color to paint my house. I take care of my trash bill. I shoot a reasonable amount when I feel like it. Something goes wrong it's up to me to fix it. Nobody comes up my drive uninvited unless they're driving a UPS or FedEx truck...or something with "Sheriff" markings on it. Property taxes for house, 30x40 shop and 16 acres is $1600.
That's why the wife and I put up with the drive.
trlcavscout
06-20-2012, 05:48
We decided when we first started house hunting that we didnt even want to look at anything with an hoa, its suprisingly scary how many hoods have them and how few of them actually do anything besides just cash checks.
Ain't that the truth? I've lived in Bailey for 22 years. Yes it was a bit of a drive to work...and still is for the wife. But when we bought our first house it was way cheaper here than in the city. Not so much now.
And...not an HOA in sight.
I can pee off of my deck and walk around in my underwear if I choose to. I can park my car/RV anywhere I want. I can shovel/plow when I get around to it. Nobody tells me when/what color to paint my house. I take care of my trash bill. I shoot a reasonable amount when I feel like it. Something goes wrong it's up to me to fix it. Nobody comes up my drive uninvited unless they're driving a UPS or FedEx truck...or something with "Sheriff" markings on it. Property taxes for house, 30x40 shop and 16 acres is $1600.
That's why the wife and I put up with the drive.
This ^^^^^^. I live out in Elizabeth. Hate the drive at times but I also haven't mowed my grass errrr natural prairie in 5 years. Wanted to build a 28 x 40 shop went to the county and said I'm building a shop and they said are you adding on to your driveway, I said no and they said OK here is a permit. Hell I even forgot to call them on a couple of steps in the building process and they just asked well how did you build it. I told them and they signed off on the C/O.
I'm on the board for our HOA. If I had my way I would disolve it and give the common areas back to the city. In addition, I would give the city our water rights if they agreed to maintain said common areas.
I'm not huge hoa supporter but live ext to enough jackasses without an hoa and you start to appreciate them a bit. MOST have reasonable rules that really just tries to block complete laziness and stupidity. They make sure your neighbor can't trash the hell out of his place which actually lowers the perceived value of your place. Also, my hoa has paid for a lot of stuff it would have sucked for me to pay myself such as when the roots of a big ass tree obstructed my plumbing. 9k in cost and I didn't pay anything. I also don't have to remove snow, cut my grass, fix my deck, weed whack, maintain the pools, tennis courts or roads in the community. Not too bad really. The only rule they have I dont like is no fog can be off leash. This sucks for people like me with well behaved dogs but I get why it's a necessary rule.
Also all the hoas Ive been in warn you before fines
I used to rent a house in Dacono. HOA was like $350 a year, all they did was have a guy come out and mow a 200yd stretch when you first enter the subdivision. No trash pickup, no snow removal, no playground, pool, or anything. Didn't even mow the vacant lots.
They sent me a notice for not shoveling the sidewalk. I lived between 2 vacant houses and their sidewalk wasn't clear, so there wasn't much point in me doing it.
I never lived in a HOA until I moved out here. I was a little apprehensive from all I heard about them...but I gotta tell you. Ours is pretty good.
For $62 a month, we get pool, trash and common areas taken care of. a couple of my neighbors are on the board, they're good people and very realistic on what they "expect/inspect". And none of our neighbors seem to "neglect their property, so I would think the board has it pretty easy.
The next subdivision over is managed by the same HOA...Their fees were almost double ours and the neighborhood is more run down (it is 5 years older). I drive through to get my kids too and from school, and have said a few times, "I'm glad I'm not their neighbor" .
I think they have their merits ....and it really is about who's involved on the board. If I'm going to live in suburbia with 1/4 acre lots(or smaller), I'll live in another HOA. but ideally I'd like acreage without neighbors too
i will never own a home inside city limits or with a HOA. i have had enough dealing with morons while renting through college. F that noise.
places like boulder are going to regulate and regulate until S hits the fan and property values plummet due to their control over people's homes
Byte Stryke
06-20-2012, 09:02
I still cannot believe that in the US people still line up to be enslaved...
