HOA rant

[How to communicate after a contentious divorce...]

What does this rant have to do with BPD...likely nothing.  Perhaps because I live where I live because it was "the perfect place for my wife"..."her dream home".

Anyway...years ago I lived in a country club HOA place.  It was a fabulous home and mostly crappy snooty neighbors.  Bad experiences with neighbors that would rather complain to HOA about you rather than talk to you.

I had also flipped a bunch of houses in places that had HOAs and had several bad experiences there.  (you would think they would be happy a foreclosure was being fixed up and sold at high price...wrong)

So...for about 10 years I had no dealings with an HOA.  I had sworn them off for life.  (or so I thought)

Then in our last move we bought this place.  Since I knew some people that lived in this neighborhood and got assurances the HOA was "really good", I decided to give it a try.

The complaints started immediately.  Too many cars, people...don't park here..park over there, don't put bikes here..put bikes over there.  I tried to comply and make people happy...show effort, then at some point a year or two ago I figured out (through some research) that one neighbor was unhappy about a fence decision (on my property) from a couple owners ago and was really never going to be happy. 

Well...he has kept complaining which resulted finally in Deputy coming by today and I'm apparently in violation of a state law (debateable) for how I parked vehicles in my driveway which has connecting sidewalks.  Deputy claims that the sidewalk can't be obstructed in any way.  So..I moved vehicles.

Here is the kicker.  The only reason I parked so many vehicles in the driveway was a prior attempt at appeasement so not so many vehicles would be in the street (which is NOT and HOA violation or against county code)...but I was trying to accommodate when I didn't have to.

Here is the basics of it.  10 people in my family, 6 drivers.  8 cars (7 now since one was just totaled).  Plus...other people and family coming over.

I get it..we make an impact and that's going to tick some people off, no matter what I do. 

I really...really miss living on the farm. 

FF

[formflier]

What does this rant have to do with BPD...likely nothing.  Perhaps because I live where I live because it was "the perfect place for my wife"..."her dream home".

Anyway...years ago I lived in a country club HOA place.  It was a fabulous home and mostly crappy snooty neighbors.  Bad experiences with neighbors that would rather complain to HOA about you rather than talk to you.

I had also flipped a bunch of houses in places that had HOAs and had several bad experiences there.  (you would think they would be happy a foreclosure was being fixed up and sold at high price...wrong)

So...for about 10 years I had no dealings with an HOA.  I had sworn them off for life.  (or so I thought)

Then in our last move we bought this place.  Since I knew some people that lived in this neighborhood and got assurances the HOA was "really good", I decided to give it a try.

The complaints started immediately.  Too many cars, people...don't park here..park over there, don't put bikes here..put bikes over there.  I tried to comply and make people happy...show effort, then at some point a year or two ago I figured out (through some research) that one neighbor was unhappy about a fence decision (on my property) from a couple owners ago and was really never going to be happy. 

Well...he has kept complaining which resulted finally in Deputy coming by today and I'm apparently in violation of a state law (debateable) for how I parked vehicles in my driveway which has connecting sidewalks.  Deputy claims that the sidewalk can't be obstructed in any way.  So..I moved vehicles.

Here is the kicker.  The only reason I parked so many vehicles in the driveway was a prior attempt at appeasement so not so many vehicles would be in the street (which is NOT and HOA violation or against county code)...but I was trying to accommodate when I didn't have to.

Here is the basics of it.  10 people in my family, 6 drivers.  8 cars (7 now since one was just totaled).  Plus...other people and family coming over.

I get it..we make an impact and that's going to tick some people off, no matter what I do. 

I really...really miss living on the farm. 

FF

[Red5]

Sounds like… you need a "ouija board "… and a good handler / flight deck controller Formflier !

So how packed is the hanger deck?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlmW_8WRlis

… "stand by to strike below" !

