Homeowner Associations/Condo Associations

[sgeeeee]

Originally Posted by Cut-Throat

. . . But generally they work as well as governments do. If the voters don't pay attention and educate themselves you might end up with a 500 Billion Deficit -*

CT,

Haven't you heard. That's Clinton's fault.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by REWahoo!

I would like to think the above comments don't apply in my situation as a HOA board member.

In Cut-Throat's case, he will have to speak for himself.

of course I was not referring to you or cut throat just all of the other jerks who sit on HOA boards.

My

[razztazz]

But generally they work as well as governments do

Except they are perfect examples of private individuals functioning within the free marketplace.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Cut-Throat

HOAs are not for everyone, so you have to ask yourself if you want to abide by the rules. If you think the rural areas in Arkansas with broken down washing machines and old couches in the front yard have country 'charm', I suggest you not even look at an HOA. - And guess what! - The people who like an HOA - really, really do not want you to move in. Especially guys like me on the Board!

I don't have any desire to live in or near Arkansas, period. I might go fishing there though.... As for HOA's - you may be willing to trade your property rights for a color coordinated pallete of tans and whites, I am not. It's just not my cup of tea. At any rate, I'm sure that all the homeowners in your little Peyton Place 14 home HOA, will be at each others throats will get along just fine. Good luck.

[Kitty]

Originally Posted by REWahoo!

I would like to think the above comments don't apply in my situation as a HOA board member.

In Cut-Throat's case, he will have to speak for himself.

Yup, been there done that got the tee shirt.
I lived in a Community for 55 and older and boy did I run afoul of the "Commitee". My side of the street was part of the original development and had its own HOA. We had a min. amount of rules mostly with things like what colors you could paint your house, what landscaping, signage, exterior decoration yadda yadda. I bought the only house in this section with a garage door everyone else had no garage door. The houses on the other side of the street had garage doors and a rule, the door had to be kept closed unless you were parking your car (no kidding). I, being a bit absent minded would leave my door up when coming home late at night and tired-the next morning I would have someone stop by and remind me of the rule to keep my garage door closed. I would have to remind them that, that rule was for their side of the street where they would get this look on their face sort of like when a baby is having a bowel movement and turn and leave . I also would get a letter now and then about triming my palm tree in front of my house, palm trees grow and the lower palm turns brown slowly and droops down until it finnally lays against the trunk where it becomes a home for birds. However the HOA doesn't care for that look and they patrol the neighborhood to report those homes that need to scalp their palm trees. Oh, another one is I couldn't hang laundry on my patio to dry where anyone could see it even if they had to jump up and look over my six foot patio wall ...sheesh . I had the house painted the same color it was and some old lady came by with a color chart and held it up to the wall to see if there was any difference.... grrrr

Also if you were a widow, and your husband died after buying the house and you were not 55 yo you had to move. I couldn't believe folks could be such jerks.

I was delighted to sell that home even though I loved it. The rules kept getting more and more oppressive.

Kitty

[Brat]

Originally Posted by Kitty

Also if you were a widow, and your husband died after buying the house and you were not 55 yo you had to move. I couldn't believe folks could be such jerks.

Kitty

Did they ever attempt to enforce that, or did they just write nasty letters?

Originally Posted by Kitty

Oh, another one is I couldn't hang laundry on my
I was delighted to sell that home even though I loved it. The rules kept getting more and more oppressive.

Kitty

Yup Kitty, HOA's are definitely not for everyone. I understand you now live on a farm and are a 'free spirit' - That is great and I understand why you don't want to live in a HOA.

Myself it works for because I am a 'neatnick' - I love going to the outdoors and roughing it for a week or so, but when I come home, I like everything in it's place.

Aren't we glad we are all not alike! 8)

In my Assoc. - We do not Mow our own lawns, paint our own houses, trim shrubbry or trees, shovel snow etc. etc. - It is made up of people that we rather Fly Fish or Golf than tend to our property. 8)

[grumpy]

Kitty,

Were you given a copy of the HOA bylaws and Rules & Regulations before you bought your place? In most, if not all states, that is a legal requirement. Did you read them? If you did not want to be bound by them, why did you buy there? It isn't just communities with HOA's that present these issues. Our last house was not in an HOA but the town in which it was located had what it called "protective covenents" which were quite similar. The town had 4 "code enforcement officers" who drove around and wrote tickets if your grass was too tall or your paint was peeling. Seems like you have to live way out in the sticks to avoid this kind of thing.

