patrick.net

errc says

What kind of ASSHOLE moves into a place with an HOA?

In most of south Florida, you have no choice. Practically every place is HOA.

errc says

What kind of ASSHOLE moves into a place with an HOA?

People who don't know.
Most first time Condo buyers really think of the HOA fees as nothing more than their taxes, and the rules are kind of lose guide lines not real hard rules that you could be foreclosed on and a huge fine deducted from the sale over.

errc says

What kind of ASSHOLE moves into a place with an HOA?

HOAs are great ASSHOLE opportunities.

Why do you hate free expression?

Dan8267 says

In most of south Florida, you have no choice. Practically every place is HOA.

Ditto much of the Houston area (most of Texas, I dunno). We lack a lot in the way of building codes so as a way to make up for it HOA's exist. Part of the problem (in my opinion) is that they are code enforcers on steroids.

Tenpoundbass says

My BIL had about 3 acres in upstate New York. Back in 2006 he built a new house on the property. The following years several other neihboring plots did the same. Then about 4 or 5 years ago, the last guy to build talked everyone into forming a HOA which he was elected Presdient of. My BIL would love to sell his property now and get the hell out of there, They have made his life and several other neighbors life a living hell.

You can't be forced to join a new hoa in an existing area in most states including NY. So why did he join?

If you live in a condo/townhome complex, you can't escape them as maintenance is shared. But houses and HOA are a horrible mix. Too many horror stories.

lostand confused says

If you live in a condo/townhome complex, you can't escape them as maintenance is shared.

Common areas of Condominiums should be considered City property and they tax the residents of the building, and the City takes care of the upkeep.

At least if it was a City thing and not a private Dictoatorship that condo boards are. Then that way, there would be standard rules and accross the board no suprises from one building to another.
Also if you don't like the rules, you can vote the city officials out if the condo owners aren't getting their monies worth for their taxes.

tovarichpeter says

Raise your hand if you have ever lived in a community with a homeowners association.

I lived in Bordeaux Village in Dallas from 1981 to 2005--dues started out at $75/month and when I left they were approaching $200. The month after I sold in June, 2005, a special assessment was applied for a major renovation. It was a 215 unit apartment complex built in 1951 on 14 acres in three sections, bounded by Lemmon, Inwood and Mockingbird Lane. First phase on the west side was converted in 1980 and I bought at the end 1980, only one home left. Phases II and III completed by 1983 and sold out as soon as converted. We never had any serious problems and always had good maintenance companies. It's still beautifully maintained and I have a couple of friends who still live there. The main reason I moved was that between Dallas and Waco the fixed expenses in a year were $7,500 with $5,500 of it in Dallas (dues, taxes, insurance), so it only made sense to sell it. I put it on the market in April, 2005 and it sold in June. One of the downsides is that because of when they were built there is no firewall between units and the five units in each building share a common attic space. The attic access is in the ceiling of the closets of the smaller rear bedrooms and someone could break into a home at the end of the building and get access to every other unit through that access and that happened at one time. Also you could hear everything through the wall which I disliked.

http://www.dallasrealestate-homes.com/Dallas%20Subdivisions/Bordeaux%20Village.htm

Like most HOAs, ours sends out the minutes of each of its meetings. I seriously cannot figure out what is wrong with these people. Pages and pages of minutes discussing front yard flower choices and the distance between plantings. Pages of minutes discussing the differences between "desert sand" and "country wheat." I would fucking kill myself if I had to sit through a meeting like that. This goes way beyond maintaining an "overall look."

My neighborhood looks nice, albeit a tad unimaginative. Now, I could see shutting someone down if let's say.... I wanted to paint a giant Ibis on my garage door, and then paint my house and trim in the corresponding UM colors (Go Canes!). Or if I wanted to pave my entire front yard and convert it into a small parking lot for RVs. But I shouldn't have to consult the HOA Nazis over roses vs lantanas trimming my front walkway or two shades of the same fucking color of paint. And if the HOA had normal people on its committee, I should think that those people would resent having their time wasted on such truly immaterial issues. And the bottom line... They approve everything that people ask for. So, it's clear to me that most people aren't determined to make their homes look ridiculous and ruin the overall appearance of the neighborhood. Yet, hours and hours are spent discussing all this. Thank God they are volunteers. At least we aren't paying for their time.