Sorry, couldn't resist Brother : )

~"steady as she goes"~

Red5

[zachira]

HOA properties are marketed by companies as being free of having to take care of the outdoor part of the property. Once the company owning the property sell all the condos/houses, then the homeowners usually have to form an HOA, which requires many hours of free labor on the part of some of the neighbors. In my opinion, HOA properties are for people who cannot afford to buy a property independently, and basically it is annoying to have others deciding on what you can do and/or be one of the owners who is part of the HOA Board doing endless amount of work on behalf of the other owners in addition to being personally liable. There are many owners who lost their homes during the financial crisis because other owners could not afford to pay their HOA fees and the rest of the owners could not afford to cover for them. Having many vehicles is usually not something most owners welcome. One of my neighbors ran a limo business and took up many of the parking spaces on the street and all the visitors' spots in the complex. Eventually, many of the neighbors in the area, not just those who lived in the same complex, got the City to evict him. You probably don't like what I have to say. It just sounds like living in a property that is part of an HOA is not for you. I currently participate in two HOAs, one as an owner and the other as a proxy, and I can't wait to sell one and no longer be involved with the other. I am sick of all the infighting and selfish actions of many of the owners. You may buy a property with a good HOA, and things can change fast when a bad egg buys one of the properties.

[formflier]

I've done Condo associations (for investment purposes) and those actually tended to be much better.

Imagine a neighborhood with a bunch of single family homes.  The HOA does care for a common playground and an entrance way.

I guess the purpose of my rant today was that I moved vehicles (when the rules said I didn't have to) to attempt to make people happier, show I was trying to "get along".  That put me in actual violation (assuming deputy is correct) of a law about sidewalks.

I suppose this gives me ammo for next complaint when I say no to moving or tying to "work with them".

FF

[Fian]

I hate HOA as well.  My only good HOA have been condos and one really cheap HOA fee in rural Indiana, where the President ran for the position just so no one would bug him.  I loved the HOA.  But in Florida, every new house is a part of a HOA, and they like to complain about lawns, location of satellite dishes (location picked by DirecTV), etc.  The latest complaint was that we left the Christmas light brackets on our eaves.  My wife loves HOA, as she wants the picture perfect community.

[Cat Familiar]

I bought a house for my elderly mother in a HOA. Lots of restrictions: no children's play equipment, no clotheslines, no garbage cans except on pickup day, no working on vehicles, no riding motorcycles, etc. The dues were onerous--$1800/year and that was 15 years ago. And you had to pay more if you wanted to golf or use the tennis courts or swimming pools, or dock a boat.

On the plus side, the security patrol brought my mother home a couple of times when she got lost.

On the negative side, I had to get the paint color pre approved by a guy in the office who was colorblind. As a result, I couldn't paint the house a nice low-key sage green, but the green color he wanted looked like mint chip ice cream. 

[GaGrl]

We live in a single family dwelling HOA community -- swim/tennis area and entrance/landscaping is maintained by the HOA. The fees are only $480 a year (I'm sure they can't maintain that very long). The only situation I've heard of since I moved here was the HOA notifying my new neighbor that RVs/campers had to be parked behind the fence, not in front driveway.

That being said, I got snookered into being a zone captain (not yet clear on what all that will entail) -- be very careful about who you let know you have retired! First meeting was last week, and already there is drama.

I may regret the HOA decision.

[Fian]

My biggest pet peeve is I am paying someone to tell me what to do.  And generally, the more you pay, the more time they have to look closely at every single rule.

[formflier]

So...I know exactly what ticked me off the first time around.  For three years I was stationed close to a major metropolitan area and that's where I was in the "country club golf neighborhood".  As in you had to live there to join and play golf. 

I had no interest in golf or country clubs but found a massive "McMansion" house that I figured would be a lot of fun and give us plenty of room.  3 stories plus a full basement.

And...I thought I was getting a deal on it because it needed a lot of work.  The yard especially looked like azz.

Well...I buy the place, move in and the very first communication from the HOA was a violation notice about the yard, even though work was being done on yard to make it look better.

Then...a couple weeks later I got this wonderful "welcome packet" that was very "welcoming".

So...I took both to the next meeting to get an explanation from the board.  How did a violation notice show up prior to a welcome packet, especially when it was obvious improvements were being made. 

They were jerks...zero appreciation for someone buying the worst looking place and trying to make it look better. 


FF

[No-One]

Well...he has kept complaining which resulted finally in Deputy coming by today and I'm apparently in violation of a state law (debatable) for how I parked vehicles in my driveway which has connecting sidewalks.  Deputy claims that the sidewalk can't be obstructed in any way.  So..I moved vehicles.

