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The Need for HOAs???? - Page 3

post #61 of 82
5/12/08 at 2:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockcat View Post
I would never want to live in a place with an HOA. It doesn't bother me to see a work truck or a boat parked in someone's driveway. If you Uncle Tom is visiting and his RV is parked in your yard - that's fine with me too. Go ahead and fix your car at home. After all it's your property. If you want a mailbox that looks like a fish, ok, it's your mailbox.

I'm not saying that I want to see a mess, just that I understand that people need to live and work in their yards and driveways sometimes.

HOAs are perfect for those who are bothered by this sort of thing.
Exactly!


Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
I think this thread shows there is either a general misconception about what HOAs are about or maybe just a tendency to generalize based on limited information.

None of the things you mention would be in violation of the rules of my HOA with the possible exception of the "mess" depending on what exactly it is.
They may not be a violation for your HOA but for some those are violations.
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post #62 of 82
5/12/08 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
Really? The only local ordinances here (Houston) that I'm aware of cover extreme levels of property neglect of the sort that might lead to a fire hazard and even then I think only abandoned properties are included. Nothing that would require hanging gutters to be repaired, peeling paint to be remedied, broken windows repaired, etc. Do other localities have ordinances that cover that kind of thing?
Ours does, down to having to "conceal" trash cans, how economical your furnace is, and what color roof tiles are allowed. We had to get a building permit when we put up a privacy fence, and all our neighbors had to give written consent. Ditto when our chimneys had to be made smaller due to more economical furnaces being installed (we have a duplex, and rent out one side).
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post #63 of 82
5/12/08 at 5:31pm
All HOAs are not created equally. Some are more stringent than others. Some have rules that are only enforced in extreme cases (i.e. the pet rules here - no one cares that I have an extra cat as long as my townhome doesn't stink up the row, and no one cares that people have dogs over 35 pounds as long as they clean up the poop). My HOA has a rule that all cars must be moved every 3 days or they'll be towed. Um....what happens when I go on vacation for a week? Not a gosh-darn thing. But if someone decided to abandon a car here, even if it is still legally tagged, they have a rule that they can enforce.

It wasn't until recently that HOAs got the "power" to tell you what colors you can and can't paint the house and how you can and can't landscape. Some cities have stricter rules than many HOAs, and I know that for a fact. And yes, the police will come and ticket a person with junker cars all around their property, especially if there is any risk of a safety hazard. I knew someone who had a vintage muscle car he was working on getting up to primo condition, but it didn't happen quickly enough nor did he have more than one spot in his garage (his wife's car went there ). It was parked in front of his house. He was ticketed and was pretty much had to get rid of the car because of the city's rules, not the HOAs.
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post #64 of 82
5/12/08 at 5:43pm
I lived in Aliso Viejo with an HOA. They came after us over a Rubbermade Tool cabinet we had on the side of our house. It was the same color as the house, and our neighbor had no problem with it. It was against their rules of "no sheds" but the garage was too small to keep yard tools in it. Interestingly they had no problem with Rubbermade play houses and jungle gyms! Nazi's I tell ya!

