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I’ve posted this before and it wasn’t well received but I love HOAs. When I bought my first house, I was adamant that I didn’t want an HOA. Over the next ten y

I’ve posted this before and it wasn’t well received but I love HOAs. When I bought my first house, I was adamant that I didn’t want an HOA. Over the next ten years the neighborhood went to crap. I ended up living next to neighbors who didn’t maintain their yards, parked junker cars on their lawn and let their houses go to trash. When I moved, I specifically wanted an HOA. After five years, I still love my HOA. Mostly for two reasons. First, other neighbors here generally have the same mind set and care about their most expensive possession. Second when someone starts letting things slide the HOA slaps ‘‘em on the wrist.

harshalizee 4y ago
I don't understand this mentality at all. Why do you care how they maintain their property if it doesn't harm you directly? I never understood why anyone would harass someone else over their lawn. It's only a matter of time where you end up with neighbors who don't share the same mindset to start micromanaging the neighborhood. I live in north Seattle area where non-HOA homes are priced higher than HOA homes. The area has a couple of older somewhat rundown houses and no one cares. Prices are still at least $100k higher than the new builds with HOAs on the next block. So there goes the old excuse for maintaining home value.
- mmh0000 4y ago
  You don't understand why I would care about the neighborhood that I live in? My house is the most expensive thing I own, I worked incredibly hard to get it. I am proud of it. I take care of it. I want to live in a neighborhood with others who feel the same way. To your second point, yes, not all HOAs are great. If you frequent fark.com, you'll find multiple threads per month about some terrible thing an HOA is doing. But, that's why you do your due diligence when selecting an HOA. You carefully read the CC&Rs before signing on the house, you talk to others in the neighborhood before moving in. Much like selecting an insurance plan. For example, my HOA is setup so that leadership fully rotates every 3 years, with the rotations staggered. Worst case we get bad leadership for 1 year. Though, so far, in the in the 15 years the HOA has existed, they've done nothing but enforce rules everyone has agreed to. (Well that, and they killed off a bunch of common-area grass by hiring the cheapest lawn care they could find. )
  - harshalizee 4y ago
    Same! My house is the most expensive thing I own, I worked incredibly hard to get it. I am proud of it. I take care of it the way I want it. I don't care what some other un-invested party has to say about how I live. > they've done nothing but enforce rules everyone has agreed to But that's not really true is it? Most people buying a house in America do not have access to HOA by-laws until after signing. It's increasingly hard to even find homes that don't belong to a HOA unless you have the financial means to buy wherever you like. Plus, HOAs aren't opt-in/out either. It doesn't matter if a majority of you decide on rules, unless the same majority is willing to fork out money to pay my mortgage+taxes, Idgaf what you have to say. > I want to live in a neighborhood with others who feel the same way. If you really believe this, you can go ahead and disband the HOA. You don't need to enforce with a stick if this is really the case.
    - foogazi 4y ago
      > Most people buying a house in America do not have access to HOA by-laws until after signing. This is not true
      - Kon-Peki 4y ago
        In most states, a buyer has the legal right to rescind the purchase contract for some number of days after receiving these documents. But you generally have to ask for them when you make the offer, or the law doesn’t protect you.
        foogazi 4y ago
        In contracts I’ve been part off the buyer is required to sign the HOA covenant Redfin, Zillow disclose HOA fees. Nothing prevents the buyer or their agent from requesting docs or calling the HOA directly
        Kon-Peki 4y ago
        Right, what I’m saying is that the HOA is not allowed to say no to the request, and you have the opportunity to look over the docs once you get them (and decline to move forward if you don’t like what you see - and get your earnest money back). But the main thing, is that you have to ask for the docs at the very start, or those laws don’t really protect you.
citizen_friend 4y ago
The only reason to be focused on those things is if your main concern ins your resell value.

harshalizee 4y ago

I don't understand this mentality at all. Why do you care how they maintain their property if it doesn't harm you directly? I never understood why anyone would harass someone else over their lawn. It's only a matter of time where you end up with neighbors who don't share the same mindset to start micromanaging the neighborhood. I live in north Seattle area where non-HOA homes are priced higher than HOA homes. The area has a couple of older somewhat rundown houses and no one cares. Prices are still at least $100k higher than the new builds with HOAs on the next block. So there goes the old excuse for maintaining home value.

mmh0000 4y ago
You don't understand why I would care about the neighborhood that I live in? My house is the most expensive thing I own, I worked incredibly hard to get it. I am proud of it. I take care of it. I want to live in a neighborhood with others who feel the same way. To your second point, yes, not all HOAs are great. If you frequent fark.com, you'll find multiple threads per month about some terrible thing an HOA is doing. But, that's why you do your due diligence when selecting an HOA. You carefully read the CC&Rs before signing on the house, you talk to others in the neighborhood before moving in. Much like selecting an insurance plan. For example, my HOA is setup so that leadership fully rotates every 3 years, with the rotations staggered. Worst case we get bad leadership for 1 year. Though, so far, in the in the 15 years the HOA has existed, they've done nothing but enforce rules everyone has agreed to. (Well that, and they killed off a bunch of common-area grass by hiring the cheapest lawn care they could find. )
- harshalizee 4y ago
  Same! My house is the most expensive thing I own, I worked incredibly hard to get it. I am proud of it. I take care of it the way I want it. I don't care what some other un-invested party has to say about how I live. > they've done nothing but enforce rules everyone has agreed to But that's not really true is it? Most people buying a house in America do not have access to HOA by-laws until after signing. It's increasingly hard to even find homes that don't belong to a HOA unless you have the financial means to buy wherever you like. Plus, HOAs aren't opt-in/out either. It doesn't matter if a majority of you decide on rules, unless the same majority is willing to fork out money to pay my mortgage+taxes, Idgaf what you have to say. > I want to live in a neighborhood with others who feel the same way. If you really believe this, you can go ahead and disband the HOA. You don't need to enforce with a stick if this is really the case.
  - foogazi 4y ago
    > Most people buying a house in America do not have access to HOA by-laws until after signing. This is not true
    - Kon-Peki 4y ago
      In most states, a buyer has the legal right to rescind the purchase contract for some number of days after receiving these documents. But you generally have to ask for them when you make the offer, or the law doesn’t protect you.
      - foogazi 4y ago
        In contracts I’ve been part off the buyer is required to sign the HOA covenant Redfin, Zillow disclose HOA fees. Nothing prevents the buyer or their agent from requesting docs or calling the HOA directly
        Kon-Peki 4y ago
        Right, what I’m saying is that the HOA is not allowed to say no to the request, and you have the opportunity to look over the docs once you get them (and decline to move forward if you don’t like what you see - and get your earnest money back). But the main thing, is that you have to ask for the docs at the very start, or those laws don’t really protect you.

citizen_friend 4y ago

The only reason to be focused on those things is if your main concern ins your resell value.