Opinions/advice regarding HOA conflict

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by harley 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.

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Originally Posted by harley 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.

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Originally Posted by Dawg52 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]

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Originally Posted by W2R 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]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo 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]

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Originally Posted by W2R 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]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo 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]

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Originally Posted by pb4uski 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]

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Originally Posted by Sunset +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]

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Originally Posted by 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.

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]

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Originally Posted by Philliefan33 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.