The second we moved into our house, I received a letter from the HOA telling me that I couldn't make ANY changes (including plantings to the front yard) without HOA approval. These people are nuts!

turtledove says

Pages and pages of minutes discussing front yard flower choices and the distance between plantings. Pages of minutes discussing the differences between "desert sand" and "country wheat." I would fucking kill myself if I had to sit through a meeting like that.

turtledove says

The second we moved into our house, I received a letter from the HOA telling me that I couldn't make ANY changes (including plantings to the front yard) without HOA approval.

HOAs are dominated by people who have lots of free time, usually because they are retired and their adult children can't stand spending time with them, and want to exert control over other people's property to build a neighborhood pleasing to them but paid by you. It's basically a game of Sim Neighborhood in which they get their neighbors to flip the bill and do the work and they get to be little despots issuing edicts. They get a thrill from the power and lack of accountability.

The reason government is corrupt is that pretty much all people are corrupt. The few people who are not corrupt have no interest in government from the little HOA to the greatest super power.

Stocks perform better than real estate. Have you learned nothing from this site?

My investments have done very well. Meanwhile, your cardboard box and five-cent glory hole business have not appreciated at all.

Zero chance I would ever buy in an HOA

you people that choose to buy in an HOA are nuts

errc says

Zero chance I would ever buy in an HOA

you people that choose to buy in an HOA are nuts

In most areas in South Florida, you simply have little to no choice as everyplace has an HOA.

I don't believe that. I'm operating under the assumption that HOAs are for developments, and that houses in regular neighborhoods don't have them. I could be wrong

HOAs are typically created by developers building new neighborhoods. However, in south Florida pretty much every neighborhood created after 1970, which is most of them, was created with an HOA. So there truly is little to no choice.

KILL THE HOAs! KILL THEM ALL!

In our HOA, deadbeats are crucified on a quarterly basis right next to community gym. It's a truly delightful scene. We even merged it with the wine night social. Kids are invited to watch, the elderly race each other down developer paid streets to get to the front of the line. The attendance and the drinking has increased to the point that next day no one can believe what just happened. But, on a positive note, we have built up impressive reserves that we don't anticipate any special assessments any time soon.

tovarichpeter says

Raise your other hand if you ever wanted to punch your HOA in the nose.

I'd love to go AF on these people!

Dan8267 says

It's basically a game of Sim Neighborhood in which they get their neighbors to flip the bill and do the work and they get to be little despots issuing edicts. They get a thrill from the power and lack of accountability.

Best description ever. Ex-Officer types and Buttinskis are the prime candidates.

https://communityassociations.net/category/fraud_embezzlement/

I get to go to my first meeting this month. Yeaaaaaah. Only $525 annually. I'm also an ass hole and Karen's won't win against me. Not a joke. We already have one and shamed/trolled her on a Facebook group because the kids were fishing. Dip shit there's an easement from the water line. They can fish.

Another Karen called the cops on the kids for ice skating in a 3' deep lake like the ice would break and they'd die. I'll have my battles cut out for me. Oh well. At least it's not expensive.

https://www.wptv.com/news/state/florida-lawmaker-floats-ban-on-homeowners-associations-amid-growing-backlash

Florida lawmaker floats ban on homeowners associations amid growing backlash

Get on the board and put people in their place. Too many people bitch and don't do anything. I'm on a board. It's not fun all the time. You have to be a jerk to people you actually like but have differing opinions. Depends how you handle it.

Overall not a fan of HOA's even though I'm about to be in one in about 30 days. Already attending a meeting. I'll be a dick. Independent but lean libertarian. Get the fuck out of my life.

HOAs are a little version of government, which means, for the most part, some combination of corrupt and incompetent.

As Dan mentioned above, HOAs attract people with too much time on their hands, which means an extra dose of incompetence... either because they are old (retired and therefore out of touch with the 21st century) or because they are younger but unemployed (because they are so useless as to be unemployable).

Larger forms of government have an extra attraction: career politicians.

The version I am familiar with is they contract out to a "property management" firm, and the person who gets money to find flaws in everything suddenly finds flaws in everything, to the point of hallucination / requirements confounding because they may have multiple contracts. The first warning I suggest is to require them to cite the specific contractual line / CC&R or approved guidance that is in breach.

