70% of homeowners do NOT want to live in an HOA

[DonTom]

HOA ban coming to Florida? I hope it spreads everywhere.

This house here in Auburn, CA is NOT in an HOA. I like the idea of being able to decide what to do with what I own. If my neighbors do not like it, they can move away.

My Reno home is in a HOA, and I got in trouble when I had a shed built in my backyard. And it was because I got in trouble with the HOA at my other house (when I owned 3 houses) in the Cold Springs Valley area (18 miles away), to the point that I decided to sell that house and then I needed more room to put all the junk from it in my main Reno home.

I didn't even know HOAs cared about backyards at the time. But even to have a shed built that neighbors cannot even see (except from the houses below) requires advance permission from the HOA. Since that time, I discovered I live next door to a woman who is on the HOA's Board of Directors!

However, I also discovered that the way I did it was the best way. It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. They cannot tell me to tear it down or fine me over it, but they may harass me, and that is all they did.. It is still listed as an unsolved violation on the HOA website, but it has been that way for around five years.


Nevertheless, if I ever buy a house again, I have three main things to look for:

1. No HOA
2. No HOA
3. No HOA

After I get past that, I will then take a look at the house.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[PaulBates]

There are some "it depends" on what the HOA is. My neighborhood has one, but it only covers our beach, picnic area, parking lot, canal and boat basin on a sports lake. The streets, parking, traffic laws, building restrictions/code, complaints ect are all directed to our township. This HOA has nothing to do with individual homes.

We are looking at new houses "up north" and some are in a new development HOA. I recently asked the realtor for the by-laws, rules etc before going any further. If it's s one like you mention, where your individual property gets a scanning electron proctology exam, we will definitely pass.

I think asking for and reviewing the by laws, and their long term plan is important if planning to live there a while

 

[NY_Dutch]

HOA ban coming to Florida? I hope it spreads everywhere.

This house here in Auburn, CA is NOT in an HOA. I like the idea of being able to decide what to do with what I own. If my neighbors do not like it, they can move away.

My Reno home is in a HOA, and I got in trouble when I had a shed built in my backyard. And it was because I got in trouble with the HOA at my other house (when I owned 3 houses) in the Cold Springs Valley area (18 miles away), to the point that I decided to sell that house and then I needed more room to put all the junk from it in my main Reno home.

I didn't even know HOAs cared about backyards at the time. But even to have a shed built that neighbors cannot even see (except from the houses below) requires advance permission from the HOA. Since that time, I discovered I live next door to a woman who is on the HOA's Board of Directors!

However, I also discovered that the way I did it was the best way. It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. They cannot tell me to tear it down or fine me over it, but they may harass me, and that is all they did.. It is still listed as an unsolved violation on the HOA website, but it has been that way for around five years.


Nevertheless, if I ever buy a house again, I have three main things to look for:

1. No HOA
2. No HOA
3. No HOA

After I get past that, I will then take a look at the house.

-Don- Auburn, CA

About 10 years ago we had a seasonal neighbor that used to regularly complain to the town enforcement officer that we were illegally keeping an RV on our property where it could be seen from the road. The officer kept telling her there was no town ordinance prohibiting it. When she found out we frequently stayed overnight in the RV, she filed a complaint with the town board, and at the meeting where it was included on the agenda, she presented the board with a copies of the HOA rules that she claimed prohibited living in the RV on our property as well as not properly storing it out of sight. She was livid when the town attorney pointed out to the board that the rules she presented were for a development in Hempstead, Long Island, NY, and had no relevance to our Upstate NY township. She tried to convince the board that the rules were state wide, and became quite agitated when the attorney just kept saying that was not true. Eventually she was escorted out by the sheriff's deputy that was present for a different matter. Not long after, she started a petition to form an HOA in our neighborhood. The last I heard of it, only two people had signed it besides her. She eventually sold her summer cottage and moved on. There is still no HOA here...

 

[DonTom]

My neighborhood has one, but it only covers our beach, picnic area, parking lot, canal and boat basin on a sports lake.

Yes, some HOAs only cover the common ground, such as the trees between houses and such. But every HOA I have been in does both, the common ground as well as telling the homeowners what they may and may not do with the house they own.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Lou Schneider]

I have an "HOA" of sorts, a membership and space in a co-op RV park governed by a Board of Directors. They are elected annually from the membership (the people who have a space in the park), have term limits and follow member approved rules and policies. I'm happy and have had no issues in the 6 years since I got my lot shortly before I retired. I'm not there all the time but my lot is ready and waiting for me to use as much or as little as I wish.

