Do you, or would you live in "Homeowners Association"?

I live in a condo complex, most homeowners are seniors. Our board is not too bad. I do push the number of plants allowed on our balconies, due to the ridiculous rules limiting the amount. No problem with BBQs though. Lol. So far, in seven years, no

one has challenged me. My friend Duncan, the engineer, has made certain all plants are secured. Nothing short of an earthquake should shift them. I would prefer to live in a detached house, but anything decent would cost $350,000 at least.

Add upkeep and taxes, the cost is prohibitive.
 
debbie in seattle said:
We don't and wish we did. We live in an unincorporated county and there's no rules and if they are, they're ignored.
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That's the problem I have. Been here for 30+ years and it that situation has slowly deteriorated. Add to that the mass amount of immigrants moving into the area where language, customs/misunderstandings, resentment of being told what they can and cannot do, etc. Over the last dozen years or so there has been a trend of areas incorporation into cities to address the rules, but mostly that the rules be enforced.
 

My 'ex' was fined $75 for mowing her lawn at 11:45 AM on a Sunday. You can't mow lawns until 12:00 PM on Sun. But what freaked me out was who "turned" her in? And why? She was a nice quiet, well liked person. She liked living there, but I wasn't about to live there.
 
Interesting. Most of the "complaints" I see here are from people who have never lived in a neighborhood or community that has an HOA.

My home is in a neighborhood with an HOA. I've lived here over 17 years and have no horror stories to share. Like anything, there are benefits and drawbacks.
 
HOA, never heard that term, sure is shorter.

If I lived in an HOA complex I likely wouldn't be able to hear the roosters in the area crowing at dawn, like this morning.

I wasn't ready to get up, but I enjoy hearing nature's creatures doing what they do.
 
Nope, value my freedoms. No HOA for me. On top of that, you pay big money every month for the royal rule counsel.

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I understand that if HOA fees are unpaid, the HOA can put a lien on your home. Is that true? HOA's just seem to "Nazi" for me from what I have heard about them.
 
I live in a HOA neighborhood.

As far as I can tell, our management company exists pretty much solely to say, "Well, there's nothing we can do about that...." Or, to claim that you have to call "the city" about your problem (of course "the city" tells you that it's the association's responsibility and you have to go back an forth for at least a month until somebody agrees to fix it.)
 
I have lived in an HOA community for 40 years. Never gave it any thought. We have large lots.. mine is almost an acre, and beside me are 2-4 acre lots, so as far as not being able to hear roosters in the morning - not true. :D ... I have horses/ goats/ chickens among many other farm type animals around me. It's country, until you drive out to the main entrance, then it's "city".
We probably have the lowest HOA dues in the country... for 30 plus years it was $180 a year, then they voted to raise it to $325. They needed the money to update the clubhouse, and resurface the tennis courts and community pool. And these are things made available to residents for free. .. with lifeguards included.

Many free perks to living here. I live in a heavily wooded area of pine and oak trees, and the county trims trees at their expense, fixes sidewalks and driveways, and they take care of my property on the east side of my house outside the fenced area. It's an open area to a drainage ditch and they mow and maintain the entire area.
And on top of that, now there are no taxes yearly from the county for seniors over age 65.

I've heard many horror stories of HOAs ... but you won't hear any around my neighborhood.
 
I've owned this co-op apartment since I was 24. Technically I guess you could say we have a homeowners association. We have a board of directors, by-laws and rules, some of which have changed over the years and our by-laws are being reviewed for updates again. Our rules probably aren't as strict as condo associations. Living here has been a blessing for me. Our boards of directors have managed to keep our living costs down (about 39% of comparable apartments in the area). I have never wanted to own a house. Just seemed like too much hassle for me and I especially wouldn't want to be bothered at this age. I don't have to worry about replacing roofs, mowing grass, removing snow and ice, etc. Any work that affects common areas here are done by the co-op. We shareholders are responsible for repairs needed in our individual units that are not caused by a problem common to the units. I'm free to remodel as I please as long as it doesn't harm the structural integrity of the building. We have 88 units here. Most are in our low-rise buildings and 12 are townhouses.
 
No way I would live where there is a HOA. I guess different areas have different HOA Standards. A lady I worked with lived in an HOA subdivision and the rules there were unbelievable. She also had to pay monthly HOA Fees and the board could tell her what she could and could not do with her own home! Sounds a little "snobby" to me.
 
Bonnie said:
...We probably have the lowest HOA dues in the country... for 30 plus years it was $180 a year, then they voted to raise it to $325. They needed the money to update the clubhouse, and resurface the tennis courts and community pool. And these are things made available to residents for free. .. with lifeguards included.

Many free perks to living here. I live in a heavily wooded area of pine and oak trees, and the county trims trees at their expense, fixes sidewalks and driveways, and they take care of my property on the east side of my house outside the fenced area. It's an open area to a drainage ditch and they mow and maintain the entire area.
And on top of that, now there are no taxes yearly from the county for seniors over age 65.

I've heard many horror stories of HOAs ... but you won't hear any around my neighborhood.
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Wow Bonnie! Your HOA dues are so low for the same amenities I have in my neighborhood. Now I'm embarrassed to say I pay $1,000 per year (and no lifeguard). My neighborhood doesn't have many houses in it though so I guess that's why. Plus I pay property taxes, sales tax, and income tax. The county does nothing except empty our trashcans curbside. It's a nice neighborhood though and no horror stories here either.
 
This is the first time we've ever lived in an HOA neighborhood, but it appears to be a requirement in the Charleston SC area. We pay $2400/yr, have a dinky small clubhouse/pool with no lifeguard, no sidewalks and other than city trash pick-up, they occasionally spray for mosquitos. We have to have HOA approval for any improvements including planting a tree, fencing, painting your shutters. There are horror stories of past control freaks that have run our board and many divisions among the people who have lived here for decades due to this power of control. Some wanted home-owners to get fined for not doing weed-control in your lawn!

No, I wouldn't normally choose this, but I can see the benefits over the past places we've lived that didn't have any regulations. Especially when we lived in the county. It's an expense I don't think is worth the cost.
 

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