HOA Boards... tilting at windmills with other peoples money
I have to say that our HOA where we live in Parker isn't really that bad. Keeps the 'hood nice, has a great pool, trash, all that. Gives people hell about houses that need painting, dead trees that need cutting down, weedy yards, etc., so our 'hood looks nice. My biggest complaint is that I need a bigger place, so I could have a shop building, places to park trailers and boats, put Chevys up on blocks, etc.
I need a country place for my lifestyle, not a neighborhood, but I can't really bitch much about our HOA.
Finding a place to live without an HOA is a pain. Fuck those little nit-picking bastards! I am going to go season some pork shoulder, get the smoker ready and sip some Crown.
go outside. look west. those big things.. they are called mountains. move there. i'm generalizing , but, mountain folk love guns and hate HOA's. avoid boulder county mountains tho.
seriously, its not too hard to find a place to live without an HOA.. but.. it may not be a place you WANT to live. generally speaking, HOA's exist to protect the property values for the homeowners. everyone wants to BE the guy with the broken down crap in his yard, half hidden under 2 foot grass... but no one wants to live NEXT to that guy...
one nice thing about where I live, were not ALLOWED to mow the grass, to preserve the 'rural mountain environment'.. and since im the guy with a bunch of crap in the yard, well.. im happy.
rockhound
06-20-2012, 11:03
Gladys (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005049/): [On phone] The homeowners charter, which you signed, says the grass is supposed to be two inches, and according to my measuring stick, yours is two-point-five.
Chad4000
06-20-2012, 11:21
I have had problems with mine in stonegate too...
they tried to fine me a couple of times. it took a number of emails to get them off my back. little things too... the house next to mine was under renovation for like 2 months.. huge dumpster outside, portapotty etc. and I get a letter for the oil stain in the drive way that was from the previous owner....
im like, "so there are people shitting in the drive way next door, and you are worried about my oild stain...ok"
(for the record, I am personally totally fine with reno'ing a house... but to be nitpicky on stuff about my house while that was going on is a little silly)
You are the bastard that called the hoa on me!!
That was supposed to be anonymous!
Seriously though, I have a HATE for HOA's. I've only lived in one, but knowing what friends have gone through with them I purposely searched for a house w/o an HOA.
The neighbors for the most part take pride in their shit, and I'm helping my younger neighbor with getting work done to get his looking good.
I have some though that are just worthless slobs. Luckily they're not my immediate problem :)
rockhound
06-20-2012, 11:38
I can find all of you nice homes in Bailey on a couple of acres with a view apparently of Bailey Guns walking around in his underwear,
thanks Carl, luckily my 4 acres is too far from your house to be able to see you. even through a scope
I can find all of you nice homes in Bailey on a couple of acres with a view apparently of Bailey Guns walking around in his underwear,
That's what happened to property values in Bailey... [ROFL1]
DangerLee_Industries
06-20-2012, 12:32
I can pee off of my deck and walk around in my underwear if I choose to.
Exactly...... I just had that conversation with my lady the other day. Heck I have a deck on each side of the house so I can alternate as I wish.... [Tooth]
Hack
[Beer]
HOA's are fantastic if you are the guy writing all the bylaws. They aren't so nice if you are anyone else.
Thankfully, this isn't North Korea, Cuba, or a few other spots that come to mind: don't like HOA's? -don't live in a place governed by one!
BlasterBob
06-20-2012, 14:05
Wow, after reading all the above, I guess our POA covenants are really relaxed. Of course, instead of a HOA, we have a POA (property owners assn.) We are at least five miles out of town, way down on the extreme South end of the State. Out here we do have EXTREMELY relaxed "rules" but no one ever seems to complain about anything that I am aware of. In the seventeen years that we have been in this POA, I have never regretted having to be in this Association.
Guess we really lucked out moving down here.[Beer]
Up in the General Discussion thread about "Target shooting on your own land", I commented about my target shooting on my little place.
AK47 Ranger
06-20-2012, 14:46
Ill get flamed for this by the majority but here goes.
Im in north stongeate, Windrift to be exact. Never had an issue but then again I keep my $hit tidy and squared away. Never had an issue when I lived in south stonegate either.
Personally I dont mind HOA's, keeps you guys with 7 cars, boats and RV's from making a storage lot out of things and it looking like a dump.
