What do you think about Homeowner Associations?

Answer 1

I hate the people on my association, but comparing my neighborhood to other places that don't have the associations ours makes theirs look like crap! Think about it, the association is there to make sure the neighborhood is kept up, mowing grass, planting flowers, watering, plowing in the winter. All this stuff is alot of money and by having homeowners pay a fee every year this stuff can get taken care of without any worries. All in the motivation to keep your property value up. Because how would you feel if one of your neighbors decides to paint the front of their house hot pink and then another neighbor keeps a trailer, or boat parked on the street or in their front yard, or how about when you enter your neighborhood the entrance looks bad with weeds growing everywhere. Does that really look nice when you want to sell your house and the buyers are looking at your neighborhood like, WTF!!
So even though their complaining and having to get crap approved can be very annoying I think a HOA is good to have in place to keep your neghborhood looking nice.

Answer 2

Looks to me like most of the people who answered your question moved into HOAs BEFORE they read the Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions, then got their paddies slapped when they screwed up. Basically, HOAs operate the same way any municipal government operates. There's an elected government (The Board) usually a professional manager, and a public works staff that works on common elements of the HOA. It's another way of maintaining a community for the benefit of all while sharing the common expenses.

The problems come in when some bozo moves in without first learning what's expected of them, and knowing what they can expect from the governing body. They usually do something to make themselves stand out, without first checking to see if they would be violating any restrictions. Then when they're caught they complain that no one told them about violations and everyone should have realized that they were too dumb or too lazy to read their governing documents,or my favorite, someone's violating their rights to self-expression or some other lame excuse.

Answer 3

They all start out with the "best" intentions, but no matter what they eventually become a power hungry group of a few homeowners that feel they know what's "best" for everybody.
My suggestion is if you have a choice avoid them, if you are being forced to start one demand an extreme amount of review on the charter of the association as to not ever allow too few people power over decisions about the neighborhood.

Answer 4

I truly have lived in 2 communities that require club of their hoa. the first one develop into in a large apartment complicated. the individuals who ran the association were nazi-like. they could walk round and supplies you tickets for barking canines (what canines would not bark even as someone is walking next to their homestead?), for leaving a garbage can out previous 5:00 pm on trash day, and a bunch of different stupid regulations. We hated it. Now I stay in an association that makes particular our roads are properly-maintained. the regulations are not very strict. i truly delight in the association pays for snow plowing because without it we would want to be on our own because that's a small mountain community.

Answer 5

I think they are great when it comes to uniformity in the neighborhood. I would not want to own a 1/2 million dollar home and have some jerk move in next to me, put the car up on the blocks, not mow his lawn and paint the house lime green. There is a balance and it keeps the values of the homes in that neighborhood at their maximum.

Answer 6

I think they are horrible! I couldn't stand living somewhere, where I OWN my home, but a bunch of cretins are going to tell me what color I can paint it, IF I can paint it...and go through them if I want to make improvements to my home - inside and/or out.....
There is something to having pride in the upkeep of your neighborhood, but they have gone WAY beyond that.

Answer 7

They are a fraud. Basically they con people into voting for somebody to take their money and do nothing in return. To make matters worse, if one doesn't give the person money they can sell the person's house!

Answer 8

I belong to one and never again, Id be better off throwing the monthly dues to the homeless.

Answer 9

They are a waste of money and time. In Ohio they are powerless.

Answer 10

They're scary.

Avoid them if you can, try to get along with them if you can't avoid them.