Homeowners association questions

[PhreeZone 15]

Whats anyones thoughts on a HOA? I'm starting to look at houses and some of them have them, others don't. Are they a bigger hassle then they are an asset? Do they actually provide any real value?

I've heard horror stories, but never any good stories about them... whats your opinions if you are a member of one?

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

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[PLFXpert 0]

Don't do it. Step away from the HOA!

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[Beerlight 0]

I'm house hunting (or was until they grounded the Shuttle fleet) and have heard nothing good about HOA's......

But....if they can keep property values up, maybe they warrant furth investigation........

[wmw999 2,130]

Houston has no zoning laws, so they keep someone from buying a house and putting a parking lot and a sign in front for their in-home accountant practice. They keep the green belt mowed, the trees trimmed, and the pool manned and clean. The boundary fence for our subdivision is failing, so they're trying to replace it (it's a concrete fence) without breaking the bank.

They also regulate what color my house can be, the height and type of fence, and a lot of other stuff that I think is too restrictive.

All in all, they take care of a certain number of hassle factors. My taxes would take care of some of them without the HOA, but I wouldn't have a pool as close, I probably wouldn't have the greenbelt, and the fence would be the problem of each homeowner.

The best thing about them is that they're always looking for volunteers, so if there's something you particularly don't like about it, you can probably work on it and change it.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[PLFXpert 0]

Now that I've actually read your post...

Depends on what you value. If you want your neighborhood to have a required level of aestetic beauty, rules & regulations for certain things, then it might be for you.

If you don't like paying for someone to make your rules and regulations, and can deal with the one house on the street that always seems to have awful sh!t in their yard and overgrown plants, then save your $$$.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[rhoni_renee 0]

Run away! Run away!

Seriously, I don't own a house, don't want to. But one of the guys I work for is the presiden of his HOA. I asked him (while working on the newsletter for him) the benefits and his answer..."We have best lawn in the neighborhood contests!"

RR

Now is the time to take possession of my life, to start the impossible, a journey to the limits of my aspirations. For the first time to step toward my loveliest dream...." -- Hugh Prather

[PLFXpert 0]

There are many things w/out having an HOA that can keep your property value up. Usually, it's location, not an HOA, that contributes most to that.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[TheBachelor 5]

When I was looking at houses, I'd find a nice house, and one or two doors down, the lawn was 3 feet high. I live in a community with a HOA now. They make sure things like that don't hapen.

They are making me paint my house this year (it does need it).

If/when I move again, I'll probably look more favorably on homes with a HOA veruss those without one. On the other hand, I'd never be on the board of a HOA. That's a thankless, and often difficult job.

There are battered women? I've been eating 'em plain all of these years...

[Tink1717 2]

I'm the president of a Condo Assn. My advice would be that if you can at all avoid it, don't but in an area with a HOA. They are not worth the money and their sole purpose seems to be to advance petty arguments among neighbors.

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[tigra 0]

Honestly, I think it just depends on the association-if you pay dues, what do they cover and how are the by-laws written? If you find a place you love and there's an association, just do the research and decide if its something you can live with. Some just provide for maintaining certain common areas and others dictate the type of plants you can have in your yard.

[tsisson 0]

I live in Phoenix where it is hard to live in an area without an HOA. I can tell you, they are a pain in the ass...it almost seems as if the people who get on the HOA staff have got nothing better to do than hassle the homeowners for petty little things that none of the residents typically care about.

I got nasty grams for 2 straight months because a 12 inch section of cable television wiring was white, and not painted to match the house. Now keep in mind, I painted it twice, but the shading was never quite "up to code".

The HOA does nothing but get my blood pressure up. I'd much rather live 2 blocks over in the horse property neighborhood where all the residents live in peace!

[outlawphx 1]

I'm in Chandler myself, and I haven't had any trouble with my last couple HOA's. I prefer to have them, rather than risking the chance that my neighbor decides to turn his front lawn into an automobile graveyard.

Now I did get asked to be on the board of my current HOA, but I'm a little leary about liability. So far my current HOA has been good, and I think the fact there are only 99 homes in the community helps.

