Home Owner's Associations

[TickTockMan]

What is your opinion on HOAs? Are you for them, against them or indifferent to them? Are you now or ever been in one?



Legally if I buy a home and a HOA tries to move into the area would I be forced to join? Or could I ignore them?

 

[gsdx]

I was under the impression that HOAs belonged to condos or 'developer communities' and such. Some are expensive, but they take care of everything. I suppose it depends upon whether or not you can afford them.

 

[borg69unimatrix]

I think they're evil, and would never live in one. If I bought a house, I'll be damned if I have to ask some committee what plants I can have, what color I want to paint, or to bitch at me cause my lawn is .004 inches too tall, or cause they don't like my Pink Flamingo.

...and I'd have to PAY them to do all this for me???

I don't see how they're even legal.

YOU buy my house, you have a say. *I* buy it, mind your own F'N business.

 

[SuprSonic]

I don't think I'd ever live in a detached home that was part of an HOA. On the other hand, you really need one if you're in a condo to take care of the common areas, have the lawn mowed, fix the roof or building internals, etc.

 

[looseliam]

Courts have also ruled that homeowner's associations may start foreclosure proceedings for unpaid dues.

The people who are the "watchdogs" of the association piss me off so much. I'd go into a rant, but I'm afraid I couldn't stop.

 

[borg69unimatrix]

Go looseliamGo looseliamGo looseliamGo looseliam

 

[EwanSF]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUpbOliTHJY[/ame]

Bit like the NWA?

 

[gsdx]

I think they're evil, and would never live in one. If I bought a house, I'll be damned if I have to ask some committee what plants I can have, what color I want to paint, or to bitch at me cause my lawn is .004 inches too tall, or cause they don't like my Pink Flamingo.

Isn't that a condo association? From my understanding, it's different than an HOA.

 

[TickTockMan]

I was under the impression that HOAs belonged to condos or 'developer communities' and such. Some are expensive, but they take care of everything. I suppose it depends upon whether or not you can afford them.

My understanding is that they are like unions. They can be great help with some things, but totally mess with you if they want or if someone with power wants too. I’m just not sure of how they start.

It would make sense though that it would have to be in a developer community or already in place. If not I would think there would be issues.

 

[TickTockMan]

I think they're evil, and would never live in one. If I bought a house, I'll be damned if I have to ask some committee what plants I can have, what color I want to paint, or to bitch at me cause my lawn is .004 inches too tall, or cause they don't like my Pink Flamingo.

...and I'd have to PAY them to do all this for me???

I don't see how they're even legal.

YOU buy my house, you have a say. *I* buy it, mind your own F'N business.

That's what I am scared of. I want to buy a house next year if everything works out. I know I want nothing to do with them.

 

[TickTockMan]

Courts have also ruled that homeowner's associations may start foreclosure proceedings for unpaid dues.

From Wikipedia:

In some U.S. states (such as Texas) a homeowners association can foreclose a member's house without any judicial procedure in order to collect special assessments, fees and fines, or otherwise place an enforceable lien on the property which, upon the property's sale, allows the HOA to collect otherwise unpaid assessments. A proposed constitutional amendment in Texas would limit the power of HOA's in such matters.

A case in point involves a soldier who, in 2008, was informed his fully paid-for $300,000 home in Frisco, Texas had been foreclosed on and sold for $3,500 by his HOA over unpaid dues of $800 while he was serving in Iraq.[30] In 2010, the case was settled and the soldier regained ownership of the home. Federal laws protecting military personnel may have been his defense; however, a gag order prevents details from being known.

Talk about bull crap. Two years for him to get that worked out.

 

[gsdx]

My understanding is that they are like unions. They can be great help with some things, but totally mess with you if they want or if someone with power wants too. I’m just not sure of how they start.

It would make sense though that it would have to be in a developer community or already in place. If not I would think there would be issues.

Maybe they work differently up here in Canada. Condo associations can be real pricks when it comes to telling people what flowers they can plant in their gardens or what carpeting you can put in your home or whether or not your car looks good enough to park in your driveway.

HOAs take care of things like property upkeep, snow clearing, recreational facilities, and such. Some even cover things like cable, electrics, heat, etc.

 

[borg69unimatrix]

Isn't that a condo association? From my understanding, it's different than an HOA.

I've heard basically the same thing(s) from friends over the years that have lived in Condo's, HOA neighborhoods, Gated Communities, and even some Mobile Home Parks.

Those types of organizations are all just Stepford Wive's types that think their opinions should be the ONLY opinions.

I've got Mrs. Kravitz living in the apartment below me... that's bad enough.