In the past couple of years the Board has affirmatively gotten rid of a couple of people who were abusing the park and generally creating a nuisance for everyone - the first forced removals (evictions) since the park was founded 35 years ago. A local church discovered our low costs and were fronting the buy-in cost and supplying a cheap RV as a way to house homeless people with social issues.

 

[Professor David]

HOAs can be a pain. Board members of HOAs can be up in peoples business type folks. However, HOAs are useful if some guy has junk cars on cinder blocks in his front lawn, paints his house fluorescent orange and such. We live in an historic district which I like. Houses from 1880s to 1930s. I like that the homes generally look period appropriate. We do have one owner (out of hundreds) w a home/yard that is not well kept, random junk in the front yard and a bunch of junk cars parked in the front and driveway (~10). Oh well…perfection is an illusion. Not sure how much power the historic district board has regarding enforcement. This house is several blocks away so I don’t know the owner. They may have health problems?It is an eye soar. Both houses on each side are for sale again and are not selling…for like months.

 

[DonTom]

I have an "HOA" of sorts, a space in a member-owned co-op RV park governed by an elected Board of Directors following member approved written rules and policies. I've had no issues so far and they have been pro-active in getting rid of a couple of people who were abusing the park and generally creating a nuisance for everyone (a local church discovered our low costs and were fronting the buy-in cost and a cheap RV as a way to house to homeless people with social issues).

I see the SKP's as being a bit different, as you do not own the property that is under the RV. I do not have an issue with them having strict rules.

I stayed at the SKP in Benson, AZ for a week. I was there in late Dec of 2017, invited by Chet, who passed on since then.

I enjoyed my one-week stay there, which was only fifty bucks at the time. Some type of special promotion trying to get people to join. That was when I owned three houses and didn't feel like I needed another place to stay, but it did look like a good deal for at least the winter months.

While I have stayed in Pahrump several times over the years, I have always stayed at the Wine Ridge RV Resort.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Lou Schneider]

I see the SKP's as being a bit different, as you do not own the property that is under the RV. I do not have an issue with them having strict rules.

It really is a great deal. $10k buy-in cost which is refunded if/when I decide to leave and my membership is sold to the next person and a $100 a month maintenance fee which covers the park's upkeep and maintenance costs, taxes, water sewer, trash, etc. The only other cost is the actual electricity I use when I'm there - currently 14.5 cents per kWh from our local electric co-op.

 

[DonTom]

However, HOAs are useful if some guy has junk cars on cinder blocks in his front lawn, paints his house fluorescent orange and such.

I would not have a problem with any of that, as long as I may do the same (not that I would!).

BTW, some cities are enforcing very similar rules to HOAs, which can even be worse.

For example, when I lived in South San Francisco in a very dumpy million-dollar house (as you know, a million-dollar house in that area is a dump!) I was told by the city, that my garbage can was in violation because it could be seen from the street, even though it was behind our parked cars in the driveway.

Not a big deal, I just moved it into the backyard from then on. But the city of SSF was enforcing many such things then.

They built new multi-million dollar houses on San Bruno Mountain looking down at the dumpy area where our house was. That was when the City of SSF started to get strict with rules for the dumpy area.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

- currently 14.5 cents per kWh from our local electric co-op.

There have been six PG&E rate increases here in Auburn in the last 12 months.

Now our peak hour rate is 72 cents per KWH. 32 cents at weird hours, such as around 0300 hrs, when I usually have my EVs charge up for a few minutes, as needed, with some of that coming from solar via time-shifted power via my Tesla Power Wall.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Wasillaguy]

Never liked HOAs and was happy 31 years ago to find our house which was in a subdivision about a decade old. The HOA had been dissolved, but the covenants they created remained.
This seems to work pretty well. Most abide by the rules which are not that strict IMHO.
Then about 15 years ago the house right across from me sells. New guy promptly clears the entire acre of trees (ignored covenants) including trees within 6 ft of his neighbor property line (against covenants), backfills the lower half of the lot, blocking my mountain view (against covenants), blacktop about 85% of the lot, puts in 8 different sheds/shops (against covenants), and proceeds to run a Dish install business with, at it's peak, about 8 vans in/out every morning/evening (against covenants).

