HOA's

[wired]

There is a house for sale on the corner a few houses down that is for sale and will never sell. Its been customized with an inlaw apartment inside with a separated garage . Nice house but a weird layout that is too custom for most people. That and it has a small yard bordered front and back by roads. They have had it on the market for $700K+ for a long time since the old guy who lived there died. No bites . Lots of nice big houses with big yards in Yakima for less. Anyway the family hasnt been able to sell it so they put it up as a Air BnB to get a little income flow. I got a letter in the mail yesterday from another one of our neighbors wanting to have a meeting of the HOA so that we can discuss the covenant and modify it if needed to ban short term rentals. They were concerned about the traffic and strangers in our nice quiet neighborhood. So I'm reading this letter thinking to myself " Hey dumbass, we don't have a freakin' HOA or a covenant in our neighborhood " . Morons.

The first house I bought had one. Never again. We had the typical busy body HOA Nazi walking around with her clipboard every tuesday handing out "friendly warnings" Friendly warnings? Couldnt wait to sell that place. I'm not the kind of guy who would survive long under an HOA. No parking on the street, no parking your boat in the driveway, No firing up open headers , no painting cars in your driveway etc. They even make you wear pants when "watering the lawn". Ive heard of some in the south in some of those gated community golf course sort of places that don't even allow you to own a pickup truck and keep it in your garage. Not for me.

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[rcnpthfndr]

I never understood HOA's. why would you pay someone to tell you how and when you can do something or live your life. That seem so against the American way of life.

 

[slimmer13]

There is a house for sale on the corner a few houses down that is for sale and will never sell. Its been customized with an inlaw apartment inside with a separated garage . Nice house but a weird layout that is too custom for most people. That and it has a small yard bordered front and back by roads. They have had it on the market for $700K+ for a long time since the old guy who lived there died. No bites . Lots of nice big houses with big yards in Yakima for less. Anyway the family hasnt been able to sell it so they put it up as a Air BnB to get a little income flow. I got a letter in the mail yesterday from another one of our neighbors wanting to have a meeting of the HOA so that we can discuss the covenant and modify it if needed to ban short term rentals. They were concerned about the traffic and strangers in our nice quiet neighborhood. So I'm reading this letter thinking to myself " Hey dumbass, we don't have a freakin' HOA or a covenant in our neighborhood " . Morons.

The first house I bought had one. Never again. We had the typical busy body HOA Nazi walking around with her clipboard every tuesday handing out "friendly warnings" Friendly warnings? Couldnt wait to sell that place. I'm not the kind of guy who would survive long under an HOA. No parking on the street, no parking your boat in the driveway, No firing up open headers , no painting cars in your driveway etc. They even make you wear pants when "watering the lawn". Ive heard of some in the south in some of those gated community golf course sort of places that don't even allow you to own a pickup truck and keep it in your garage. Not for me.

Nope, me either. I think the gunfire and ATV riding would get me into too much trouble and then I'd have to tell them to get off my lawn.

 

[OldBroad44]

They even make you wear pants when "watering the lawn".

Reminds me of what my husband used to say when he saw a guy unzipped. "Nice out, isn't it?" Which he'd follow up with, "Gonna leave it out a while?"

 

[Jonnyuma]

I bought a house w an HOA once. I looked into them first and found out that they were pretty weak, not like some of the contemporaneous NAZI HOAs that were taking hold (late 90s, Maricopa county AZ). They didn't like some of the stuff I did but they mostly kept their distance only responding if there was a written complaint, which there never really was.

 

[CountryGent]

I never understood HOA's. why would you pay someone to tell you how and when you can do something or live your life. That seem so against the American way of life.

Ditto. There is absolutely, positively, no way I'd ever be involved with a HOA in any capacity. Our home and land is just that: ours. What we do on said is nobody's damn business but our own.

 

[Rcguy33]

I design homes for a living so im way to familiar with HOA's. If there is no hoa or rules for the neighborhood and the city zoning rules allow for a B&B then theres nothing stopping the owners from having it. If the city zoning does not allow it then it looks like the neighbors will get their way and it will be shut down. Hopefully the owners did some homework and verified that it is allowed per city zoning rules and give the big middle finger to the HOA police!

 

[Oregonhunter5]

An HoA is not awesome. The developer likes to build all kinds of extra stuff in the neighborhoods here. Some of the enter points off the roads they have spent at least $700,000 on. Some 1.5 million. Water pumps that are $2,000 per month to per the electrical bill for the HOA. Crazy stuff.

 

[wired]

Im actually more surprised that my neighborhood isnt under an HOA. Somewhat upscale area and all the surrounding neighborhoods are and this development is only 5-6 old. No HOA , covenant, monthly dues etc.. Not sure how the builder skirted that one. It may be because there were several different builders buying lots in the area and it never was under one single developer.

