patrick.net

My experience is that an HOA is as good or bad as the people on the board. I only lived in one for three years but I saw both sides of the coin.
They fucked us for “mandatory upgrades” when we sold and left, another $1300 we had to spend to just get sale approval from the HOA.

I’m quite happy to be living in a stand alone house without an HOA. I keep up my yard reasonably, and my neighbors mostly do as well. Maybe one or two parks their nasty old boat or RV in the front, but I don’t have to gaze at them all the time. I’d rather live and let live than have to control everything all the time.
Prices continue to rise whatever we do.

Pushy Retirees who want everybody's garage half open during the day

Why would anyone want the garage door half open? What is the purpose?

Booger says

Um, I call bullshit on this one: the "Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005" makes it illegal for an HOA to restrict owners from displaying a U.S. flag.

I don’t know true or not. But I guarantee many don’t know about those laws.

Plus let’s remember how zealously anti America liberals get.

Iranian_Oil_Burse says

Booger says

Um, I call bullshit on this one: the "Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005" makes it illegal for an HOA to restrict owners from displaying a U.S. flag.

I remember looking for a dog and I came across an ad of some guy looking to borrow someone's beagle to get it weighed. The HOA had a 25 pound limit. It was a hilarious ad because he was willing to fork out $100 bucks just to borrow your dog for 20 minutes while he took him to the HOA approved vet to weigh.

Iranian_Oil_Burse says

Booger says

Um, I call bullshit on this one: the "Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005" makes it illegal for an HOA to restrict owners from displaying a U.S. flag.

HOAs try to pull illegal nonsense all the time

I live in a centrally located neighborhood in a huge city without an HOA and with no mandatory fees. It is great, and people tend to keep their properties in shape!

6rdB says

I live in a centrally located neighborhood in a huge city without an HOA and with no mandatory fees. It is great, and people tend to keep their properties in shape!

I would NEVER purchase in an HOA. Why would anyone want a mini government telling them what to do all the way up to and including what color their front door was? Cray cray.

My experience with HOA was a costly disaster.

I advise people avoid HOA at all costs.

For 9yrs it was just expensive monthly payments. And then in the 10th year they hit every owner with $10k worth of emergency assessments related to roofing and sprinklers. I consulted legal only to find I had no recourse. Imagine what that did to my returns.

That's why I cut my grass once a month in the Summer. You make it nice, the city and the local RE bastards want it, they will drive up prices of everything they can hit you with to out price you out of your own house.

I guess the next volley in that war would be to put a junk car on blocks in the front yard, and get a bass fish shaped mailbox. Your neighbors should then thank you for lowering their assessments/taxes as well.

My neighbor has a rusty 1950's Ford in his driveway with empty tires. I suggested cinderblocks but that has not yet happened

6rdB says

My neighbor has a rusty 1950's Ford in his driveway with empty tires. I suggested cinderblocks but that has not yet happened

If that is a Fairlane with that retractable hard top, I want it.

A light blue truck, ca 1958. Thanks for the bass shaped mailbox idea - I might get it for his birthday.

6rdB says

A light blue truck, ca 1958

Someone may want to restore that. I do not like them, as the 50's trucks had tiny beds despite the bloated cabs and fenders.

HeadSet says

Someone may want to restore that. I do not like them, as the 50's trucks had tiny beds despite the bloated cabs and fenders.

I hear him talk about restoration for last 2-3 yrs.
A more extreme idea (relative to just a rusty truck in driveway) that we have talked about is to put a few long guns in back of this pickup truck and sit in front yard drinking beer from cans...

sit in front yard drinking beer from cans...

Try sitting on the porch couch drinking from a "kegerator."

Let the statistics show that 95% of restorations never happen and the classic just sits in the driveway rusting away and pissing off neighbors...

I have neighbors on my street going on 20+ yrs since they told me “restoration should start next year”

BayArea says

pissing off neighbors...

Does not really piss me off...more like I am amused. Probably has saved me some RE tax $$$.

Restoration timeline will likely be similar to ones in your neighborhood.

https://apnews.com/article/business-miami-florida-theft-420f9d408c0c7d2efe5063fb90da0871

Prosecutors: HOA board members stole millions from residents

Commentary here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/yyhjdn/prosecutors_hoa_board_members_stole_millions_from/

UkraineIsTotallyFucked says

If that post is true and he did it, I hope he understands that the HOA can lien his house and he won't be able to sell without paying the fines and penalties at some point.

I dislike HOA's. But get on the board and stop doing cry baby shit. People like that are annoying. It solves nothing.