Disillusioned with HOA and thinking of moving

[JDARNELL]

I live in A HOA to protect myself from people like me. I sit on the board as the old regime is dying off. I don’t want any overreach power hungry bored retiree to come in and dictate. I also don’t want a large setting pool of cash setting there earning nothing during periods of high inflation.

 

[Walt34]

We've lived in both areas with and without an HOA. "With HOA" is for us a sample of one and we've had no issues and the HOA is reasonable to deal with on the rare times we've had any issues/questions. For example, they do require that yards/lawns be maintained and once we had the front yard dug up in November to replace a water line. Of course the front yard was a shambles until the following spring (can't plant grass in winter) and we never heard a peep from the HOA. But we did get it restored when weather allowed.

Around here there is no zoning. That means your next door neighbor can not only open a junk yard, he can put in a strip joint too if he wants. I'll take the HOA, thanks. But I have to add that despite hearing horror stories of HOA's being little dictatorships we have not run into that here. If we did we'd move.

 

[Chuckanut]

But I have to add that despite hearing horror stories of HOA's being little dictatorships we have not run into that here. If we did we'd move.

Most people I know who have been on HOA boards have little left over time to use trying to run the lives of the other homeowners. The last thing they want is controversy, bad feelings, and having to get involved in the minutia of another person's life.

Note: The OP may have legitimate issues with his HOA. I do not judge that. I simply like to put forward the other side. The OP's statement that nobody other than the current board members wants to be on the HOA board of directors exposes the root of the problem - Indifferent property owners. Not so good.

 

[Ian S]

Living in my third home with an HOA. All have been neighborhoods where the homes are close together. I have served on the boards of two of the HOAs and neither had any of the officious jerks that are the subject of so many complaints. And yes, as a board member, I've encountered individual homeowners who buy in an HOA because everything looks so beautiful and well-kept but then complain when they want to change their unit to the detriment of the other homes. Please folks, read the rules BEFORE you buy in an HOA and make plans to abide by them. It will save everyone a lot of grief in the long run.

I'm not on my HOA board here in the Sedona area but thank the stars we bought in an HOA. Many areas of Sedona proper don't have HOAs and because the state passed legislation preventing local governments from regulating short term rentals, we now have a situation where many homes are owned by out of state corporations and have been turned into mini-hotels without the regulation and zoning actual hotels have to abide by. When half your homes in a neighborhood are occupied by partying transients, it really ceases to be a neighborhood. In contrast, our HOA bans short term rentals (less than 30 days) and has stepped up enforcement and dramatically increased fines for cheaters.

 

[Walt34]

Most people I know who have been on HOA boards have little left over time to use trying to run the lives of the other homeowners. The last thing they want is controversy, bad feelings, and having to get involved in the minutia of another person's life.

I suspect that's the case with most HOA's. Of course some are put in the position of trying to please everyone which I know from my job is an impossible task. One person's "nazi dictatorship" is another's "reasonable and appropriate rule enforcement". It's a fine line to walk.

 

[Texas Proud]

It is not an HOA that is the problem.... it is the people who run them that is...


My old neighborhood was great.. the HOA did what it was supposed to and did not get in people's business... but then a resident became president and he hired HIS company to monitor the neighborhood (at a high price) and they started to send a lot of infraction letters... I got one saying my driveway needed cleaning... really, it looks just like all the other driveways out here...


It took a few years but the neighborhood rebelled and voted him out of office after he kept delaying the meeting that was supposed to happen... went back to normal...


My current one is a bit out of hand... but not horribly... they did decide to 'improve' the look of the neighborhood and put up concrete fences along the major road that cost over $1 million.... which we had to pay

 

[eytonxav]

I've lived in several HOA communities and never had issues with capricious board members harassing homeowners over trivial matters. On the other hand, I have seen some residents who probably never owned a home before that did some very weird things that detracted from the appearance of their home and the neighborhood.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We live in an HOA community that is well managed, No Purple homes, Sofas, dead cars or overgrown yards, we would never consider living anywhere else. It is the third well managed gated community we have lived in. It is no "Token" $35 so called hoa, they cannot do anything for that. So, there are hoas and then there are real HOAs. Landscaping is included in ours as are 2 guard gates located at each end of the community. No that is a "Proper" HOA. with a Professional Management Company backing up the board.

Like everything else, you get what you pay for.