Sorry, no advice to give regarding idle-handed crazy-ladies. They want dick, maybe?

It sucks but if one is in an HOA you have to do politics. People who just want to work and enjoy their property get schlonged by Karens and Kens if they don't participate.

SunnyvaleCA says

HOAs attract people with too much time on their hands, which means an extra dose of incompetence... either because they are old (retired and therefore out of touch with the 21st century) or because they are younger but unemployed (because they are so useless as to be unemployable).

I must be lucky here. My HOA is only about $500 per year but includes lakes, walking trails, clubhouse, a very nice pool, and a large picnic and playground area with shelters. Enough volunteers for the HOA that we have elections not just for officers, but for committee heads as well. When we had an issue with one of the lake berms, two retired Civil Engineers on the Grounds Committee were able to take care of it. Our HOA Treasurer is an actual CPA. The head of the Trails Committee is a builder and a Scout Master who rebuilt the woodland trail bridges over low spots and streams as a merit badge project for the Scouts. Those bridges are very professional looking treated lumber projects. The HOA President is a younger guy with a good paying job and a hot wife. At the last HOA meeting, this guy was well prepared with a PowerPoint presentation that showed all the issues and what needed to be done. He also had to deal with those members who balked at any spending they thought might increase the HOA fees.

WookieMan says

I'm on a board

MolotovCocktail says

WookieMan says

I'm on a board

Why would I dox myself??? I swear you ate paint chips as a kid. But hey, keep posting childish drivel on every thread on this site. You picked up 6 ignores in a little over 2 years. 3 per year Took 12 years for me to get 11. Less than 1 per year. You spam the site daily and I'd say @Patrick is losing potential new users because of it.

Most my ignores are likely also people that don't like my swearing which is understandable. Yours are people annoyed with the constant shit posting of no value. I seriously believe you have mental disorder as I know you post on X. All day every day there and this site and others I'm probably sure you're on. There's medical terms for what you do. You have a mental illness dude and you probably should at least seek out a therapist.

This is why I don't dox myself as you're the type to find my home and do actual harm to me. Sucks because all the other users are chill even when we disagree. You just post shit like the above. What does that add to the site and for other users? Nothing.

HeadSet says

I must be lucky here. My HOA is only about $500 per year but includes lakes, walking trails, clubhouse, a very nice pool, and a large picnic and playground area with shelters. Enough volunteers for the HOA that

Pools and sports courts (we love ours) are great for HOAs to maintain, shifting the liability away from the house owner. Also they often cover roofs and outside walls insurance which lowerd the rates. It's not that different from a voluntarily established commune/small vilage if done right. It can work. Karens are a probmem everywhere, sometimes it gives them something to do and feel useful so they are less of a nuisance if occupied with something unimportant. Just gotta keep that climate change committee at bay

WookieMan says

Why would I dox myself??

With made up bullshit? Easy.

Your credibility on this site is completely shot to hell but you live in this magical imaginary world where you think otherwise.

What have I made up? List 3 with links.

WookieMan says

What have I made up? List 3 with links.

Why? Plenty right here on this thread. Within the last 7 days in particular.

And you'll just deny it anyway.

MolotovCocktail says

Why? Plenty right here on this thread. Within the last 7 days in particular.

And you'll just deny it anyway.

What am I denying? You've proven nothing. You assume what I say is a lie and have no proof. That makes you the liar.

WookieMan says

You've proven nothing.

I see your confusion. YOU provided the proof, but are in denial that you did so. Therefore, you are projecting onto me that I have to provide 'proof' as per your magical reality.

Idaho passed a law that your HOA can't stop you from having chickens if your lot is over a quarter acre.

zzyzzx says

https://www.wptv.com/news/state/florida-lawmaker-floats-ban-on-homeowners-associations-amid-growing-backlash

Florida lawmaker floats ban on homeowners associations amid growing backlash

Realtors are fucking terrified right now, which is why this long overdue reform is finally happening. People simply do not want HOAs, but most builds since the 80s are in HOAs.

It was so bad in FL that HOAs were fining deputy sheriffs and NF Rangers for parking their patrol/work vehicles in their own driveways because their vehicles had "decals and branding" on them.