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HOA's can be a pain.
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Mar 23, 2018 16:13:37   #
davefales Loc: Virginia
 
Interesting comments. What does not seem to be addressed is the situation where the original (still unmodified) rules were ambiguous, but "enforcers" took over the board and opted for strict "enforcement".

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Mar 23, 2018 16:18:41   #
GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA
 
rmalarz wrote:
My theory on HOAs is that after WWII some of the Gestapo snuck out of Germany and into the U.S. They reformed and foisted the HOA concept. It took a while to catch on, but once it did, there was no stopping it.

Though I've never lived in an HOA governed neighborhood, currently the burg in which I do live, has ordinances enacted by those who can't stand not having authority over others. Thanks for posting this, as it has given me an idea.
--Bob


And what is your idea, pray tell??

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Mar 23, 2018 17:30:26   #
jrconcours Loc: Ocean View, DE
 
I've read all the replies so far and have a few comments.

I used to live in Manassas Va where we had no HOA in the development. Had great neighbors who kept their properties in good condition. Then my neighbor sold his home to a dumb ass redneck and then his home was allowed to run down with junk laying outside, the landscaping died, the lawn went to weeds, no painting was kept up and shutters hanging partly off. Don't even ask about the dump in the back yard!

Once I retired we moved to Ocean View DE but before buying I wanted to look at the documents to make sure what happened in VA did not happen here. They looked good to me and did not look over the top. To this day after 15 years the docs stood up and people have told us it is the best looking development in the county. Our resale value has also been better than other developments.

As a past President the problems I see are that people didn't look at the documents before they signed a contract to buy. Sometimes you just can't fix stupid. The second thing we always did was to make sure any enforcement required was consistent over time. The only complaints I hear at board meetings is how we can improve the common areas and the leadership has responded to them while also keeping within budget limits.

Now after 15 years we have been very happy.

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Mar 23, 2018 18:09:58   #
PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place
 
Great response

Don

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Mar 23, 2018 19:34:16   #
LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America
 
paulrph1 wrote:
Some people like to go from one garbage to another and never try to better themselves. As for me I like to make things beautiful.


Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I beheld beauty.

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Mar 23, 2018 20:19:02   #
paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah
 
LWW wrote:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I beheld beauty.


You are so right and we all to not think alike. When I first saw it I thought it was kind of humorous but then I decided to think about the many other repercussions and decided to post what I did. Live is more than the obvious.

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Mar 24, 2018 00:40:08   #
TMcL
 
cdayton wrote:
πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€ Agreed, read the rules before you buy. Also, look at the history of special assessments. Ignorance is NOT bliss.


Seems like these folks are in compliance with the rules. They were asked to hide the trash cans, and they did.

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Mar 24, 2018 00:50:48   #
TMcL
 
DJ Mills wrote:
When we bought our current home, we signed an agreement to follow the rules of the HOA. Not all of them are ones I would have enacted, but the same is true of our city council, state legislature, and (especially) Congress. Still, I gave my word, and so did my neighbors. I have lived in places where people have junker cars on their driveways or in their yards, where lawns are seldom mowed, and trash cans sit on the curb all week long. No thanks. My neighbors and I are counting on each other and respect each other.
When we bought our current home, we signed an agre... (show quote)


Trouble is that some HOAs make up the "rules" as they go along. Some years ago, I got written up because the house numbers on my mailbox did not meet the approved design guidelines. Trouble is there are no guidelines for house numbers. What they meant was that the did not match all the other house numbers put in by the builder when the homes were constructed about 10 years ago. You would have thought that replacing worn out plastic numbers with new brass ones would be considered an improvement, not a violation.

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Mar 24, 2018 04:31:41   #
GregWCIL Loc: Illinois
 
GeorgeH wrote:
There was a case in Gwinnett County in the Atlanta GA a few years ago which exemplifies what can happen when HOAs run amok. While I don't recall all the details, it went something like this: A homeowner put a pink plastic flamingo in his front yard, for what reason who knows. After a week or so the HOA told him to take it down. He said no. They slapped a fine on him. They kept fining him, IIRC eventually totaling perhaps $15,000 and filed a lien on the house. Eventually the homeowner sold and moved away. I don't know how the purchaser handled the lien. I suppose the HOA felt that to ignore the bird would be starting down a slippery slope.... When my sister and her husband had some serious remodeling done their contractor put a pink flamingo in their front hard, said it was for good luck. He did a lovely job, so perhaps a pink bird is what is needed....
There was a case in Gwinnett County in the Atlanta... (show quote)


The title search done before closing on the home purchase would have revealed the lien.

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Mar 24, 2018 09:05:07   #
GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA
 
GregWCIL wrote:
The title search done before closing on the home purchase would have revealed the lien.


Certainly. I assume that the seller had to adjust the price.

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Mar 24, 2018 09:54:56   #
JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.
 
So far no one has commented on the bent/distorted eavestrough downspout. That definitely has to be replaced. It is unsightly and probably discharges/diverts the water improperly. Standards have to be maintained, no? And come to think of it, are there rules on how many elbows the downspout can have? This might be totally illegal. And if the concentration of water running down the driveway creates a water stain... OMG, the owner will have to repave the driveway to ensure that it has uniform shading!!! Yep, rules is rules.

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Mar 24, 2018 11:08:22   #
wkillham
 
TMcL wrote:
Trouble is that some HOAs make up the "rules" as they go along. Some years ago, I got written up because the house numbers on my mailbox did not meet the approved design guidelines. Trouble is there are no guidelines for house numbers. What they meant was that the did not match all the other house numbers put in by the builder when the homes were constructed about 10 years ago. You would have thought that replacing worn out plastic numbers with new brass ones would be considered an improvement, not a violation.
Trouble is that some HOAs make up the "rules&... (show quote)

This is an entirely different situation. There are procedures in covenants for changes that are generally difficult to do without majority consensus of the community. Usually 75% of homeowners. architectural guidelines are usually easier to change and often just need a majority vote at a meeting. The people that β€œhate” HOA’s and call them every name in the book, fail to realize that they are the ones failing to keep a legally binding agreement. That is not on the HOA.

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Mar 24, 2018 11:13:36   #
wkillham
 
GeorgeH wrote:
Certainly. I assume that the seller had to adjust the price.


The Home cannot be sold until the lein is released. That is what so many people do not understand. Was that silly battle over the color you wanted to paint your mailbox worth it when you discover at closing that your house cannot be sold until you pay off that HOA lein? It happens all the time.

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Mar 24, 2018 11:25:35   #
Paladin48 Loc: Orlando
 
dpfoto wrote:
There was a veteran on Florida East coast a few years ago who put up a flag pole in his front yard to fly the American flag. HOA made him remove it. He researched the HOA rules, and found there was no rule regarding house paint color. He then had his entire house painted like the American flag. The HOA quickly passed a rule against it, but the court sided with him, saying he is grandfathered in, and the HOA cannot make him repaint the house. Sometimes the good guy wins.



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Mar 24, 2018 11:39:53   #
PhotoPhred Loc: Cheyney, Pa
 
Great solution. Can't wait to see how they reply to this. I would never live in a neighborhood that has an HOA.

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