I wouldnt have bought here if it was.

 

[Diamondback]

Someday part of me wants to develop and do an HOA done right...
*All houses MUST fly the US flag and adhere to Flag Code
*All houses MUST maintain at least one rifle suitable for community defense, with 1000 rounds of ammo minimum

Really, the HOA would just be there to maintain the Perimeter Wall, gate/guardhouse and intrusion-detection systems.

 

[bgdawgrr]

HOA are not all evil. As a real estate broker, I come across all kinds. Many I would not buy into as they are draconian, but many great.
It mirrors life and laws. It depends what you get.
For my $35 a month I get a stocked private lake, two parks, basketball court, tennis court, soccer and softball fields, and a community pool in summer. Great deal imo. Yes if we want to build permanent structures or major landscaping they have to be approved by a committee. I'll trade that for not looking at non permitted crap shack garage.
Close friend on the other hand, pays >$100 a month for a neighborhood sign and fountain. HOA overlord drives the streets to make sure window screens don't have holes in them and decorations meet CCRs.
Understand what you get into. Some folks LOVE CA, others want to live in Montana. I get it.
BUT remember, it's all fun and games with no rules until the guy next to you or across the street decides purple with neon pink trim looks fantastic on his two story Or the cat lady living up wind decides to be a mushroom farmer with rosters.

 

[Tarawa86]

My neighborhood has a very non-intrusive HOA that is only $50/year. Its basically to enforce such things as no cars on blocks in yard/driveway, no lurid pink houses, mow your dang lawn, no RV's parked in the street for more than a week or so (most of us have separate RV driveways). I appreciate it because it keeps everybody's house looking civilized; you can definitely tell were the HOA ends on our street. That said, I wouldn't want a draconian one either.

 

[Diamondback]

The other thing about the development I envision: Private range and airstrip facilities--not that hard, could use the runway as the same ground for both with appropriate backstops and FOD cleanup.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Someday part of me wants to develop and do an HOA done right...
*All houses MUST fly the US flag and adhere to Flag Code
*All houses MUST maintain at least one rifle suitable for community defense, with 1000 rounds of ammo minimum

Really, the HOA would just be there to maintain the Perimeter Wall, gate/guardhouse and intrusion-detection systems.

There's one such thing in northern Idaho.
It's a pretty serious crowd. They have tanks, rockets, all sorts of military weapons. You have to take a oath to stand against your country when asked. Upside down flag and all. Pretty large chunk of land they are living on. People live there to get ready for the Big One.

 

[Diamondback]

I don't wanna build for skinheads, though... LOL

 

[Alexx1401]

I have always avoided any home with one. I can see how they get started. It's a PITA if you keep up and end up with some doper living next to you with a "breaking bad RV " up on blocks in the front yard. Problem is I have often seen is people who end up in charge. Often no "normal person" wants to. So some control freak gets on one and away you go. I leave others alone and expect the same. I have had renters living around me that were a huge PITA though. Often was cause to celebrate when they would finally get tossed out. Also made me NEVER want to have a home and rent it out. I have seen some stuff that is amazing what people can do to a home in a relatively short time. Remember a while back there was a thread here about one that decided every home had to leave their garage door open all day? The idea that some had people living in their garage?

 

[Connor Murphy]

See, I dig doing yard work with no pants on and the neighborhood ladies dig it when I do.

JK, I don't really have a neighborhood. But if I did, I wouldn't want some verklempt mofo telling me how to live.

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

I live in a new development with the oldest house being ~ 2 years old. We chose the neighborhood because of no HOA. It is great as I can do what I want. The bad part is other can do what they want or more importantly don't want to do. This is the challenge. Many do not maintain their yards, one guy had half a car sitting in his yard for nearly a month etc etc.
I take pride in my investment. I have professional yard service I pay for weekly. I keep my yard clean and clean up after my dogs. Unfortunately many people do not. It makes it a challenge because my wife and I built this house as a investment to either flip or rent in a couple years and take advantage of the fast appreciation (which is hurt by neighbors who do not maintain properties)
All this being said our next house will be without HOA as well but hopefully will be more remote with land and distance from potential neighbors.

 

[Geardo]

I would move there!

Someday part of me wants to develop and do an HOA done right...
*All houses MUST fly the US flag and adhere to Flag Code
*All houses MUST maintain at least one rifle suitable for community defense, with 1000 rounds of ammo minimum

Really, the HOA would just be there to maintain the Perimeter Wall, gate/guardhouse and intrusion-detection systems.

 

[Geardo]

There's one such thing in northern Idaho.
It's a pretty serious crowd. They have tanks, rockets, all sorts of military weapons. You have to take a oath to stand against your country when asked. Upside down flag and all. Pretty large chunk of land they are living on. People live there to get ready for the Big One.

What is it called? How have they not been WACOd yet?