Your garage is for your cars and toys, not the 2000 boxes you were too freaking lazy to unpack when you moved in 5 years ago. My RV goes in a storage lot, so should yours.
Mow the damn yard once a week, its not that hard and also I make my kids pickup their trash, scooters and bikes every night when they come in. Its called making them responsible.
We ain't got nuttin up here. County won't even enforce property clean up. So we drive by and throw our shit on the trashy neigbor he never notices cause of all the shit he already has.
That way only one dump in the whole area.
Bailey Guns
06-20-2012, 17:39
Ill get flamed for this by the majority but here goes.
Im in north stongeate, Windrift to be exact. Never had an issue but then again I keep my $hit tidy and squared away. Never had an issue when I lived in south stonegate either.
Personally I dont mind HOA's, keeps you guys with 7 cars, boats and RV's from making a storage lot out of things and it looking like a dump.
Your garage is for your cars and toys, not the 2000 boxes you were too freaking lazy to unpack when you moved in 5 years ago. My RV goes in a storage lot, so should yours.
Mow the damn yard once a week, its not that hard and also I make my kids pickup their trash, scooters and bikes every night when they come in. Its called making them responsible.
Wow...thanks for the lesson on how to be a better person than everyone else. [/sarcasm]
CrufflerSteve
06-20-2012, 17:58
One way to deal with HOA's is to have toothless ones. I owned my first house in an area where the HOA had gone defunct and people rather liked it that way. RV's were parked in front of some houses. A few houses had rock gardens instead of front lawns and such. A few busybodies decided to bring the HOA back. Those of us who didn't like the idea packed the meeting and voted in a friendly board. It sponsored useful activities with volunteers such as Santa Claus visits and Easter Egg hunts. The RV's and rock gardens were left alone.
When I was moving into a community NW of Sedalia of about 150 houses it had covenants and an HOA and I was worried so I got a copy of the covenants. They'd either been written by a closet anarchist or retards. (I work in tech and have had to read & write requirements. I don't know law but I know logic.) There were multiple versions set up with none being the final one and they mostly contradict each other. Basically I don't think the board can disapprove almost anything the county allows. The only consistencies are a 3 horse limit and a ban on nonfunctional junker vehicles. (If they can be pushed they might be regarded as functional.)
Before I moved in there one fellow was excavating so he had a lot of dirt and built a berm along the road. A busybody HOA board sent him a letter that he couldn't have 'unimproved berms'. He put a couple of cheap pink flamingos on top of the berm and it ended there. That's how to treat an HOA.
Steve
Ill get flamed for this by the majority but here goes.
Im in north stongeate, Windrift to be exact. Never had an issue but then again I keep my $hit tidy and squared away. Never had an issue when I lived in south stonegate either.
Personally I dont mind HOA's, keeps you guys with 7 cars, boats and RV's from making a storage lot out of things and it looking like a dump.
Your garage is for your cars and toys, not the 2000 boxes you were too freaking lazy to unpack when you moved in 5 years ago. My RV goes in a storage lot, so should yours.
Mow the damn yard once a week, its not that hard and also I make my kids pickup their trash, scooters and bikes every night when they come in. Its called making them responsible.
I do the exact same thing, but I don't see the point in paying $45 a month for it. If someone isn't responsible for their crap, then so be it, as long as it doesn't affect me or my property. I just hate paying money when I am the responsible one. If they want to have an HOA and charge no dues, or only enough money to cover a nice pool or rec center that only the people within the HOA can use, then fine. But right now I feel like I pay $540 a year for nothing other than trash service.
HOA's? We just bought another house in Pine, unincorporated Jeffco. I told our realtor that I wouldn't even look at anything with an HOA, regardless of the price or location. She took us to King's Valley- BIG sign " no outdoor use of water" enforced by whatever HOA. So.. you can't wash your car, or water your garden, etc..? Bite me. She got the message. You can pretty well tell if you're moving in next to the Clampetts...
I've lived in the mountains for 23 years, always felt that if someone could afford to live in the same place, that's good enough for me. Live in an HOA-controlled neighborhood? I'd rather stick needles in my
eyes.