Only 2 ways to stop it. Restart the HOA or get a lawyer and go after him personally.
Luckily, I think he was a crappy businessman. 2 years and it was over, but his lot is still an eyesore.

 

[Professor David]

I would not have a problem with any of that, as long as I may do the same (not that I would!).

You might not mind but a significant percentage of potential buyer might be turned off. I’m generally for property owner rights but not when it substantially brings down the neighborhood to the extent people are having problems selling their home at reasonable market values.

 

[Larry N.]

When we built in this (then new) neighborhood there was no HOA, though there were city imposed rules (not just for here). About three years later the city forced us to have an HOA, so we all got together to put together by-laws -- we intentionally made them very mild, and though most of us never wanted an HOA, what we have is very acceptable since we don't have to check for every little change, only for things that might block someone's view, and usually the committee only asks the adjacent neighbors if there is a problem with the change/build.

So while it's not quite "anything goes," it's also not nitpicking and "on-your-back" about things. Comfortable...

 

[DonTom]

only for things that might block someone's view,

I am on top of a hill with a great view of Mt. Rose during the daytime and the lit up casinos at night, from either right here out this window or from the sunroom.

However, my neighbor on my left has his view 100% blocked by a very large tree in a yard down the hill. That person down the hill wants to keep that tree as is. So my neighbour asked the HOA here and was told the HOA doesn't protect views (yet they cared about my backyard shed, that blocks no views!) . He sued the HOA as well as the guy down the hill. He lost the cases & tree is still there. even larger these days.

All this was in year 2014. Nothing has changed except for the tree is now even larger. It only blocks a very small section of my view, but all of my neighbors. I think that tree is done growing, so my view is fine here.

So I guess some HOAs care about views and others do not.

most of us never wanted an HOA,

The name "HOA" is BS, isn't it? The city doesn't care if you want it or not, they are often forced on the homeowners.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

You might not mind but a significant percentage of potential buyer might be turned off.

Perhaps that will be a great way to buy low and later sell high, after that guy moves out or whatever.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

You might not mind but a significant percentage of potential buyer might be turned off.

But I have noticed most houses that are NOT in a HOA, are well spread out. Such as my house in Auburn, well hidden by many trees, my neighbors not all that close.

The houses here in this area of Reno are quite close together, so an HOA.

Also, most dumpy houses are not in an HOA even when close together, unless the HOA is only taking care of the common ground under the name "HOA" which are people hired by the city to do the common areas and nothing else.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[John From Detroit]

I have often said whey you write HOA you should erase the top 1/3 of the middle letter HuA

 

[TheBar]

Some HOA have real reasons to exist. Being outside of the city limits means my HOA has to maintain the streets, the lake and dam, the private water and sewage systems, the 8' high fencing around the neighborhood, and the gates into the neighborhood. They do all this for $660/year which is more than reasonable and shows the HOA is honest about where the money is going.

They do maintain typical HOA standards like cleanliness, mowing, paint colors, and anything that doesn't match the cookie cutter theme of the neighborhood. But you have to realize all it takes is one crazy neighbor to ruin an entire neighborhood. If you have a significant amount of money invested in your house you want your house to appreciate not depreciate.

 

[ernieekberg]

Karen’s from a HOA can “kiss my grits”

 

[NY_Dutch]

Some HOA have real reasons to exist. Being outside of the city limits means my HOA has to maintain the streets, the lake and dam, the private water and sewage systems, the 8' high fencing around the neighborhood, and the gates into the neighborhood. They do all this for $660/year which is more than reasonable and shows the HOA is honest about where the money is going.

They do maintain typical HOA standards like cleanliness, mowing, paint colors, and anything that doesn't match the cookie cutter theme of the neighborhood. But you have to realize all it takes is one crazy neighbor to ruin an entire neighborhood. If you have a significant amount of money invested in your house you want your house to appreciate not depreciate.

"...the cookie cutter theme of the neighborhood." would have been enough of a turn off to keep me from buying there. As for being outside of the city limits, I've lived in two non-HOA developments over the years that were outside of any city limits, yet the roads were maintained by the township and the metered water system was privately owned by the developer. Sewage was handled by individual septic systems. The few restrictions on property use came under town ordinances and zoning that didn't infringe on reasonable personal expression.

Where we live now, on a property that's been in our family since 1947, of the 50 or so houses on our rural road, there are no two alike, and we love it that way. I can't imagine living in a neighborhood where every house looks the same except for a few limited color choices. I call those "Stepford houses".