When it comes to choosing a neighborhood, do you prefer:
A neighborhood with a Homeowner's Association, strict rules, little wiggle room and a lot of look-alike houses but insurance that the homes will be kept up?
Or a neighborhood that gives you - and your neighbors - free reign, for better or worse?
I'm in a battle (my fifth in a year and a half) with the paid manager of our HOA. She's lazy and doesn't answer emails or process design approval requests, but has time to send letters to people who accidentally leave their garage door open or, God forbid, stake their trees. But I do appreciate knowing that our neighbors can't paint their house purple and I love our pool just up the street. So I'm torn on HOAs, at the moment.
But what about you? Sound off - what do you have to say about HOAs? Yay or Nay?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
uggh, I'm not a fan of the HOA. I've had to track down our HOA president for way too many issues but as soon as your trash can is left at the curb for 10 minutes longer than it should, bam! you get a warning. I'm glad I'm moving to a non-HOA neighborhood. Plus, those purple and yellow striped houses make for good landmarks when you're giving directions! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you right now, we can't get our HOA to approve any design requests, but they have the time to send out annoying newsletters, etc.
ReplyDeleteI guess, I'm either or. It would really depend if I loved the house or not.
I kinda like rules....not too many rules. That is a tough choice...I need time to think
ReplyDeleteI like HOAs mostly because the people who live in them seem to care more about the appearance of their home. I don't live in an HOA and some of the houses in our area are not kept up well and look junky. It definitly hurts the resale value of our house if our neighbors have a ton of weeds and their porch is crumbling.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not a HOA fan. My perspective is that if it's property you own, you should be able to make any cosmetic changes your heart desires!
ReplyDeleteI fall somewhere in between. My current neighborhood does NOT have an HOA, and I do get irritated at things like my neighbor's ugly truck that is for sale...that he can park wherever he wants to sell it. On the street? Sure! In a vacant lot? Even better!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to be totally hindered by a strict HOA. Is there such a thing as a lax, laid-back HOA?
For some reason when I hear HOA I always think more of our townhome days. And they sucked.
ReplyDeleteOur neighborhood doesn't have an HOA and save for the one or two delinquent scary houses, it's still well-kept.
Down w/ the HOA!!
I'm not really a big fan of HOA's. I like neighborhoods to be more eclectic. Means that there will be different types of people there, which I love! Plus, if I buy a house I want to be able to do what I want to with it!
ReplyDeleteWe always said we didn't want to live in a neighborhood with cookie cutter houses and HOAs. I grew up in the country and my hubby grew up in a small town, so we like those settings and both give you the choice to decide what you want to do with your property. You pay for it, so you should be able to do what you want to it. So far I haven't lived by any strange homes, but never say never, right?
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of HOA. I think they often take up issue with small problems instead of dealing with large ones. I like the freedom of having a home with which I can do almost anything. Plus, I have to deal with the city anyhow. That's enough approval for this mistress - Power to the People! ;)
ReplyDeleteI've only lived with HOAs and have come to accept them as the necessary evil!
ReplyDeleteI would never buy a house in a neighborhood without an HOA. In my town, all the new neighborhoods are required to have them and most of the existing ones do, except for some of the really older ones. Those few neighborhoods without them look terrible and junky. Unfortunately, lots of people are very lazy and that can negatively effect your property value. I don't understand why people would invest so much in their house and then take a chance on a neighborhood without an HOA. Makes no sense to me.
ReplyDeleteMy feelings are...meh. I'm ok with HOA control over common areas, but I am NOT a fan of having to ask permission to change the style of my outdoor lights.
ReplyDeleteSo...meh. :)
Not an HOA fan, since I love the craziness of different styles.
ReplyDeleteYour house is so cute though! The pool is a great perk :)
Yay to HOA's! I love that our neighboorhood is well kept and we never have to worry about someone leaving their junky car out for everyone to see...plus my husband is president of our HOA, so it helps to get what we want for the neighborhood. Your house is an investment, probably the largest one most people will make, so you want it keep it's value.
ReplyDeleteI won't even look at houses with HOA's that is how much I dislike them.
ReplyDeleteDefinetly yay from me.
ReplyDeleteNot a fan at all. I just have issues with paying a lot of money for a home and then having to ask to do anything to the home I paid for. I don't think I would like neighbors painting a house bright purple, but there are some crazy neighbors out there who wouldn't like my husband and I deciding to paint our door a different color. Maybe I am just too artistic to like being told how to deal with something I paid for.
ReplyDelete