You couldn't pay me to live in one of those kind of Nazi Cookie Cutter Neighborhoods.

I have enough people trying to tell me how to live my life, according to how THEY think I should. MY 'Home' is MY castle. In here... *I* am GOD... not YOU.

Now get the F*** off my property!

 

[looseliam]

An old associate of mine bought a condo years ago. Two months after moving in, he was hit with a $20,000 (£87) assessment. Their response: we'll help you get a loan.

 

[TickTockMan]

Maybe they work differently up here in Canada. Condo associations can be real pricks when it comes to telling people what flowers they can plant in their gardens or what carpeting you can put in your home or whether or not your car looks good enough to park in your driveway.

HOAs take care of things like property upkeep, snow clearing, recreational facilities, and such. Some even cover things like cable, electrics, heat, etc.

That sounds the same as it is here.


I know my uncle got a bit of crap when he lived in a condo in CA. People would bitch about anything and everything.

 

[maxpowr9]

Maybe they work differently up here in Canada. Condo associations can be real pricks when it comes to telling people what flowers they can plant in their gardens or what carpeting you can put in your home or whether or not your car looks good enough to park in your driveway.

HOAs take care of things like property upkeep, snow clearing, recreational facilities, and such. Some even cover things like cable, electrics, heat, etc.

That's generally how they work down here also. The only type of HOA I would avoid is the gated community type with detached homes. That is when you get into the crazy demands. Condo complexes and town home HOAs are usually okay as they typically do not have individual lawns (may be a patio or deck is about it). I remember when my parents still had their ski condo in Vermont that they were OCD with stuff like carpeting (all the places had natural hardwood floors that they didn't want damaged). My brother's condos complex in Connecticut is very lax and the only real complaints from people are about parking and dog shit.

 

[doetim]

I think HOAs are fishy!!!!!!!!!!
I think it's necessary in many cases but at the same time in many cases people are probably pocketing a lot of extra money from HOA! There was this condo up for sale in my neighborhood and it was a tiny little apt of 450 square feet and it was in a 15-unit building that didn't have any fancy lawn around it at all. The HOA was $425!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means they are collecting $6000 every month! You know a 15-unit building in an average neighborhood with not much grass or landscaping does not require $6000 a month to maintain.

 

[Orlandude]

As a matter of information for those who don't know...a condo assocaition is in a condominium complex and an homeowners association (HOA) is usually in a sub division of single family detached homes.

I once owned a home that was in an HOA and it was not bad. The dues were $150 every 3 months or $600/year. That covered the maintenance and landscaping of all the common grounds (including cutting my lawn), the clubhouse, tennis courts, bike trails, sauna, gym and swimming pools as well as security. (It was a gated community) I thought it was a great deal. They never tried to tell me what color to paint my house. Conversely, I know people who are in other HOA's and it's a nightmare. You have to read the documents before you buy the property to see exactly how much power the association has and what it costs. Some are good and some are horrible. One GOOD thing an association does is they keep your neighborhood looking great, which is a plus if you want to sell. I admit, they are not for everyone.

Condo associations tend to have higher dues because of all the upkeep required in a building (elevators, carpeting, lobbies, guards, etc...) that you don't have in your own house. Condo's are great if you don't want to do ANY kind of maintenance. They do everything for you. All you do is live in your condo home. You can go away on vacation and not have to worry about anything.

Associations have positive and negatives. It really depends on how you want to live.

 

[TickTockMan]

As a matter of information for those who don't know...a condo assocaition is in a condominium complex and an homeowners association (HOA) is usually in a sub division of single family detached homes.

I once owned a home that was in an HOA and it was not bad. The dues were $150 every 3 months or $600/year. That covered the maintenance and landscaping of all the common grounds (including cutting my lawn), the clubhouse, tennis courts, bike trails, sauna, gym and swimming pools as well as security. (It was a gated community) I thought it was a great deal. They never tried to tell me what color to paint my house. Conversely, I know people who are in other HOA's and it's a nightmare. You have to read the documents before you buy the property to see exactly how much power the association has and what it costs. Some are good and some are horrible. One GOOD thing an association does is they keep your neighborhood looking great, which is a plus if you want to sell. I admit, they are not for everyone.

Condo associations tend to have higher dues because of all the upkeep required in a building (elevators, carpeting, lobbies, guards, etc...) that you don't have in your own house. Condo's are great if you don't want to do ANY kind of maintenance. They do everything for you. All you do is live in your condo home. You can go away on vacation and not have to worry about anything.

Associations have positive and negatives. It really depends on how you want to live.

I was wondering if anyone would like them.

 

[Yooper]

I will never, never, never live in a home with an HOA.