 

[W2R]

We've had our house in a 55+ community for about 8 years now. We bought here thinking it would be a good place since we spend at least half of the year at our Colorado cabin.
Unfortunately the HOA has become a small dictatorship. The same people are the only ones who run for election every 2-3 years. The board creates conflict and is known for enforcing the rules impartially.
Neither one of us is interested in being on the board.
So we're thinking of selling and buying another house. Not interested in anywhere with another HOA.
What brought up our possibility of moving is my DW's aunt recently passed away just after her 100th birthday and we may buy her house. This is in my DW's small home town about 20 miles from where our house currently is. The house would need some repairs and updating but should be much less expensive than what we can sell our house for. DW has a sister 2 houses down who just moved back from VA and a cousin next door. Plus other close relatives nearby.
I don't really care where I live and this house would give me options for projects that I can't do now because of the HOA.
Any thoughts?

(emphasis mine)

I share your opinion of HOA's, a highly contraversial issue upon which our membership seems to be pretty evenly divided.

From what you are saying, I think you should try it! Sounds like you would be happy doing various projects there, and it would be cheaper as well. Your DW might like being close to her relatives (hopefully?).

Sounds like a fun and refreshing change, if your DW wants to move there too.

One caution though - - I don't know your age, but if you are over 60 or so then please, get more help for the move itself than you think you will need. The mind says you can do things that the body just can't do any more. When I moved at age 67, I did too much and regretted it.

I told Frank that if we ever move again, I'm packing a suitcase and selling everything else in an estate sale (and I meant it!).

 

[Scrapr]

I've lived in 3 HOAs. First 2 were small with little or no community property. Just a quirk of the local land use rules. Virtually all new homes/developments are in an HOA. I was elected President once when I missed a neighborhood gathering. LOL

The latest one is pretty big with a property management company managing the Boards direction. The only beef I have is the Prop Mgt company is not very responsive to questions....ie: refer to the Board minutes. I needed to repaint the home and needed approval to repaint. Which was fine. Except they did not say up front that no pre approval needed to repaint the same color. So it took a couple weeks to sort that. I had to find the original paint scheme though. Luckily I found a binder from the original owner. It would be helpful if the management company had an inventory of colors.

Overall it's been a great community

 

[GalaxyBoy]

There are HOAs then there are HOAs. One place barely had enough resources to mow the grass at the entrance because membership was optional. The “lady” a few doors down from me decided to retaliate against her neighbor who dared complain about her nonstop barking dog by erecting unpainted plywood in front of her garage doors. The HOA threatened to sue and in reality they would never have afforded a lawyer, but she backed down. In the other case the HOA largely existed simply to maintain the private roads serving that neighborhood. I prefer a HOA but I wouldn’t want a fascist one.

 

[Lewis Clark]

It is not an HOA that is the problem.... it is the people who run them that is...

You are correct, sometimes.

And sometimes the problem is the neighbors who ignore the rules and cause problems when a good board tries to enforce the rules.

 

[bobandsherry]

You are correct, sometimes.



And sometimes the problem is the neighbors who ignore the rules and cause problems when a good board tries to enforce the rules.

I'll drink to that. Especially those who move in, knowing there is an HOA and then want to bully people into changing the rules.

 

[ivinsfan]

I have an HOA. $35/month. No amenities.

I also have neighbors with
*cars in the street with 4 flat tires for years
*weeds knee deep (its a desert, if it's green you're supposed to spray roundup on it).
*garbage cans that sit on the curb in perpetuity
*granny houses built in the back yard
*garages packed to the gills with junk (or turned into a family room) so all the cars are parked in the narrow street.


The HOA management will not take action unless somebody complains, and then they require that the offender be notified who it was that that reported them.

Attend an HOA meeting (or just visit the Nextdoor "group") and the level of stupidity is simply amazing... "We can spend 135K on this and it won't cost us anything because it will come out of the reserve fund". These are the people who are going to vote for the olympic sized swimming pool and club house.

I will never have another house in an HOA. It's just another level of government to be taxed by.

And you have an HOA ,do you live in small town Utah...I love Utah but they think all the things you mentioned are normal and ordinary. Except you didn't mention a horse or pet goat in the back yard. All the newer development in Southern Utah have strict HOAs and for a very good reason.

 

[SecondAttempt]

There are plusses and minuses to both.

You will have the "NO HOA EVER" crowd chime in, of course. Me, personally? I like my HOA to keep the neighborhood maintained, address behaviors that detract from home values, etc., and ours maintains the entrance road to the neighborhood, our park, and provides security.

I think if you live in an area where you can't hardly see the next house from your front window, then an HOA is less important. Or if you want to paint your house purple, and have cars propped up for months on end to work on in the driveway, then you definitely don't want an HOA.

But if you live in a typical subdivision with <30 feet between neighbors, want shared amenities, and someone taking care of the common areas, working with the city/county when needed...then you probably can benefit from an HOA.