[gravitational 0]

It's a good/bad proposition. I spent 2.5 hours on the phone with the HOA pres. prior to closing on my current place to get all of my questions answered.
Thinking at the time, there was a 'I don't like the HOA' clause in the contract so I could bail if I didn't get the warm fuzzies I needed.
My last place in CO had an HOA that was disbanded. Sadly, a house a couple doors down was hot pink with an offset shad of pink trim. Another neighbor had his two trashed RVs (one trailer, one motorhome) parked in front of his and his neighbors house. The guy also had 5 cars between him and his wife (no kids). An HOA would have stepped forward and forced them to store the RVs and possibly at least one of his vehicles elsewhere. Both were an eyesore that an HOA would have helpful to dispose of.
Do you research and ask all the obligitory dumb questions. You've got my number so call me if you've got any questions.

------
Michael

[skinnyshrek 0]

Depends all HOA are different. I bought a house in a neighbourhood that is hoa...It stops cars being on bricks keeps houses looking good and makes sure everything is taken care of. I wasn't a big fan of it but each one is different. Some are anul as fuck others are just there to make sure your neighborhood doesnt get ghetto

http://www.skydivethefarm.com

do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

[thelimit 0]

I own a house with acreage but I am not with HOA.
There's good neighbors and bad/dirty neighbors everywhere...If you pick your neighborhood right you'll do fine. HOA doesn't mark up your house. It's the way you maintain it that does, along with the neighborhood you're in. Ask for a list of the members of the HOA you'd like to be part of and give them a call first. If they don't want to give you phone # it's should solve your question!! Good luck.

[Elisha 1]

One thing to consider is that you may not have a choice. In my case, anything in my price range is in a complex w/ an HOA (i.e Condos/Townhouses) - it goes with the territory so to speak.

[skydiver51 0]

I agree with you. Hoa's won't increase property value that much. They may get more home buyers who want thenm to look at you property. Try and get a copy of the by-laws in the additions where you like the homes. It will tell you alot about the HOA. I really like ours. They just ask for a survey on building a splash park. We already have a nice small park with nice play ground equipment. There are good ones and bad ones. Do some research.

[Shotgun 1]

I owned a condo with an HOA for a couple of years. I had no problems with them. They took care of the grounds and all the exterior maintenance, and they were usually pretty quick to fix any problems. They had a bunch of rules, but of course I read all the bylaws before buying the place, so I knew exactly what I was getting into (so it was no big deal).

I'm sort of wishing we had an HOA right now, because then we probably wouldn't have neighbors next to us who have way too many people living there and way too many cars parked out front (and usually parked in front of our house)...

[freeflygoddess 0]

depends, do pink houses bother you? How about 5 families living in one house and non speak english so when Santa Ana's knock over fence you can't talk to any of them, let alone have them pay half to fix fence. Or neighbors who turn two car garage into meth lab or bedrom for 20 recent border hoppers....

edited to add and to think we paid a quarter million dollors for house

[tigra 0]

Well, it would be illegal for an HOA (or ANY seller) to turn away a purchaser because he or she didn't speak English. Now- as to how many people can actually LIVE in the property or if it can be rented out? Yes, a HOA can dictate that. But so can most local municipal governments. I know mine can.

And it doesn't take an HOA to legally seize the property if illegal drugs are being manufactured or sold there. Our federal government has that right.

Aside from the pink house, I don't think an HOA would solve any of your neighborhood problems.

[freeflygoddess 0]

oh I know I was just pointing out life in SoCal. trying to be sily

[jumpchikk 0]

Oh give it up Lee, we all know you live in the ghetto...

[cloudseeker2001 0]

Find a neighborhood with HOA and one without, drive through and decide which neighborhood you would rather live in!

"Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance,
others mean and rueful of the western dream"

[skinnyshrek 0]

!@##$% please

http://www.skydivethefarm.com

do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

[Thanatos340 1]

Fuck a HOA!!

If I buy something, Its Mine!! What you do with your house is your business. Most places already have Laws regulating things like Inoperable Cars and Unmowed Lawns.

When I bought my Home a Couple years ago, the #1 absolute requirement was that there was no Neighborhood Nazi organization.

Be VERY careful about a HOE. If there are Retired People in the neighborhood, Keep in mind many have nothing better to do all day than to see what they can “Get” the neighbors on.

Nothing worse that Old Fucks with nothing better to do than to stick their nose in other peoples business. I went with a friends Father one time who spent 3 hours riding around his neighborhood looking for Violations. It was a Mountain Community with a Lake, Most Retied wealthy people. He would write up things like Part of a Boat Trailer visible from a certain angle, Unapproved Tree Trimming, Garbage cans Left by the curb for more than 12 hours and all sorts of Bullshit. In there community, every single thing you did to YOUR house had to go before some committee for approval and then only a few contractors were allow to do work in the area. Crazy Stuff.