Among Friends

[lovesrecess]

DH and I are considering buying a home in a large community about 2 hrs from our current home. It does have what they call an "active homeowners association board"....and the monthly fee is quite high....have you had any problems with overbearing HOA boards or nit-picking rules or regulations? We are ready to buy but this one issue is giving us second thoughts.....

[Carmie]

I would never pay high HOA fees to have someone tell one what I can and cannot do with the property I own.

if you are serious, you can always ask for a copy of the covenants to look over before you put in an offer.  That way you will know ahead of time weather you can live within the "rules" and see what the HOA fees include.

[Kachina624]

HOAs have as many personalities as people do.  I'd talk to several people presently living there to determine which way the wind blows.  Drive through the area and talk to people who are outside washing the car, doing yard work, etc.

[VaBelle35]

I'm on my HOA board and am trying to get them to be less nitpicky, but it's not working.  I am actually part of 2 HOAs, so twice as many rules and two boards to deal with.

In my community, I am responsible for all exterior maintenance and that's why it's such a problem.

If you are not responsible for exterior maintenance, then there's less to complain to you about.

You should be able to obtain the rule book.  Ours has things like you grass can't be more than 4 inches and trees can't be more than 6" into the driveway and sidewalk.

Driveway cracks and broken garage doors are the hot items here.  They make people redo their driveways all the time and replace garage doors when they break, even if you don't use it.

For the first 25 years, we could not have garden flags out front.

[riley1]

I presently live in an HOA and have had no problems. See if you can get a copy of the covenant and read through it before hand just to make sure this is something you can live with. It should be self explanatory.

Is it in a gated community? If so, you will need the realtor to take you back in to see the property again. Good Luck.

I will add I moved from an area with no communities of this type so I was more leary. However, after being here for some years now, there is no way I would live in anything but an HOA area or gated community.

[NicksmomESQ]

  I’ve lived in a development with a HOA for 29 years.Of course there are some basic rules that you have to adhere to.Some HOA’s are stricter than others.The one I live in is pretty good.They allow the homeowners to have different front doors, outside light fixtures & windows.Some insist that the exterior of every home has to look the same.

  Where I live all kinds of holiday decorations are allowed.My friend lives in another development & she is restricted in how she can decorate & how long it can stay up.

  Bottom line do your homework & find out what is & isn’t allowed!!

  Oh! The fees don’t bother me because it covers a lot.It covers snow removal up to my front door, landscaping, the siding, repaving of sidewalks & parking areas, roof repair etc. DH has no time or inclination to do outside maintenance so this setup works for us.If we lived in a house it would cost a lot more to hire the help.

[chrystaltree]

They are all overbearing and they all have nit picky rules.  That is why they exist to ensure uniformity and to protect the property, safety and peace of the homeowners. 

[lovesrecess]

We saw the rule book but have not looked through it yet..it is about four inches thick.....yikes.

[AuntG]

Oh boy, have I read stories out here about HOA's. Some are so assertive and others do nothing constructive. Luckily they are not commonplace by me. No one is going to tell me I can't hang sheets on the line or put a twelve foot Christmas tree on my lawn! I do wish the neighbor who cuts own at 5:30 am could be stopped, but what the hay, we don't have a HOA!

[SeaMaiden]

Our fees are $175 a year. I would not want to live in a community neighborhood without an HOA.  It helps keep the neighborhood nicer. An HOA is not perfect,  but it helps.