We now live where there is no HOA! Never again.
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post #65 of 82
5/12/08 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by snosrap5 View Post
They may not be a violation for your HOA but for some those are violations.
Yeah, I know that. Hence my statement about generalizations.
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post #66 of 82
5/12/08 at 6:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat View Post
Ours does, down to having to "conceal" trash cans, how economical your furnace is, and what color roof tiles are allowed. We had to get a building permit when we put up a privacy fence, and all our neighbors had to give written consent. Ditto when our chimneys had to be made smaller due to more economical furnaces being installed (we have a duplex, and rent out one side).
I didn't know local ordinanaces were ever that strict. But surely in such areas strict HOAs wouldn't exist? Even if they did it wouldn't really matter would it? If the HOA bylaws are just duplicates of local ordinances (something I find difficult to believe), then why would anyone object? The HOA exisiting or not existing wounldn't change anything. Right???
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post #67 of 82
5/12/08 at 8:50pm
The original idea behind Home Owner Associations was not to make strict rules about how the neighborhood would look. It was to pool monies from members of the neighborhood to pay for services to maintain common areas - roads, street lights, entrances to the neighborhood, etc. That is what the HOA is in my father's neighborhood, which as I said was built in the early 1970s. The fees are nominal because there aren't patrols, there aren't tickets issued, there aren't bylaws that need to be interpreted by a freakin' lawyer. The neighborhood looks fine without the more current rendition of bylaws. Contrary to popular opinion, the whole neighborhood's property value does not go down if one house isn't maintained to specification. Like I said, there are a couple of run down homes, there is one home with a couple of in-the-works VW Bugs (vintage not new). There have still been many times when Realtors go knocking door to door to see if anyone is interested in selling their home. In 30 years, the price of the homes have increased 6 fold, at least.
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post #68 of 82
5/13/08 at 5:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
Contrary to popular opinion, the whole neighborhood's property value does not go down if one house isn't maintained to specification.
It very much does affect the ability of someone to get full market value on their house when they try to sell if there is a run down one in close proximity. And it does affect the overall appeal of the neighborhood if there are poorly maintained houses and that very much does affect property values.
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post #69 of 82
5/13/08 at 6:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
It very much does affect the ability of someone to get full market value on their house when they try to sell if there is a run down one in close proximity. And it does affect the overall appeal of the neighborhood if there are poorly maintained houses and that very much does affect property values.
I agree. If I were looking at properties and there was one unkempt place, I would wonder if that were just the start and would not buy there.
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post #70 of 82
5/13/08 at 7:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
Really? The only local ordinances here (Houston) that I'm aware of cover extreme levels of property neglect of the sort that might lead to a fire hazard and even then I think only abandoned properties are included. Nothing that would require hanging gutters to be repaired, peeling paint to be remedied, broken windows repaired, etc. Do other localities have ordinances that cover that kind of thing?
Yes there are. The city I used to live in would get after you if your home, garage needed painting or repaired and would even cite you if didn't cut the grass. (I'm no talking about grass that was up to your rear either. It cound't be over 6 inches high )
Quote:
lived in Aliso Viejo with an HOA. They came after us over a Rubbermade Tool cabinet we had on the side of our house. It was the same color as the house, and our neighbor had no problem with it. It was against their rules of "no sheds" but the garage was too small to keep yard tools in it. Interestingly they had no problem with Rubbermade play houses and jungle gyms! Nazi's I tell ya
How stupid. God forbid you would have a tool shed to store your tools Next thing they will be try to enforce, is when you can go to sleep. After all, it may look bad if your lights are on in the middle of the night. HOA=Communism!!
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post #71 of 82
5/13/08 at 7:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post
I agree. If I were looking at properties and there was one unkempt place, I would wonder if that were just the start and would not buy there.
I agree. Because, most likely, it woud be the "start" IMO.
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post #72 of 82
5/13/08 at 7:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat View Post
Yes there are. The city I used to live in would get after you if your home, garage needed painting or repaired and would even cite you if didn't cut the grass. (I'm no talking about grass that was up to your rear either. It cound't be over 6 inches high )
And were there HOAs with bylaws that covered the same issues as the city ordinances?? Remember, my post was in response to the the assertion that HOA bylaws are redundant to existing city ordinances.
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post #73 of 82
5/13/08 at 7:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat View Post
How stupid. God forbid you would have a tool shed to store your tools Next thing they will be try to enforce, is when you can go to sleep. After all, it may look bad if your lights are on in the middle of the night. HOA=Communism!!



HOA = Communism!
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post #74 of 82
5/13/08 at 8:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post


HOA = Communism!
Yeah, that really is a pretty humorous notion.
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post #75 of 82
5/13/08 at 8:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
And were there HOAs with bylaws that covered the same issues as the city ordinances?? Remember, my post was in response to the the assertion that HOA bylaws are redundant to existing city ordinances.
I don't think there were any places in that city that had HOA's, sInce most of the housing was built well before there were HOA's. Although I am not sure when HOA started. It didn't have any of those subdivisions where most of the HOA's are. I live far away from that city now as well as HOA. I have no ordinances to worry about, except for some minor zoning issues. Most of the zoning complies with state laws and codes. For the most part, I am free to make my own decisions and what I want to do on my own property. I only have to comply with state or county laws, which doesn't tell me when I have to cut my grass, if I can put up a tool shed, what type of plants I can have in my yard (as long as they are legal plants ), how many cars I can have, if I can work on my car on my own property, if I want to build a bon fire on a nice summer night to enjoy with my wife, if I want to ride a snow mobile on my property (or anywhere for that matter), how many pets I can own, when I can or cannot light my Christmas lights, what color I can or can not paint my house, what type of fence I can put up etc. Yes, I am free, not bound by the stupid rules of a HOA
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post #76 of 82
5/13/08 at 9:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat View Post
Yes, I am free, not bound by the stupid rules of a HOA
Yeah, I think we all got that.
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post #77 of 82
5/13/08 at 9:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
Yeah, I think we all got that.
I wasn't quite sure
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post #78 of 82
5/13/08 at 11:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Originally Posted by Rockcat
I would never want to live in a place with an HOA. It doesn't bother me to see a work truck or a boat parked in someone's driveway. If you Uncle Tom is visiting and his RV is parked in your yard - that's fine with me too. Go ahead and fix your car at home. After all it's your property. If you want a mailbox that looks like a fish, ok, it's your mailbox.

