Those of you in HOA communities....

[OMCboater]

the "boat storage in HOA..' thread got me to thinking about something.

First of all, let me say that I would never live in an HOA. I understand, respect and appreciate the benefits they give to those looking for them, but my lifestyle does not suit an HOA, and besides most of the people in an HOA would not want me as a neighbor. Not because I am messy, but I have lots of interests (one of which was doing major restorative work on my 69 bowrider in my driveway). The grinding dust, the smell of resin, the visual impact on the neighborhood.... I believe a man's home is his castle and I will do whatever I damn well please (within limits, of course) on MY property. Now that I have that out of the way I am curious about something.

Does the HOA own or control the roads in any way? I can accept that they can make rules that you can't have a boat in your driveway , but can they make rules that you can't have a boat parked on the street in front of your house? Wouldn't the street fall under the jurisdication of the city/town/village?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

As long as its a public road. At my vacation home at Lake Tahoe, I can't park my trailer in the driveway but no problem parking it in the street as long as I move it every 48 hours(the local law)

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

The HOA's I've seen, the rules and regs are restrictions on the Deed. When you buy the property you sign away your right to participate in any of the restricted actions.
Some people love this as it maintains control over activity (noise and clutter)in the subdivision and can help maintain property values.

Obviously this is not for everyone. (I couldn't put up with it myself)

 

[NO WHINERS]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

I own 2 different homes in HOA"s..One in Cali and one in Vegas...Yes I have received letters from both of them for different things...One for a boat in the driveway"to long"...One for a company vehicle with lettering on the sides...It"s not for everyone thats for sure...Property value is higher?? Maybe..I think I need to get another house that I can let er loose...........

 

[salty87]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

not all HOA's are the same. some are very intrusive...trash can can't stay by the street overnight or you'll get a fine....some are very minimal. the neighborhood i live in has an HOA but they don't do very much. the annual fee was deeded along with all of the rules and the fee hasn't barely changed in 30 years. needless to say, it doesn't pay for much but the absolute minimum such as maintenance of the boat docks and the few common areas like children's playground, community office bldg, road maintenance...that's about it.

that said, our roads aren't up to county standard and until they are...the neighborhood maintains them. county roads have to follow whatever standards they have and that's much wider than our current roads. this is an old neighborhood with old roads.

we still follow county rules regarding right of way easements though.

newer neighborhoods tend to go more overboard with the rules. unless your HOA has people driving around looking for infractions, it's usually the neighbors that do the complaining and get the HOA involved. that's my biggest peeve with HOA's....the rules aren't enforced uniformly. if you have a pain in the butt of a neighbor, life will be harder. if you live in a more laid back area or have cooler neighbors, you can mostly do what you want.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

Our city house is in a HOA development. It does require property owners to keep up their yards, can't have cars on blocks, etc. Our "dues" are $200 a year and primarily pays for trash pickup. That's about half of what we would pay otherwise. The city put a limit on the number of trash cans/bags that can be picked up weekly (the city owns the dump), but it doesn't apply to HOA developments as they contract with the trash haulers directly. So we can put out as many as we want/need.

I'll contrast what our neighborhood looks like compared to a neighboring city that at one time had a one of the highest per capita income levels in the country. Nowadays, one can see houses almost falling apart, grass growing up to your knees, etc.

 

[captharv]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

Ours is called a "residents Association". This allows the renters to have a say. However, there are not a lot of renters in the subdivision.
I am a "ham" radio operator and have antennas. I also keep the boat in my yard. When I bought the house, I researched the city and county ordinances on this. There were none re: antennas unless I went over 60', and boats (or anything RV) had to be " ...behind the front line of the house and oscured wholly or partually by a fence or shrubs".
I also asked about the HOA. The city said it folded due to lack of interest.
After I was here about 5 years, some of the neighbors revitalized the association. I took a seat on the board of directors to protect my interests.

All that said, the HOA is a contract which you entered into by either signing up, or in the case of manditory membership, buying the house. I know, all too well, that maybe when you bought the house, you did not have a boat or anything that would set off the HOA. If you think that this is unfair, contact an attorney. In the case of a non-manditory membership, just cancel your membership.
However, if its in the deed or deed restrictions, you are stuck with it.

 

[gstanton]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

Our FL home is in an HOA development and we find it to be exactly what we need. We don't have to hassle with anyone about anything- and they don't hassle us. We trailer our boat down for the winter, park it overnight and launch it the next day. Then we put the trailer in the garage. It is a boating community. Same thing when we leave in the spring. In the meantime, the grass is mowed, the cable is paid and everyone follows the rules.
In the north, we own the property, so we can do as we wish.
As others have said, if you agree to the rules... then abide by the rules!

 

[Zeeter]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

I like my HOA for all the reasons listed above. Nobody has to live here and pay more. You can live someplace else and pay less and put up with all the eyesores. Choice is wonderful.

 

[TahoeQ4Pilot]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

The OPs lifestyle is the exact reason I am in a HOA community. I am too poor to afford 40 acres all to myself, so I am stuck with neighbors. Not that I want to dictate their lifestyle, I sure dont want to be surrounded by folks who are 180-degrees off from my values.

Instead of having to argue amongst neighbors, we all have community rules we agreed to follow. I went through my restrictions with a fine tooth comb before I bought the house....twice. I knew the rules going in, and they were what I could endorse and abide by. Though occasionally something makes me shake my head, 95% of the restrictions make good sense by me.

 

[JaSla74]

Re: Those of you in HOA communities....

We're about to move into a HOA neighborhood. It was all peaches & cream until the wife found out she has draw up a landscape plan & pay the board $25 just to review it. She's got a green thumb & LOVES to garden. Being dictated too over what can or can't plant might be a problem. I guaranDangtee you we'll have the best looking yard on the block once she's done though