3 ms·

Yea, it really all comes down to what you define "harm" as. If I haven't updated my house in 60 years, paint falling off, lawn completely dead, park my rusted

Yea, it really all comes down to what you define "harm" as. If I haven't updated my house in 60 years, paint falling off, lawn completely dead, park my rusted out 1983 honda civic with flat tires on my front lawn, and have a pile of garbage 10 feet high in the driveway... Does that cause harm to you, or do you just define that as "chill"? It's going to entirely depend on who you're asking, at what stage of life they are in, etc. I'm glad HOA neighborhoods exist for people who are at a position in their life (generally financially well off) to enjoy one. On the other hand, I'm glad not all neighborhoods are that way and you can find some where being a bit behind on maintenance isn't a crime.

blowski 5y ago
Exactly. If your pile of tires starts lowering my property’s value, are you doing me harm?
- jchw 5y ago
  In my opinion the answer to that question is actually clear: No. Simply because an investment or asset of yours loses value for reasons outside of your control is not reason to then decide that you’ve been harmed, more than if actions or conditions entirely outside of your control lifts the value of your investments or assets. IMO, a reasonable viewpoint is that an HOA is a communal way to fix the “out of your control” part at the cost of some personal freedoms. But some people err on the side of the personal freedoms. I know it’s easy to say on an online forum and bad experiences can change one’s mind, but I am comfortable in saying that I would most likely keep this viewpoint in the face of challenges, and instead prefer to push for the law to be amended if it is necessary... So yes, I think the answer here is no even regardless of whether you would prefer an HOA, but I still upvoted your comment though as I think it raises the important question.
- betwixthewires 5y ago
  Is it a violation of the non aggression principle to not wear a mask? Or to force someone to wear a mask? As an analogous example. The connection to property values is a bit ethereal IMO.
dsr_ 5y ago
I'm good with all of that except the pile of garbage. The remedy for that here is to call the town refuse and recycling department and ask them to assess whether it's a health hazard. One of the benefits of living in a middling-urban city in a state where government more or less works is that it's really difficult to build up a 10 foot pile of garbage -- because once a week the town sends a refuse truck and a recycling truck to pick up things at the end of your driveway. I had a neighbor up the street with a commercial dumpster in their driveway for about six months; I assume they were doing interior construction and demolition. I'm sure nobody complained about it. Construction debris doesn't attract rats and raccoons the way food debris does.

blowski 5y ago

Exactly. If your pile of tires starts lowering my property’s value, are you doing me harm?

jchw 5y ago
In my opinion the answer to that question is actually clear: No. Simply because an investment or asset of yours loses value for reasons outside of your control is not reason to then decide that you’ve been harmed, more than if actions or conditions entirely outside of your control lifts the value of your investments or assets. IMO, a reasonable viewpoint is that an HOA is a communal way to fix the “out of your control” part at the cost of some personal freedoms. But some people err on the side of the personal freedoms. I know it’s easy to say on an online forum and bad experiences can change one’s mind, but I am comfortable in saying that I would most likely keep this viewpoint in the face of challenges, and instead prefer to push for the law to be amended if it is necessary... So yes, I think the answer here is no even regardless of whether you would prefer an HOA, but I still upvoted your comment though as I think it raises the important question.
betwixthewires 5y ago
Is it a violation of the non aggression principle to not wear a mask? Or to force someone to wear a mask? As an analogous example. The connection to property values is a bit ethereal IMO.

dsr_ 5y ago

I'm good with all of that except the pile of garbage. The remedy for that here is to call the town refuse and recycling department and ask them to assess whether it's a health hazard. One of the benefits of living in a middling-urban city in a state where government more or less works is that it's really difficult to build up a 10 foot pile of garbage -- because once a week the town sends a refuse truck and a recycling truck to pick up things at the end of your driveway. I had a neighbor up the street with a commercial dumpster in their driveway for about six months; I assume they were doing interior construction and demolition. I'm sure nobody complained about it. Construction debris doesn't attract rats and raccoons the way food debris does.