5 ms·

Nobody is required to live in a HOA, you can always choose to live somewhere else. I live in the woods, no HOA.

by miah_ 3y ago

teeray 3y ago
That’s not really true, when many cities and towns love HOAs—all the property tax income, none of the responsibilities (plowing, paving, trash, fixing broken water mains), but still all of the regulatory oversight (permitting and inspection fees).
- lotsofpulp 3y ago
  I have never seen an HOA that does any of that. It’s almost always just related to standards of appearance. Landscaping, building modifications, having junk laying around, etc.
  - cafard 3y ago
    We lived for fifteen years in a development with an HOA. The HOA saw to lawn mowing, snow removal, and perhaps tree replacement. Eventually, after fuss about parking, the HOA painted house numbers on parking spaces to be sure that we could each claim or two. But garbage pickup was as far as I know managed by the county.
    - ghaff 3y ago
      My brother's house is in a HOA and, as far as I know, pretty much the only thing the HOA is concerned with is the maintenance and plowing of the private road. I'm not sure how you do that without some form of organization/agreement. It's not rare for there to be common areas that aren't maintained by the government (which is really the only alternative) unless a group of neighbors just handle things informally and hope it all works out.
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > I have never seen an HOA that does any of that My HOA does. It mows lawns and removes snow. That's almost it: the rules are largely about not storing explosives in your house, which is apparently a thing in Wyoming.
  - teeray 3y ago
    > I have never seen an HOA that does any of that. Let me tell you about mine. Apart from snow removal and mowing the common lands, we handle curbside trash collection, repairs to water mains, flushing hydrants, maintaining streetlights (and paying for the electricity to light them), capital projects to manage stormwater, paving, sewer maintenance, installing fiber, forest management, etc. We also negotiate group rates for utilities like gas and electricity. A recent major project is replacing the pumps in our sewer lift station to the tune of $17k (an expense we budgeted for, thankfully). So yeah, apart from things like education and emergency services, we are basically a 19 house municipality.
josefx 3y ago
No need to make that look sensible, early HOAs where quite blunt about their core purpose: "no property hereby conveyed shall ever be used or occupied by any Hebrew or by any person of the Ethiopian, Malay or any Asiatic race."[1] [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowner_association https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowner_association
- Gud 3y ago
  Do you think this is valid for todays HOAs in general? Seems like a weird point to make today. I doubt the main purpose of a Home Owners Association today is keep out unwanted ethnicities.
  - yterdy 3y ago
    Yes. They're often used as a form of legal economic and cultural discrimination, instead of simply to uphold quality of life in the neighborhood.
    - Gud 3y ago
      How?
      - yterdy 3y ago
        Rules that prescribe particular materials or levels or methods of upkeep that are significantly more expensive to implement or maintain than others, or that clash with one's culturally-based desires. A common one is a prohibition against small farm animals or front food gardens. Another is part of a hustle where a required exterior finish is only available from a privileged provider or contractor, similar to how apartment buildings limit your choice of ISP. Failing to adhere to HOA rules (which may not be readily apparent) results in fines and conflict with a group that's empowered to make decisions about your property. When homeowners have these decisions taken away and are forced to shell out, it becomes a financial and psychological strain that prompts people who would otherwise be enjoying the property to leave (or to not purchase it in the first place).
    - 3y ago

Nobody is required to live in a HOA, you can always choose to live somewhere else. I live in the woods, no HOA.

by miah_ 3y ago

Nobody is required to live in a HOA, you can always choose to live somewhere else. I live in the woods, no HOA.

That’s not really true, when many cities and towns love HOAs—all the property tax income, none of the responsibilities (plowing, paving, trash, fixing broken water mains), but still all of the regulatory oversight (permitting and inspection fees).

lotsofpulp 3y ago
I have never seen an HOA that does any of that. It’s almost always just related to standards of appearance. Landscaping, building modifications, having junk laying around, etc.
- cafard 3y ago
  We lived for fifteen years in a development with an HOA. The HOA saw to lawn mowing, snow removal, and perhaps tree replacement. Eventually, after fuss about parking, the HOA painted house numbers on parking spaces to be sure that we could each claim or two. But garbage pickup was as far as I know managed by the county.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    My brother's house is in a HOA and, as far as I know, pretty much the only thing the HOA is concerned with is the maintenance and plowing of the private road. I'm not sure how you do that without some form of organization/agreement. It's not rare for there to be common areas that aren't maintained by the government (which is really the only alternative) unless a group of neighbors just handle things informally and hope it all works out.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  > I have never seen an HOA that does any of that My HOA does. It mows lawns and removes snow. That's almost it: the rules are largely about not storing explosives in your house, which is apparently a thing in Wyoming.
- teeray 3y ago
  > I have never seen an HOA that does any of that. Let me tell you about mine. Apart from snow removal and mowing the common lands, we handle curbside trash collection, repairs to water mains, flushing hydrants, maintaining streetlights (and paying for the electricity to light them), capital projects to manage stormwater, paving, sewer maintenance, installing fiber, forest management, etc. We also negotiate group rates for utilities like gas and electricity. A recent major project is replacing the pumps in our sewer lift station to the tune of $17k (an expense we budgeted for, thankfully). So yeah, apart from things like education and emergency services, we are basically a 19 house municipality.

josefx 3y ago

No need to make that look sensible, early HOAs where quite blunt about their core purpose: "no property hereby conveyed shall ever be used or occupied by any Hebrew or by any person of the Ethiopian, Malay or any Asiatic race."[1] [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowner_association https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowner_association

Gud 3y ago
Do you think this is valid for todays HOAs in general? Seems like a weird point to make today. I doubt the main purpose of a Home Owners Association today is keep out unwanted ethnicities.
- yterdy 3y ago
  Yes. They're often used as a form of legal economic and cultural discrimination, instead of simply to uphold quality of life in the neighborhood.
  - Gud 3y ago
    How?
    - yterdy 3y ago
      Rules that prescribe particular materials or levels or methods of upkeep that are significantly more expensive to implement or maintain than others, or that clash with one's culturally-based desires. A common one is a prohibition against small farm animals or front food gardens. Another is part of a hustle where a required exterior finish is only available from a privileged provider or contractor, similar to how apartment buildings limit your choice of ISP. Failing to adhere to HOA rules (which may not be readily apparent) results in fines and conflict with a group that's empowered to make decisions about your property. When homeowners have these decisions taken away and are forced to shell out, it becomes a financial and psychological strain that prompts people who would otherwise be enjoying the property to leave (or to not purchase it in the first place).
  - 3y ago