Grumpy

[youbet]

Originally Posted by Alex

I don't have any desire to live in or near Arkansas, period.

I guess that is the Clintons' fault!

[haha]

Originally Posted by grumpy

Seems like you have to live way out in the sticks to avoid this kind of thing.

* *Grumpy

I guess it depends on what you call "way out in the sticks". Much of the City of Seattle doesn't have these sorts of covenants.

Ha

Originally Posted by HaHa

I guess it depends on what you call "way out in the sticks". Much of the City of Seattle doesn't have these sorts of covenants.

Ha

Nope most of our major cities have no problem with 'doing your own thing'

[img width=750 height=500]http://www.clarksbury.com/avenues/coxwelllg.jpg[/img]

[Kitty]

Originally Posted by Brat

Did they ever attempt to enforce that, or did they just write nasty letters?

Yes, and they weren't very nice about it either. The HOA board members were actually spending money on lawyers for this, several of us who didn't care for this rule or spending of monies to enforce it, made a motion not to fund the proceedings. Wow, this stirred up a hornets nest. About half of the membership was for getting her out and half for keeping her in. Seems some of the old bitties were worried she would try and get another husband from the those already taken ? Stupid, stupid people. The lady in question put her house up for sale and it took months for it to sell. She made a nice profit and moved away only to marry another older gent... on and on goes the story I guess.

Kitty

[REWahoo]

Isn't Seattle where the "grunge look" originated? Not that there is anything wrong with that...

[Alex]

Originally Posted by youbet

I guess that is the Clintons' fault!

nope, it's the weather. I really love southern cal's weather.....

[haha]

Originally Posted by REWahoo!

Isn't Seattle where the "grunge look" originated? * Not that there is anything wrong with that...

True enough, but as I am a quasi-anarchist it suits me. My only obejection to city life is crime; the day to day randomness of the rest of it is pleasing to me.

Ha

[sgeeeee]

Originally Posted by youbet

I guess that is the Clintons' fault!

Before long everyone on the board will have it right.

[AltaRed]

FWIW, I am with CutThroat in his view of HOA's. I've been in 3 of them in one form or another including condo boards, and I want the development to look as tidy and neat 10 years from the day I moved in. For all the problems HOA's can have, I don't need rednecks next door. Would y'all want JG to live next to you and do his own thing?

[ladelfina]

I think it's funny the kinds of people that cotton to the HOA lifestyle.. I find it in that sweet spot where fascism morphs into communism.

I didn't even realize that these kinds of places existed until I was in my early 30's and visited a friend's sister in the DC area (forget if it was VA or MD.. anyway the bedroom communites all around there..). It was really shocking to see all these folks working for "freedom" who were content to have someone tell them what they could and couldn't do in their own backyard (where no one could even see, as Kitty and others have mentioned). Chilling. Zero personal identity. It felt like a luxurious version of a jail.

All my life I've lived in places where people just naturally seem to keep up a relatively similar standard of living/maintenance with respect to their neighbors.. no lawyers involved.

Doing your own thing is what America is all about!*

A patriotic Marine who has been at war with his homeowners association and local government for flying an American flag on his property may finally be able to wave his troubles good-bye and recoup thousands of dollars, thanks to a new law taking effect Monday.

The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 – signed by President Bush last week – prevents a condominium association, cooperative association, or residential real-estate management association from denying an owner or resident from displaying the U.S. flag on their residential property within the association.

The measure is a huge relief to George Andres, a 69-year-old veteran who has spent some $70,000 in legal fees and fines since the homeowners association in his Indian Creek subdivision objected to the flagpole on his front lawn at the start of the millennium.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=51357

$70,000 in legal fees/fines and a congressional intervention later, freedom is won!* *

[farmerEd]

I can't beleive anyone would willing live in a place with a HOA...why would I want another group of people telling me what I can and cannot do to my own property...no way? But as Cut-throat says, good thing we aren't all alike.

On the other hand, there nearest house to mine is a good 1/2 mile away and I own the land in all directions around me....good fences don't make good neighbors, lots of distance between houses do.