What's your neighborhood's HOA like?

We've lived in a variety of neighborhoods over the years, and learned that the HOA really does make a difference to the community. Our old neighborhood in another state enforced their one-inch-thick rule book to the letter.

We now live in Turner Downs with about 200 homes, and we have a great HOA who is self-managed and is very nice to work with (but do enforce rules when it's necessary.) I also have a few friends in Waverly Pointe with about 300 homes, and they don't have an HOA, but it's still a great community and looks beautiful.

I'm curious about other local neighborhoods. Do yours have HOAs who are easy to work with, or are they HOA free?

 

totally HOA free here and glad for it:hurray:

 

A shotgun and a beer....:cheers:

 

Would NEVER live in a subdivision that had a HOA. NOBODY tells me what I can and can't do with my house and yard if I am paying the mortgage!

 

See above.

 

We do not have a HOA but I wish we did! Our subdivision is only 3 years old and some people just dont know how to keep a clean yard. I mean come on people! i have thought about just asking them can you please cut your grass. Heck my husband has even cut our neighbors before:banghead:

 

I lived in a S/D that we moved out of b/c the builder ran the HOA (into the ground). We moved to a new neighborhood (700+ homes) and two years ago took over the HOA. I have been the Treasurer of the HOA since we the residents got control.

The developer left the neighborhood with no real HOA in tact and we spent an entire year putting it together. Since then we have gotten 7 really good Board Members who are on teh same page and are workign hard to keep the community nice.

HOA's can be good but can also be bad. It really dpends on who you get running it. That is why it is so important to go to the Annual Meetings for elections. Out of the 700+ homes we only get about 30 people to show each year but so many others continaully gripe about the conditions but "do not want to get involved" My answer to that is then stop griping.

Serving on my HOA has been a real good experience because I feel like I am doing something good to keep my home vlaues up and to keep the neighborhood safe.

 

Ditto! Besides.... grass can be pretty to look at when it's long... :lol::lol::lol::lol::jester:
It eventually makes pretty flowers .... :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

I agree IF it isnt weeds LOL trust me you wouldnt think this yard was pretty! :mrgreen:

 

HATE HOA's!!! We used to live in one and vowed to never do that again. Shoot, we're paying for the house, no one should be able to tell us what we can and can't do. I mean really, apply to put up your own fence to see if it's "archetectually correct." Is that really necessary? I go into neighborhoods where literally every mailbox is the same and every tree is in the same spot. Looks unnatural. When the rain is over, I'm painting our mailbox. Didn't even have to get permission to do it. BTW, this neighborhood has some of the most gorgeous yards. Umm, ours is not one of htem--LOL. Wouldn't change it for the world. Love where I live and love the people here. I've lived in both a neighborhood w/ and w/out an HOA. My preferance...no HOA. Again, that's MY opinion. Its worth about 2 cents at best!

Bottom line, you need to like where you live. My husband works in Cary w/ some people who live in extremely strict subdivisions. Many end up moving out of them b/c they can't stand the anal retentive rules. One guy couldn't park his truck where it would be visible. Only in the garage. One family was not allowed to put up a swingset. Could only be a certain height, etc. It was nuts. Just happy we live where we live. Southills Rocks!!!

stephanie--mom to 7

 

I agree and maybe i shouldnt have said I wish we did bc I really do like to do what i want to with my yard BUT D*MN cut your grass people LOL and its only 2 people in my hood BUT they live beside me :banghead:

 

No HOA here either. I don't want someone telling what I can and cannot do on my property! Lived in one, once in VA Bch, and never again.

 

My husband would be arrested if he lived in a subdivision

 

We have one in name only. They're pretty good about tkaing the money. They don't do doodley squat for it. They might pay for the sometimes maintenance of the main entrance area, but since we're the red headed step kids, we do our own. You'd think we'd at least have a community building of some type. And having a pool/community building commons area would be nice. The folks sitting on the board seem nice and approachable. I think the builder still controls the majority of the input into the HOA, as they own over half the lots. Once we get control, the first thing I want to do is fire Kohn Ell, and run this thing ourselves.

Former HOA, in Wynston, was more heavy handed. And my former neighbor was one of those who stoked the fires, if you had a blade of grass our of place. Glad to have left them. Do miss the pool, though.

I can see the point of how some want to do with their yards what they wish. I also see the point that if I'm trying to take the best care of my place, and the one next door was used as the stock footage of Sanford and Son's junkyard, then there is a problem.

 

They are both good and bad. We are not HOA material. Too much stuff, toys, etc. But that's why I didn't buy a house with one. If you bought a house with one, well, you gotta play by the rules.

 

We have the same situation. We can't believe that we ended up in between the two worst families in our commuity. They don't take care of their yards, children or pets. And there is no talking to them. Both families came from homes on 2+ acres so they don't understand how to be good neighbors when they have never had any. If we had an active HOA things would be way different for all of us. I feel so bad for those families that have tried to sell their homes in our community from the slow/stop drive throughs of families that have looked at the homes and never returned. It's obvious that these two families lack of pride in their home have an adverse affect on all of us.

 

:evil:

Thats my concern. We are thinking about putting our house on the market in the next 2 years and I am worried about there yards. Guess my hubby will have 3 yards to cut next year

 

HOA

a new creation.
Years ago everyone took care of their own. Nowadays the need to be told. Sad


i don't live in one and never ever ever ever ever ever will. I am not paying you money , so you can tell me what to do. If my neighbor is so stupid that he can nto cut his grass. I will call the county on him and tell them it is a nuisance.

 

Sounds like Glen Laurel. I like HOA. Protects the values of our property. Our HOA dues are about $125/year. Well worth the annual dues. There are just some homeowners that need rules. I really appreciate those that serve on the board. A thankless job.

 

We really didn't want an HOA, but after looking at homes for 3 months we finally gave in. So far we haven't had any problems with our HOA, even though it is still controlled by the builder. I'm anxious to see if they give us a problem when we try the haybale garden. We're going to try to box it in like a flower bed, but I don't know if that will be enough. We'll see. We're also getting quotes for privacy fencing.

I think they can be a good thing. There's one house in our subdivision that is vacant. It doesn't make a lot of sense because it is not for sale, and it has been vacant for at least 9 months. So the yard started growing over and their phone book and newspaper (the free one) decompose on their driveway. The HOA last summer forced them to come out and clean it all up, which is awesome.

We didn't buy our first choice house because we were wary of the HOA there, as the convenants were very restrictive and the seller's agents kept lying about stuff.