You can pretty well tell if you're moving in next to the Clampetts...
as long as the Clampetts don't move in after you. People move all the time (we've lived in 4 states in 6 years)
Something about being on the HOA board changes people, it's a power trip. They were given the power and they are going to use as much as they can. Several of us got tired of the crap and we elected those (like us) that used (un)common sense. Now it's not so bad. However, my wife is now sick of the crap and wants to move where we have some acrage (a clear shot 500 yards in any direction).
HOAs are more powerful than the IRS. If you get sideways with the IRS and they come for your house to sell it for whatever reason, they are second in line to any $$$ you owe the HOA. Bet some of you didn't know that.
I had 3 trees in the front of my house when I bought it, one died. They (HOA) sent me a letter informing me that in case I didn't notice, one of my trees in the front of my house died (duh, I see the front of my house every day).
I then cut the dead tree down to the ground, then the HOA sent me a letter stating I had to replace the cut down tree and I had 3 weeks in which to do it because I am required to have 2 trees in the front of my house. I sent them a letter I have two trees in front of my house.
I had to send a picture of the front of my house showing the 2 trees I still have in front of my house before they would leave me alone.
Did I mention HOAs suck?[Bang]
Byte Stryke
06-20-2012, 21:06
Ill get flamed for this by the majority but here goes.
Im in north stongeate, Windrift to be exact. Never had an issue but then again I keep my $hit tidy and squared away. Never had an issue when I lived in south stonegate either.
Personally I dont mind HOA's, keeps you guys with 7 cars, boats and RV's from making a storage lot out of things and it looking like a dump.
Your garage is for your cars and toys, not the 2000 boxes you were too freaking lazy to unpack when you moved in 5 years ago. My RV goes in a storage lot, so should yours.
Mow the damn yard once a week, its not that hard and also I make my kids pickup their trash, scooters and bikes every night when they come in. Its called making them responsible.
I bet you mow your yard in January too...
Tinelement
06-20-2012, 21:28
Freaking hoa's! I don't wanna even start!
So, was it '06 when the big snow storms hit the front range? Well I own a condo in the Fort. Got that huge snow storm, was driving an A4 at the time. Had to park 3 blocks away at the elementary school for over a month cause we weren't plowed out.
Get a letter im the spring saying everyone owes like $300 extra this year for the snow plowing. WTF!?! So I went to the next meeting. They say they spent over $40k in snow removal during the winter! I couldnt fn drive to my garage for a month!
I said hell, if you got a 40k budget on snow removal, just pay me! I could go rent a bobcat when it snows, clean the whole complex in a day, and not have to all year!! Filthy fuckers!
Now I rent the condo......whole nother can 'o worms!
[Bang]
My father always told me, "Son, never start a fight with an HOA, but if a fight does start, make sure you end it."
kidicarus13
06-20-2012, 22:14
AK47 Ranger supporter
stevelkinevil
06-20-2012, 22:35
disappointing to learn even though their numbers are few that we have any HOA Nazi's on the forum. For shame.
AK47 Ranger
06-21-2012, 08:30
Mine's 75 bucks a year and thats it. I pay my own trash etc.
I do the exact same thing, but I don't see the point in paying $45 a month for it. If someone isn't responsible for their crap, then so be it, as long as it doesn't affect me or my property. I just hate paying money when I am the responsible one. If they want to have an HOA and charge no dues, or only enough money to cover a nice pool or rec center that only the people within the HOA can use, then fine. But right now I feel like I pay $540 a year for nothing other than trash service.
AK47 Ranger
06-21-2012, 08:32
Nope. Im such a rich ass MOFO that every fall I tear the lawn out and put heated artifical tuff in so my yard always looks great no matter summer or fall. ETA or the dead of winter :)
Dont be butthurt Byte
I bet you mow your yard in January too...
AK47 Ranger
06-21-2012, 08:39
As I stated, my HOA doesnt mess with me and I never hear from them.
You guys that live rural or in the Mts on land that I get and I would agree with you about hoa's up there.
My hoa keeps the common area lawns mowed, trees pruned, mulch looking nice and fences painted and for the $75 bucks a year i pay for it that money is well spent and I could care less.
Im a smart enough guy to know that when the paint on my house looks like ass after 10 years its prolly time to paint it. I dont need big brother sending me a note telling me to. Its common sense and I handle it.
