Opinions/advice regarding HOA conflict

[pb4uski]

Where I lived the city was responsible for clearing the sidewalks of snow.

 

[Chuckanut]

HOA's are needed when people share common ownership of property. If one does not want to be part of an HOA don't buy a home with common ownership. If one can live with wining a few and losing a few, the HOA should be fine. An HOA is a tool to deal with common ownership. How good or bad it is, depends on the board members and the owners.

 

[socca]

HOA's are needed when people share common ownership of property. If one does not want to be part of an HOA don't buy a home with common ownership.

There are subdivisions where nothing is owned in common yet nevertheless the properties are 'deed restricted', with the deed restrictions enforced by a HOA.

 

[MRG]

I'm looking forward to an HOA, sheriff's office doesn't have time to deal with my ignorant neighbors dog and I don't want to shoot it.

 

[Amethyst]

I wonder if there are any new developments that lack HOA. When we were looking at possibly moving out of state, we looked at numerous SFH developments on 1 acre or more - and every one had an HOA.

It's useless to fight the HOA unless you can prove they made a mistake. In questions of degree or interpretation, they will prevail.

The only time we "won" was when the HOA hounded us to remove a 6-foot-long scrap of "party fence" between our townhouse and the one next door, which they said had been installed without permission (it was there when we bought the home, and we were Owner No. 4).

After months of threatening letters, the HOA backed off after I managed to dig up documents proving that the original developer had installed the 6-foot fences; our home, it seemed, was the only one where someone hadn't eventually extended the fence.

HOA's are needed when people share common ownership of property. If one does not want to be part of an HOA don't buy a home with common ownership. If one can live with wining a few and losing a few, the HOA should be fine. An HOA is a tool to deal with common ownership. How good or bad it is, depends on the board members and the owners.

 

[Amethyst]

Then make sure that the HOA docs cover ignorant neighbors with nuisance animals in great detail. Otherwise, the HOA will smugly inform you that it is a matter "between you and your neighbor."

I'm looking forward to an HOA, sheriff's office doesn't have time to deal with my ignorant neighbors dog and I don't want to shoot it.

 

[big-papa]

What we've seen in our neighborhood is that some of the bylaws are written with enough wiggleroom that you're at the mercy of the personal taste of whoever sits on the board at any given time. The issue is that ultimately these are supposed to protect property values. We all know that extreme things can adversely affect property values, but there's a lot of grey area before you get to extreme. My wife was on our board for a couple of years - as pointed out by others, a thankless job indeed.

 

[REWahoo]

I wonder if there are any new developments that lack HOA. When we were looking at possibly moving out of state, we looked at numerous SFH developments on 1 acre or more - and every one had an HOA.

Developments without a HOA are rare in this area. Our rural subdivision (110 lots ranging in size between 3 and 5 acres ) has a HOA while the subdivision next to us, with over 700 lots of similar size, has deed restrictions but no HOA. If someone in that subdivision violates the restrictions it is up to the offended lot owner(s) to take legal action to gain compliance.

I'm not a big fan of HOAs but I was glad we had one when someone bought the lot near the subdivision entrance and erected a party pavilion. It was 1/2 mile from us but on Friday and Saturday nights we could hear the music even with our doors and windows closed. The HOA butted heads with the lot owner and ended up winning a lawsuit to force him to tear it down.

 

[Big_Hitter]

I love my party tent - can drink beer on the patio without the sun or rain beating down

 

[rodi]

the shoveling snow thing really got to me, but there are LOTS of people here that don't do it within 24 hours (or ever)

why do people need to be walking on the sidewalk when there is ice/snow on the ground? get on a damn treadmill or something

the first time some lady was walking in 6" of snow on my sidewalk and looking at me as I pulled in at 6pm after a long day at w8rk up my 30 degree driveway digging in ruts with my studded tires. irritating[/rant]

When I lived in suburban Philly we had that law. Sure it was sometimes a hassle but
- we lived within 4 blocks of a SEPTA light rail station - so many neighbors took the train into center city to go to work.
- we had a Catholic elementary school 2 blocks away and most kids walked to school.
- we had a large Catholic high school 5 blocks away in the other direction and many kids walked to school.
- our public elementary was in yet another direction about 4 blocks away, again most kids in the immediate area walked. (Too close to qualify for school bus service.)
- Postal workers delivered mail to our doors - so not just the sidewalk needed shoveling - so did the front walk to the door.


Despite the fact that I worked full time and didn't have a husband or kid I could pawn the job off onto - I shoveled before work, after work, etc, as needed. It was the appropriate thing to do.

One neighbor down the street didn't shovel - he lived on a corner and had 2 teenage, able body, teens. My next door neighbor went on a campaign to report him every time - because his house was on the route to the train station. He started randomly shoveling. I never figured out why he didn't put his kids out shovelling.

 

[W2R]

So, we're going to replant the ugly Euonymus, although we'll put them in a few feet further from the foundation, and maybe accidently leave one out.

We're probably going to sell the place within the next 5 years after DD and family move on to a single family home.

Good decision. I have never lived with an HOA, but have read enough about them and how miserable they can be, that I'd never want to risk violating HOA rules. Besides, as you point out, you will be selling and moving before too long.

I'm at the other end of the spectrum. A patio home on a 50 x 100 ft lot. The golf course is my backyard, but I don't have to maintain it.

