I don't get it, why buy a house in an hoa?

[hatidua]

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]

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.

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]

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.

[Mtn.man]

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]

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]

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

[sniper7]

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.

[motorep]

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.

[JoeT]

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)

[R&S]

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?