Call me a hoa nazi all you want. In MY situation it doesnt bother me...YMMV.
Wow...thanks for the lesson on how to be a better person than everyone else. [/sarcasm]
encorehunter
06-21-2012, 09:00
We moved to our property in 1985, and at the time didn't have an POA (HOA). I believe it was either 98 or 99 that a POA was formed, and then a few years later some Californians decided they wanted to get on the board and make some changes. They decided they didn't want anyone shooting on their land. We had a range that had been established since we bought the place. They tried everything, including calling the Sheriff on us. The Sheriff told them there was nothing he could do, as we are in the county and on private property. They began calling my parents and telling them they couldn't shoot on their property, so my parents called the Sheriff and told them the POA was harassing them. The calls stopped quickly.
We paid our dues every year, but since we were the only ones that lived on the west side of the canyon, the roads were not maintained. When we asked why, they said they could only maintain the east side of the canyon because that is where the majority of the people lived.
What I got out of the entire issue was, they want our money, they want to tell us what we can and can't do on our property, but they don't want to do anything for those requests. We do whatever we want on our property within the LAW, not the POA. Why should we have to change things we have been doing for well over 20 years now because some new comers don't like it.
So do you still pay the dues since they don't plow?
BlasterBob
06-21-2012, 09:24
Like encorehunter, we have a similar POA out where I live. There are, I believe, about 99 "ranchetts" all with 35 +/- acres and only about 40 some are actually occupied. Our roads are promptly plowed when we have 4-inches or more of snow and this along with road maintainence is covered with our annual dues. We are allowed to have up to two (houses) per property but as many out buildings as desired. As indicated in my earlier post, we have NEVER encountered any problems with our POA as this is a very low key, live and let live area and we thank God for that.
We do have posted speed limits of 30 MPH on all roads but the only problem is, what do or can we do about speeders. The County Sheriff won't come out to patrol since this is a private area. I guess that speeding (which is really not that common) is the ONLY "fly in the ointment". With so much wildlife roaming around here, slow driving is really required.
We do have posted speed limits of 30 MPH on all roads but the only problem is, what do or can we do about speeders. The County Sheriff won't come out to patrol since this is a private area. I guess that speeding (which is really not that common) is the ONLY "fly in the ointment". With so much wildlife roaming around here, slow driving is really required.wait a sec , you mean to tell me that you blaster"heavy foot" bob can drive 30 mph ?? [ROFL1]
encorehunter
06-21-2012, 09:42
My parents still pay the dues, but I don't know why. I don't think we have ever received anything for them, other than going once or twice to the yearly picnic. Since they called the Sheriff on us, we haven't been to the picnic.
BlasterBob
06-21-2012, 09:44
wait a sec , you mean to tell me that you blaster"heavy foot" bob can drive 30 mph ?? [ROFL1]
Hell yes, I ALWAYS maintain my speed at the posted 30MPH or less, depending on conditions such as switchbacks and other road conditions, especially since I am so critical of the damn speeders. [Tooth]
Hell yes, I ALWAYS maintain my speed at the posted 30MPH or less, depending on conditions such as switchbacks and other road conditions, especially since I am so critical of the damn speeders. [Tooth]
i hear ya , i hate speeders especially off the highway
BlasterBob
06-21-2012, 09:50
My parents still pay the dues, but I don't know why. I don't think we have ever received anything for them, other than going once or twice to the yearly picnic. Since they called the Sheriff on us, we haven't been to the picnic.
The recourse the POA's have if dues are not paid, is to levy a lien on your property and interest will accumulate on the unpaid dues. They have the delinquent owners by the balls. Of course, most buyers of the properties sign and agree to the covenants when their property is purchased.
encorehunter
06-21-2012, 09:52
I'm not sure if my parents ever signed on with the POA, as the property was purchased before the POA was formed. I know at the time it was formed, they promised everything, and after they gave basically nothing. I think the dues are around $50 a year, so it isn't going to break the bank, but it can be annoying by getting nothing for it.
funkymonkey1111
06-21-2012, 20:38
here's another tidbit about Denver HOA's
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/18847568/denver-neighborhood-bans-children-from-drawing-chalk-art-on-sidewalk#ixzz1ySwuJdaU
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