A 50'x100' lot makes it a patio home? I guess lots here are smaller. My lot for my old house was 50'x100', and my present lot is extra big at 50'x120'. This is considered to be a spacious suburban lot around here. In the city, lots are often just 20' wide.

I do have to maintain my yard, of course. However, now that I have re-done the entire yard with low maintenance in mind, all that I have to do is put out money for the lawn guy. So, like you, I can enjoy looking at a nice expanse of green lawn and don't have any yard work.

Honestly I think your golf course home sounds absolutely superb and it is probably perfect for any single retiree, especially for you since you love golf so much.

 

[REWahoo]

A 50'x100' lot...

Seeing this made me think of some of the homes/lot sizes I see on the home-buying shows, where they describe both the home and lot size in SQ FT! Living here in flyover country that seems really odd. Even tiny city lots are listed as "1/8 acre," not in SQ FT.

 

[ivinsfan]

In some towns you are D#$med if you do and D#$med if you don't...we looked for a second home in some smaller towns in Southern Utah. Living on a farm we don't love people telling us what we can and can't do with our yard and house.

The huge majority of suitable areas had HOA's some of them very strict.The few areas that didn't have HOA's attracted the "free spirits" dirt yards, car on blocks ,5 or 6 vehicles usable and unusable around each home. Dogs running loose. The odd non-working appliance in the back yard. No doubt nice people but made the area an eye-sore. We could never find the "right place" for us....we just rent monthly on VRBO in HOA areas so we don't have to worry about any drama.

 

[W2R]

Seeing this made me think of some of the homes/lot sizes I see on the home-buying shows, where they describe both the home and lot size in SQ FT! Living here in flyover country that seems really odd. Even tiny city lots are listed as "1/8 acre," not in SQ FT.

And then there are the armadillos, spiders, arsenic in the water supply, tornados, drought, high property/school taxes, and other interesting aspects of living in Texas. All of these, along with the use of acres rather than square feet in real estate ads, probably inspired the time honored saying that "Texas is a whole 'nother country."

 

[REWahoo]

And then there are the armadillos, spiders, arsenic in the water supply, tornados, drought, high property/school taxes, and other interesting aspects of living in Texas. All of these, along with the use of acres rather than square feet in real estate ads, probably inspired the time honored saying that "Texas is a whole 'nother country."

Maybe when we decide to sell I can start a new trend and advertise the house "Located on a 217,800 SQ FT lot".

 

[W2R]

Maybe when we decide to sell I can start a new trend and advertise the house "Located on a 217,800 SQ FT lot".

Well, 5 acres isn't a lot, it's acreage. We city folk just don't understand acreage (we don't have cattle, either).

With land as limited as it is in the New Orleans soupbowl, 5 acres here would cost a fortune. I don't know of any SFH built on even one acre, much less 5 acres no matter how extravagant or how many millions it costs.

The really really REALLY rich folks building a multi-million dollar house out here in the suburbs, would probably do it in the high rent district where lots are huge - - 60'x100'. Maybe they would combine two lots, which would make it 120'x100' (1/4 acre). I don't recall seeing a lot that big but I could imagine a very wealthy person possibly doing that.

 

[Sunset]

Where I lived the city was responsible for clearing the sidewalks of snow.

+1
Same here, now I don't but there is no law requiring me to shovel.
Imagine the 80 yr old neighbor forced to shovel, a heart attack waiting to happen.

City plows the road, why not the sidewalk ?

 

[Philliefan33]

+1
Same here, now I don't but there is no law requiring me to shovel.
Imagine the 80 yr old neighbor forced to shovel, a heart attack waiting to happen.

City plows the road, why not the sidewalk ?

I'm not sure our suburban township could get the many miles of sidewalk plowed within 24 hours. They can barely keep up with the roads. Of course they could hire more people and buy more equipment, but that would cost a lot of tax money and some winters we only get a few snow storms.

What does the 80 year-old neighbor do? Hire the teenager down the street to shovel. Or a neighbor with a snow blower takes care of it for him/her. Here in SE Pennsylvania, we don't get a lot of snow but sometimes we get a lot at once. Last winter, after a storm dumped 20" of snow in one day, everyone was quite neighborly helping each other clean up.

 

[Walt34]

I wonder if there are any new developments that lack HOA. When we were looking at possibly moving out of state, we looked at numerous SFH developments on 1 acre or more - and every one had an HOA.

Depending on the local and state laws, you may want to have an HOA. Around here there is no zoning (been voted down twice in the time we've been here) so without an HOA there is nothing to prevent your neighbor from building a strip joint, bar, or gambling joint next door to you. That has happened to some people. That kind of makes the odd vehicle, appliance, or wandering dog pale in comparison.

 

[rodi]

I'm not sure our suburban township could get the many miles of sidewalk plowed within 24 hours. They can barely keep up with the roads. Of course they could hire more people and buy more equipment, but that would cost a lot of tax money and some winters we only get a few snow storms.

What does the 80 year-old neighbor do? Hire the teenager down the street to shovel. Or a neighbor with a snow blower takes care of it for him/her. Here in SE Pennsylvania, we don't get a lot of snow but sometimes we get a lot at once. Last winter, after a storm dumped 20" of snow in one day, everyone was quite neighborly helping each other clean up.

That was my experience. The neighbors that had snowblowers often went around and did the neighbors who weren't out shovelling yet.

When I had moved south to Atlanta, but still had my house in suburban Philly we got a massive storm. My realtor quickly arranged to have my sidewalk shoveled. But the guy she hired found that my neighbors had already done my sidewalk.