Here is the kicker.  The only reason I parked so many vehicles in the driveway was a prior attempt at appeasement so not so many vehicles would be in the street (which is NOT and HOA violation or against county code)...but I was trying to accommodate when I didn't have to.
FF

Things differ between States and Communities.  Not obstructing a sidewalk is a rather common regulation.  We used to have difficulty with visiting/assisting my elderly parents on street-sweeping day.  They had a corner house, with a very short driveway.  You could park one car sideways, but the only way to park in the normal way was to block the side walk.  Since there was a school down the road, the police were diligent about writing a ticket for any vehicle hanging over the sidewalk (or parked on the grass on street-sweeping day).  People around the corner, a few houses down, or on the next few streets got away with hanging over a sidewalk area.

If you aren't in a high profile area, where safety is policed, you can generally get away with a vehicle hanging out over a side walk area, unless someone files a complaint against you.

The most common problem that I'm familiar with is neighbors with the 7-8 vehicles anchoring them in front of your home.  Sometimes, hanging into your driveway a bit, and leaving them for several days.  After I read through my cities' laws, I found out that in my city, cars can't be parked in one spot for more than 72 hours.  So, after a few years of frustration, and eventual enforcement by the city, I've finally got a handle on the problem.  

One neighbor used to go out of state to a vacation home every weekend.  They always left a very generous space in front of their driveway/house, but would park a large work truck at the edge of my driveway (usually hanging over my  driveway, which is on a cul-de-sac curve).

Sounds like you have no choice but start parking some cars on the street.

PS:  I got a bad taste for associations when I used to own a condo. Had to pay  special assessments (in addition to monthly fees) of thousands of dollars for unexpected maintenance issues for common area (that didn't involve my actual home).  The bad taste continued, after multiple incidents of neighbor's plumbing problems damaging my home.  I sold it before I had to deal with something like earthquake damage.

[AskingWhy]

There are pros and cons of HOAs.

On the one hand, a home is one's castle, and no one should be able to tell you how to landscape, what color to paint the home, leave the garage open while one is working in the garage, etc.

On the other hand, if some jacka$$es throw a wild party that won't shut down until 0200, then it's nice to have the HOA step in.

I am sorry that this is happening.  There are no easy answers. 

[Notwendy]

My one experience with a HOA was both good and annoying. I don't think it's just with HOA but with any organization- there are people who are attracted to power. PTA's, boards, churches, and you just have to deal with them-but it isn't easy sometimes.

 

[Fian]

There are pros and cons of HOAs.

On the one hand, a home is one's castle, and no one should be able to tell you how to landscape, what color to paint the home, leave the garage open while one is working in the garage, etc.

On the other hand, if some jacka$$es throw a wild party that won't shut down until 0200, then it's nice to have the HOA step in.

I am sorry that this is happening.  There are no easy answers. 

In our condo, we had neighbors throwing a loud party.  We didn't call the HOA, we called the police.  However, there are benefits to HOA.  The nagging does result in prettier yards which results in homes having higher property values.

[GaGrl]

In our condo, we had neighbors throwing a loud party.  We didn't call the HOA, we called the police.  However, there are benefits to HOA.  The nagging does result in prettier yards which results in homes having higher property values.

There are advantages.  I like the way our HOA encourages participation and activities. We have a calendar of events throughout the year, many focused on the children (which the older residents like us really enjoy -- they are so cute!). We have been named one of the best neighborhoods in the city, especially for families with children. Now THAT keeps the property values up.

[Fian]

I can't believe it, now our HOA is demanding that we power wash our sidewalk.  That is a new one.

[Turkish]

I hate the concept of HOAs. I looked into buying a few condos in 2009 and 2010 my biggest concern was likely increasing fees.  

In my hood,  there is what looks like a crack house at the end of the block, maybe 10 houses down, but everyone around me Leo's their homes up,  even renters.  I repainted my home from not quite horrible 1970s white with turquoise trim. I keep my yard trimmed. I can't imagine asking permission. I'm also liking paying it off and only worrying about property taxes and insurance.

[Cole]

Haul in some dirt and build a rifle range in the back yard. They will forget all about the parking issue.