Neighbors want to dissolve HOA

[Anonymous]

We recently purchased in a non-HOA area, though we were originally leaning toward purchasing in an HOA. The non-HOA areas definitely had issues we wanted to avoid, specifically hoarding issues that were visible in the yard. We lived next store to a hoarder and I also grew up with a parent who hoarded so that was a red flag.

But I was worried about the HOA in terms of my ability to do things like have a vegetable garden in the backyard. Some HOAs can be a PITA, so just depends. We happened to buy in a non-HOA community with homes and neighbors that appeared to keep their yards reasonably maintained.

[Anonymous]

A ten home community is REALLY small to have an HOA. We lived in a 40 home community and it was a PITA to get people to serve on the board or get anything done. Plus we never had enough money because there was such a small pool of people to draw from, especially when a road needed to be repaved or an individual larger expense like that. I'd really look to see what services the HOA was providing (trash? plowing?) to see if it was worth it...or see if you could piggyback on a nearby neighborhood's HOA. But if it's just a "we just want to make sure everyone's siding is a nice color" kind of HOA then I'd probably dissolve it as well. P.S. We never bought in an HOA community again.

[Anonymous]

I hate HOAs and try to actively avoid them. Our house in NOVA doesn’t have one, but it is in an expensive neighborhood and there are no concerns about people letting their houses go. Our beach house does have an HOA and it is so annoying. There doesn’t need to be one, because again, it’s in an expensive neighborhood and there are no amenities - just 1.5+ million dollar SFH homes). We need HOA approval to cut down certain size trees on our property, to make improvements, etc. And the rich busybodies think they have a right to question you about everything. Someone complained about perfectly legal address signs that we and other neighbors put up, came onto our property to question if we were legally removing a rotten tree…just the worst. I think HOAs are a liability unless you live in a crappy neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

I also avoid them. When house hunting, even if I love it, once I read HOA its out of consideration. I have a beautiful home and garden that is maintained, like most of my neighbors. I don't need any unrelated person to have a say in my choices.

[Anonymous]

You don’t need this.

[Anonymous]

Do not get rid of it. You will need to sue your neighbors to get them to pay for road maintenance if there is no HOA. it Will destroy your neighborhood. If they cared about maintaining the appearance of their Home they wouldn't be against the HOA. The HOA is also your only protection from simplex destroying the neighborhood. You want to protect yourself from the disaster of Arlington zoning.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a neighborhood with a HOA and would never buy a house in one. When my parents wanted to get thebhpuse repainted, the HOA literally wouldn't allow them to paint the house the color it was. They insisted our grey house be painted ine of their favored shades of poo brown. They also would get these ideas like everyone needed their driveway pressure washed and hey someone's brother just happens to own a pressure washing company.

I'm still mad they made us take down out basketball hoop (but then changed the rules when the HOA president's son wanted one).

I'm much happier in a neighborhood where my neighbor has a funky windmill and a bunch of gnomes.

[Anonymous]

Not all HOAs are created equal. I can have as many funky windmills or gnomes as I want. But I don't have to worry about my neighbors tearing down their house and putting in a monstrosity that blocks out sunlight for their neighbors. There are pros and cons for HOAs, read the HOA documents before buying to decide if that particular association is in line with how you'd like to live.

[Anonymous]

Be careful, especially if there is road maintenance involved (plowing, paving, etc.). If the HOA gets dissolved, there is no guarantee that any local agency will take that over and then every home will eventually be screwed when things deteriorate.

When a developer gets permission to develop a parcel and says it will form an HOA to take care of the road maintenance within that neighborhood, the local entity that approves that does it in part because it means it will not have the cost of maintaining the road/roads. If the HOA dissolves, that agency doesn't necessarily have any legal obligation to suddenly take care of the road that it was promised that it would not have to maintain. So then no one has to care for the road ever--plowing, patching, eventually repaving, etc.

So if the neighbors want to dissolve the HOA, they should first get a local government agency to legally agree to take on the road maintenance, which can be an uphill battle. In some cases I have heard that local governments will form a special tax district for former HOA neighborhoods to help cover the costs that the area brings when the HOA dissolves, especially if the infrastructure is aging and the city is stuck with the bill to fix things.

[Anonymous]

I hate HOAs, OP. They are mostly led by petty tyrants who take your money and use it to bully residents for no reason, because that's their entire life purpose, to micromanage and control others.

But if yours has pleasant, normal, people in it, and you feel the HOA brings you value and peace of mind, then sure, work to keep it.

At some point they all devolve, just FYI...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do not get rid of it. You will need to sue your neighbors to get them to pay for road maintenance if there is no HOA. it Will destroy your neighborhood. If they cared about maintaining the appearance of their Home they wouldn't be against the HOA. The HOA is also your only protection from simplex destroying the neighborhood. You want to protect yourself from the disaster of Arlington zoning.

Possibly dumb question - why does the HOA maintain the road and not the county?
Signed,
Maryland resident

[Anonymous]

Is the HOA solvent, and has sufficient reserves? If it’s not enough homes in the association to get enough money to cover whatever contingencies, that could affect the ability to get mortgages.

[Anonymous]

We are currently looking for a house, but we are only considering HOA communities. There are many benefits to having one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful, especially if there is road maintenance involved (plowing, paving, etc.). If the HOA gets dissolved, there is no guarantee that any local agency will take that over and then every home will eventually be screwed when things deteriorate.

When a developer gets permission to develop a parcel and says it will form an HOA to take care of the road maintenance within that neighborhood, the local entity that approves that does it in part because it means it will not have the cost of maintaining the road/roads. If the HOA dissolves, that agency doesn't necessarily have any legal obligation to suddenly take care of the road that it was promised that it would not have to maintain. So then no one has to care for the road ever--plowing, patching, eventually repaving, etc.

So if the neighbors want to dissolve the HOA, they should first get a local government agency to legally agree to take on the road maintenance, which can be an uphill battle. In some cases I have heard that local governments will form a special tax district for former HOA neighborhoods to help cover the costs that the area brings when the HOA dissolves, especially if the infrastructure is aging and the city is stuck with the bill to fix things.

Excellent answer. We lack the information to advise you about what to do but these considerations seem important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not get rid of it. You will need to sue your neighbors to get them to pay for road maintenance if there is no HOA. it Will destroy your neighborhood. If they cared about maintaining the appearance of their Home they wouldn't be against the HOA. The HOA is also your only protection from simplex destroying the neighborhood. You want to protect yourself from the disaster of Arlington zoning.

Possibly dumb question - why does the HOA maintain the road and not the county?
Signed,
Maryland resident

See 09:43's response. It's a way for developer to get approval for the development more easily. This is a good or bad thing depending on your perspective.