I'm not saying that I want to see a mess, just that I understand that people need to live and work in their yards and driveways sometimes.

HOAs are perfect for those who are bothered by this sort of thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
I think this thread shows there is either a general misconception about what HOAs are about or maybe just a tendency to generalize based on limited information.

None of the things you mention would be in violation of the rules of my HOA with the possible exception of the "mess" depending on what exactly it is.
They certianly aren't all the same. My late aunt (RIP Aunt Mary) was part of a HOA that allowed flower pots only in a certian section of her porch.
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post #79 of 82
5/13/08 at 12:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
I didn't know local ordinanaces were ever that strict. But surely in such areas strict HOAs wouldn't exist? Even if they did it wouldn't really matter would it? If the HOA bylaws are just duplicates of local ordinances (something I find difficult to believe), then why would anyone object? The HOA exisiting or not existing wounldn't change anything. Right???
The only HOAs I'm aware of here are for condos, and not all of the complexes seem to have them. They mainly seem to regulate shoveling snow, etc., in rotation, and whether you can enclose balconies or patios, or have different doors and windows.
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post #80 of 82
5/13/08 at 4:50pm
Thank goodness I live out in the "country"!!
One of my friends and I have a client who live in "Mcmansions in different subdivisions which I'm sure have HOA's. You NEVER EVER see anyone outside or front door that also have a screen door. ewww I could never live that way!!

I wonder what they would say about Neil's vintage JD (restored) tractor? Any being a landscaper/gardener-their "rules" are not plant friendly. So I might have a few dandelions in my lawn I do have over 5 acres after all!!

But I do agree on one item is not allowing junk all over your property. But oddly enough where I live that doesn't detract from buying/building a home. I have one neighbot who has a trailer and a 4 stall garage which is maintained ok bt a single family home (th eevil neighbor I have mentioned before) who has about 3 trucks and a bunch of tractors and brush piles all over his property but a McMansion is going up across the road from his property!!

There was a good article in the WSJ today about some subdivisions which have many homes in foreclosure that the HOA's do not have the money to maintain the pools, roads, etc. I find that amusing!!
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post #81 of 82
5/15/08 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckblv View Post
I detest junker cars sitting all over the place.
I detest teenagers loud weekend parties that leaves the street full of bottles.
I detest speeding cars up and down the street
I detest roaming loose Pit Bulls killing other dogs
I detest prowlers around the house at night doing who knows what.
I detest neighbors property's that have their yard and house looking like it should be condemned and torn down.
I detest neighbors that have people come pick them up for for work at 4:00 A.M. and sit out front honking their horn waking up the entire neighborhood.

I detest alot don't I? So, yes I like my HOA
So if a husky (a breed known for prey drive) runs loose and kills a neighbor's chihuahua, that would be ok with you then? Good to know.

My family and I live in a neighborhood with an HOA. We had to get permits for things like our shed and our deck, and we had to get the neighbors on either side of us to sign a paper saying it was ok with them that we were going to build the deck. This isn't a problem for us, but I could see it being a problem for someone who has neighbors that hate them.:p

The only thing about our HOA that I don't like is that we aren't allowed to put in a fence, so everyone here with dogs has an electric fence. I prefer a physical fence to an electric one, but I will have to wait for that until I move into my own place. My dogs are always supervised when outside though.
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post #82 of 82
5/15/08 at 9:47am
I will amend my post to say just general dogs instead of Pit Bulls okay?

It just happened to be a Pit Bull that, continually, got loose. The reason being the Pit Bull belonged to irresponsible pet owners that had him in the back yard by himself, very unsocialized AND he was not neutered.


And FYI, there was a Husky running loose, he was not agressive AT ALL.
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