 Spork
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA | reply to macsierra
Re: Buying a Home. What's your Checklist? said by macsierra:Good points in this thread BTW. At the top of my checklist would be, stay away from any HOA association. Of course that's my opinion but some might differ and that's OK.
As a contractor that's worked for HOA's many years and still do it's a big expense for any homeowner to belong to one. IMO, HOA's are like being married to 40 women and trying to keep them all happy. Just ain't gonna work..
It depends on the HOA. In a deed restricted community of houses a HOA is terrible. For a condo if run properly it can be great. Our FL rental is a condo and the HOA is a god sent. If for nothing more then to handle all the outside maintenance, cable TV, water, & insurance it's worth it every month. Like any property knowledge is power. Research anything before you buy from zoning to HOA to schools. |
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 macsierraBaby NewfoundlandPremium
join:2003-11-30
Minden, NV
 ·Charter
| said by Spork:It depends on the HOA. In a deed restricted community of houses a HOA is terrible. For a condo if run properly it can be great. Our FL rental is a condo and the HOA is a god sent. If for nothing more then to handle all the outside maintenance, cable TV, water, & insurance it's worth it every month. Like any property knowledge is power. Research anything before you buy from zoning to HOA to schools.
That a new one to me.. You should feel lucky.. Every condo association (including time share) we do work for in California & Nevada have deed restrictions and endless meetings with stupid rules and no exceptions I know of..
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Jimmy Hoffa’s dad was the last shovel-ready job..
Will Rodgers never met Harry Reid..
Why was I Anti-Obama before it was cool?
Saul Alinsky was also a community organizer & Marxist..
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Spork
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA | said by macsierra:said by Spork:It depends on the HOA. In a deed restricted community of houses a HOA is terrible. For a condo if run properly it can be great. Our FL rental is a condo and the HOA is a god sent. If for nothing more then to handle all the outside maintenance, cable TV, water, & insurance it's worth it every month. Like any property knowledge is power. Research anything before you buy from zoning to HOA to schools.
That a new one to me.. You should feel lucky.. Every condo association (including time share) we do work for in California & Nevada have deed restrictions and endless meetings with stupid rules and no exceptions I know of.. The real issue with HOA's is there's no requirements on how they are run or what's included in them. Our CT rental HOA is about the same price as the FL HOA yet it doesn't include cable or water. The only thing you can count on in an HOA is some kind of shared use item(s). In my parents case their HOA is just for lighting the division sign and maintenance on the private lake which all the house abut. In a condo/townhouse case they typically include insurance, outside maintenance, common item(s) like a small park, grill, dog run, gym, pool, spa, etc. plus sometimes they can form a large collective to get a better rate on services like water or cable. In the FL condo's case those "stupid rules" are what makes the rental a HOT item. They hold quarterly meetings but you can do everything via mail with a proxy so we never attend meetings. Our tenants *love* the rules as they keep the property impeccably clean & quiet. In the CT condo's case they have almost no rules. As a landlord or rental property we prefer HOA's highly. As a renter or owner we only like HOA's that are top notch. I'd guess about 80-85% of HOA's are trash but the ones that are done right are outstanding. |
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 Jack_in_VAPremium
join:2007-11-26
Mathews, VA
kudos:1 | said by Spork: I'd guess about 80-85% of HOA's are trash but the ones that are done right are outstanding.
I say 100 percent of them are anti-American as they usurp your property rights by being able to dictate how and what you do with your property. I value my rights way more than allowing a HOA to control me. |
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macsierraBaby NewfoundlandPremium
join:2003-11-30
Minden, NV Reviews:
·Charter
| reply to Spork
Re: Buying a Home. What's your Checklist? said by Spork:As a renter or owner we only like HOA's that are top notch. I'd guess about 80-85% of HOA's are trash but the ones that are done right are outstanding.
I agree, with good property management HOA's can work well. The trouble with some is the folks on the HOA board ALWAYS think they know more than the professionals who do the work. They always take the lowest bid and sometimes fail to check if the contractor even has a valid license. I could go on... But their lawyer$ love it.. 
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Jimmy Hoffa’s dad was the last shovel-ready job..
Will Rodgers never met Harry Reid..
Why was I Anti-Obama before it was cool?
Saul Alinsky was also a community organizer & Marxist..
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 nunyaWho is John Galt?Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
kudos:8
·Charter
 ·surpasshosting
| reply to Jack_in_VA
I think it's a lifestyle decision. Some people like bland "cookie cutter" neighbourhoods where everything is the same and strictly marshaled. I know for a fact that there are people who enjoy living in these type of areas. I have several relatives in Florida who all live in these types of communities. God bless them.
I, for one, would go absolutely insane. I don't want anybody making aesthetic decisions for me. I certainly wouldn't want to pay for this "benefit".
I do believe that many HOA's are illegal because they try to usurp constitutional rights in lieu of their micro-government bylaws. IMO, a HOA is a governing body, and should be held to strict accountability when it comes to peoples rights (like any other form of gubbamin).
But, many people buy into these places knowing full well what they are getting into, and then bitch and moan when things don't go their way.
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...because I care. |
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 dogmaXYZPremium
join:2002-08-15
Boulder City, NV
kudos:1 | said by nunya:I think it's a lifestyle decision. Some people like bland "cookie cutter" neighbourhoods where everything is the same and strictly marshaled. ...
But, many people buy into these places knowing full well what they are getting into, and then bitch and moan when things don't go their way.
...continuing on with more HOA discussion for your buck night, We have a place here that's in not one, but 2 HOA's. One within the other. One is the "Master Planned Community", and the one within that is the development. 2 different HOA bills.
We have another place here that's a non-HOA property.
The HOA(s) are strict; Lawn cut, no weeds, no debris, no change of original exterior paint color, minimum 2 trees (from a list of "approved" trees) in the front, exterior facing internal window coverings must be white, RV's can only park on the street for 24hours, no oil spots...of any diameter.. on the driveways, etc. But it's nice and quiet and and boring and consistent, which attracts a certain set of neighbors.
The other place is a 5 acre spread in which the surrounding "environment" is best described as the Wild Wild West. The 2 immediate neighbors to our North built beautiful custom homes. The neighbors to our South live in a 70's style DIY Geodesic dome type of affair, and the folks next to them live in an old semi-converted Continental Trailways bus interconnected with a trailer home leveled on railroad ties as well as 4 "sheds" (some used as housing, one used to store ammo. A lot of ammo.). The property behind them has a outdoor regulation basketball court complete with lights. Bright lights. Very bright lights. Evidently for the Midnight B-Ball league. Many neighbors have ATV's...and long gravel driveways which cause massive mini dust storms. Lotsa' horses around here, but the "unwritten rule" is: If it's in the street in front of your property, you gotta clean it up. This "freedom" also attracts a certain set of neighbors.
...and I love it! But my wife doesn't. Thus we live in the HOA. |
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| reply to nunya
said by nunya:I do believe that many HOA's are illegal because they try to usurp constitutional rights in lieu of their micro-government bylaws. IMO, a HOA is a governing body, and should be held to strict accountability when it comes to peoples rights (like any other form of gubbamin).
But, many people buy into these places knowing full well what they are getting into, and then bitch and moan when things don't go their way.
HOAs are like PayPal.
PayPal is not a bank, yet walks and talks like one.
HOAs are not a Government, yet they do everything like one. |
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