No disagreement really but there are alternatives. I live in a small, fairly rural subdivision with only a couple of dozen 5-acre lots. There is a HOA and a separate association to take care of the road, gate, and other common areas. I happen to live on one of about 5 lots that are somehow exempted from the HOA so I am not a member. But I am as of March on the board of the common area association. I am getting a closeup view of the pent up anger over issues over the last 20 years or so. The people running the HOA now are reasonable people but there is a lot of history poisoning relations.

I previously owned a condo where (before I lived there) the idiots on the board did something illegal (denied an ADA accommodation), got sued, and lost. Not only did the damages deplete reserves, the directors' insurance policy premiums skyrocketed.

So always realize your HOA is only as good as the people on the board. They literally have the power to bankrupt you with bad decisions with impunity. That is simply not a situation I want to be in. It is actually surprising to me that mortgage companies have not stopped writing mortgages when there is an HOA without severe restrictions on their powers.

 

[SecondAttempt]

if it's green you're supposed to spray roundup on it).

Have you seen the billion dollar verdicts for Roundup exposure. Is that really something you want to be exposed to? Choosing to use it yourself is one thing but giving over that risk to an HOA would be unwise. My county has discontinue Roundup use because of the liability exposure.

 

[Badger]

I have lived in my non-HOA neighborhood for the past 40 years. It has changed considerably in the last 15 years with the small houses replaced by McMansions. I'm one of two who is still in an original modest concrete block house.
I doubt that I would be happy living in an HOA where people tell me what I can and cannot do and I certainly wouldn't want to pay to give up control of my own property. My neighbors are wealthy and have lawn service, maids, pool service, etc. and I doubt any of them do their own maintenance so everything is handled by some kind of professional. I am not worried about the neighborhood going down hill because there is no HOA. My neighbors have more to lose if they don't take care of their houses.

Cheers!

 

[punkinhead]

We've been in a neighborhood with no HOA for 30 years. We have no junk cars, overgrown yards, or other problems because the city enforces rules about that stuff. My wife and I aren't busy bodies so we don't care what color someone paints their house.

 

[Markola]

I don’t think I’d like living under an HOA. I’d probably prefer to rent a luxury apartment, where at least a corporation has an incentive to provide me customer service, or else I’ll leave a bad review online and go down the road.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Our HOA has a management company that knows Nevada laws and keeps us from doing anything illegal. We also have a lawyer to advise us when necessary. There’s 5 people on the board and only one is a jerk. We only need 3 votes to pass items and that person is not the president. The board is a reasonable group of people.

 

[MC Rider]

No HOA for me. I support your right to paint your house whatever crazy color or scheme you want. Personally we went with a very light yellow and white trim. Gray shingles last year when we did the roof. Nothing flashy or weird.

 

[W2R]

We've been in a neighborhood with no HOA for 30 years. We have no junk cars, overgrown yards, or other problems because the city enforces rules about that stuff. My wife and I aren't busy bodies so we don't care what color someone paints their house.

+1

No HOA here, either. The Parish (=County) has rules about overgrown yards, junk cars, and all sorts of things that detract from property values, and these rules are energetically enforced. When I was having my landscaping re-done, I had a pile of dirt about four feet high in front of my house, that was to be spread on my yard. The Parish even showed up on Day 1 and chewed me out about that! But I got it taken care of just a few hours later (as planned) so all was well.

The vast majority of houses in my neighborhood are owned by a family member of whoever originally bought it, in 1965 when these houses were built.

Old New Orleanian families (like those near us) seem to stay in New Orleans forever or very nearly so. So, most people aren't going to do anything that would reflect badly upon their family's reputation around town.

 

[Willers]

As a former HOA president, I avoid HOA’s like the plague now. I’m not sure where the people live that have junkyards in non-HOA areas. That has never been true anywhere I’ve lived where HOAs weren’t present. I’ve lived both lives and I’ll take the no-HOA life all day long.

 

[momoftwo]

No HOA needed in my neighborhood.
We are so lucky we retired to this suburban neighborhood a few years ago.
Small to medium single family homes only 1/4 acre yards.
Mix of young and old families.
Kind of place where neighbors lend you tools for your projects, cut your lawn when your bedridden, hold block parties every summer, plow your driveway just cause they beat you out.
All the houses are neat, most have flower gardens.

We hesitated for a nanosecond when we just repainted our exterior.
All the houses are pale muted grey and beige....ours is now deep burgundy with cream trim.
Those who commented had compliments, the quiet ones were quiet.
The best.

 

[RobbieB]

My "hood" is getting gentrified. Built before the "zero lot lines, ie 5 feet to the fence, bare minimum" craze now and property values far exceed what the newer bigger (but small lots) homes are going for. When I moved in there were a few "cinder block cars" and even an engine block on driveways.

Not anymore. Costs a half mill to buy in here now low end, mine is worth 650. Bought 33 years ago for 127 -