Homeowners Association (the Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly)

[GoFride]

I've been looking at houses for sale, and a lot of them require that you abide by Homeowners Association rules, judgements, and
by-laws. Is it worth it? Has anybody out there actually gotten some benefit from a Homeowners Association? I've heard that it can turn into a nightmare. Some stories I've heard;
1) Having to repaint the freshly painted front door, because it wasn't a pre-approved, sanctioned color
2) Digging up a pretty rose bush, because you're only allowed three shrubs and now you have four
3) Being told that your husband can't park his pickup truck in the driveway
4) Having your neighbors walk right into your yard to measure the height of the entire length of your new fence (no part of it allowed to be over four feet high)
With these things happening, it's easy to hear about all the negatives. And yet Homeowners Associations are more prevalent than ever before. So there must be a lot of positives, too. How much do Homeowners Associations really benefit the homeowners?

[Vypyrz]

HOA's can have some strict, crazy, and by all appearances, pointless rules, but they are designed for one thing: to keep the homes, yards, and neighborhoods clean, uniform, and in a good state of repair, which ultimately keeps the property values up.

[llovelace]

We had an association in the developement I lived in a few years back, and let me tell you some of the assoc rules were down right idiotic, as far as benefit goes, I really didn't see any, to me it seemed like just a social club for uptight busybody housewives & hen pecked husbands.

[Driver]

I hate my leaving in a housing addition and a HOA. There is a lot of stuff that i want to do that I cant. I should have thought about that before I bought the house.

Ill state that i don't live in a bad town or neighborhood. We live on the nice side of town that is up and coming with tons of new developments. So when reading this don't think that its just because of location. Its not.

We bought our house on the water. One of the rules for our type of property is we cant have a privacy fence since it will block other peoples view of the water. Well we dont have a fence up and and we have people that dont have any respect for other peoples property or space. Last year we were on our back porch and out of no where a huge family of 8+ people came walking right through our yard. Not on the border but literally 3 feet from our porch. Two of them where pushing strollers and then about 10 minutes later 2 more people came walking through. It happens all the time people running through our yard.
This past 4th of July my wife and I went on a mini Vacation. When we came home there were tons of fireworks trash laying all over our backyard and burn marks in it. You could see where people were lighting them off.

I dont mind the rules as much as i mind the people that i live around. Most of them are nice but you will ALWAYS have the ones that dont care and just do what they want. It is just what happens when you stick a bunch of houses in a small little area with little yards.

Im the kind of person that I want my own space and I respect other peoples space and property and I expect them to do the same. Therefore i will never own another house in a neighborhood or HOA again.

Thats just my

[Stewart_Reptiles]

A sub-division without a home owner association can go down the hill real quick and make it hell (Been there done that), but some home owner association can be over the top as well.

Ultimately there should be a just a middle, in my case it's no longer an issue since we live on a little over 3 acres and I can tell you I could not go back to a sub-division life style now, home owner association or not however if I had to I would chose a place with a home owner association.

[rabernet]

There are not enough redeeming qualities of an HOA that would make me ever consider a home in a neighborhood that had one.

[rperry03]

My parents live in one and the homes are kept up. I don't and the neighborhood is kept up. They need approval on everything and if you are not tight with them they can deny anything, whereas I don't need approval.

I guess my pointless ramble is that Housing associations are pointless if you shop the neighborhood and know where you are buying.

[geckobabies]

It all depends on the HOA and area. Everyone of them is different. They have good things and bad things just like everything else.

The last house I lived in before this one had no HOA and the houses around me were pink, purple/blue and yellow. Needless to say I don't mind HOA's anymore

[Cendalla]

I grew up in the country on a small 15 acre home and the thought that someone can tell you what to do on YOUR property is absolutely ridiculous. Your home- your money- your decisions! My inlaws live in one of those neighborhoods and I must not be social enough to tolerate all those know-it-all busy bodies! If you can handle it than good luck. Me- I'd end up painting my hose fuschia just to tick everyone off.

[JLC]

I think any HOA needs to be very carefully investigated and homeowners within that HOA should be interviewed before buying a home within one. They're all SO different.

My sister lives in a really nice HOA neighborhood. Their fees go to pay for parks, a club house, a gorgeous pool. All the homes and yards are beautiful, and the rules are quite reasonable.

My brother also lives in a totally different HOA and is currently deeply embroiled in an expensive lawsuit with them. (My brother and many of his neighbors against the HOA)

We lived in a townhouse with an HOA. The HOA kept the lawns mowed, the sidewalks clear and salted in the winter, the exterior of the homes painted. I didn't mind paying those HOA fees.

We own a house in Florida that also has HOA fees. That HOA has some stupid rules (no more than two pets, for instance ) as well as the standard rules about keeping the lawns maintained and not allowing your trashcans to sit out in public view except on trash day....tons of other nit-noid rules. And not one of those rules is enforced. Even in the brand new neighborhood, yards got totally weedy...people parked cars on the grass....trash cans hung out wherever...fences fell into disrepair and didn't get fixed. But we still have to pay the damned fees, even though they don't do squat for the neighborhood.

I currently live in a lovely little neighborhood of very old houses. The yards are all beautiful, the homes are well maintained....and no HOA hovering over anyone's heads to make sure it happens.

Someday when we retire, I plan to live on a nice plot of land out in the country and no one will tell me what I can and can't do in my own house.

I guess it all depends on what you really want out of your home and your neighbors. Just make sure if you DO get into an HOA, you make sure it's what you want it to be.