In defense of HOAs

[Anonymous]

I used to live in a community with an HOA and had to comply with all their rules though it was occasionally annoying. Now I’m in the Town of Vienna and there’s no HOA. It’s about 50/50 new construction vs. old homes. The new construction lawns are all trim and pleasant to look at, but a good number of the older home owners have given up and let their fences fall apart and let the weedy vines take over. Unpleasant to look at and even more unpleasant to deal with when they border us.

[Anonymous]

Anybody doing any cool stuff? HOAs are anathema to cool stuff.

[Anonymous]

"During this time of economic distress, I do wish the poors would tend to the border wall separating them from my $1.7 million palace"

[Anonymous]

HOAs have positives and negatives.

I live in a neighborhood without one and some people in one of the houses have ten cars in their one house, probably at least three renters who are so-called "family."

Two of their cars are always parked in front of my house. There must be 12 people at least in the house.

[Anonymous]

This thread just convinces there are no upsides to HOAs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HOAs have positives and negatives.

I live in a neighborhood without one and some people in one of the houses have ten cars in their one house, probably at least three renters who are so-called "family."

Two of their cars are always parked in front of my house. There must be 12 people at least in the house.

+1. Our old neighborhood did not have an HOA and we had the same situation. Multiple cars on lawns and people who elected to burn their trash in their front yards rather than use a disposal company. This was not a rural area where no one had to smell it, either. They'd usually do it on the hottest days of the summer, to really add to the ambience. My parents live in a sought-after part of Arlington that also has no HOA. They could probably sell their house for $1.4M+ with no trouble. They share a block with a guy who uses his front lawn and the street in front of his house to repair motorcycles year round and another guy who has let his house go so badly that there is a largish tree growing through the middle. In most other locations, this would probably be a huge deterrent if they needed to sell.

When we moved, we specifically looked for a neighborhood with an HOA. It's not for everyone, but I vastly prefer it to the alternative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anybody doing any cool stuff? HOAs are anathema to cool stuff.

Tell me about it. Our HOA just denied my appeal for a very obviously temporary structure at the front of our house.
I do appreciate the HOA in general because without it, people would have 10 cars in their front yard. But it burns my toast that they have so much say over what you can and cannot do. I guess there is no winning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anybody doing any cool stuff? HOAs are anathema to cool stuff.

Tell me about it. Our HOA just denied my appeal for a very obviously temporary structure at the front of our house.
I do appreciate the HOA in general because without it, people would have 10 cars in their front yard. But it burns my toast that they have so much say over what you can and cannot do. I guess there is no winning.

Are you the decontamination station person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anybody doing any cool stuff? HOAs are anathema to cool stuff.

Tell me about it. Our HOA just denied my appeal for a very obviously temporary structure at the front of our house.
I do appreciate the HOA in general because without it, people would have 10 cars in their front yard. But it burns my toast that they have so much say over what you can and cannot do. I guess there is no winning.

I'm happy to allow people to have 10 cars in their front yard (which, actually, people do not do in my non-HOA neighborhood) if it means I can do the stuff an HOA wouldn't allow me to do. Like paint my front door whatever color I want, put vegetables in the front yard if I want, or take down holiday decorations on my schedule instead of theirs.

[Anonymous]

Currently house hunting. HOAs are a big negative for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread just convinces there are no upsides to HOAs

This. I’d rather have the motorcycle tinkerer be my neighbor than any HOA apologist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HOAs have positives and negatives.

I live in a neighborhood without one and some people in one of the houses have ten cars in their one house, probably at least three renters who are so-called "family."

Two of their cars are always parked in front of my house. There must be 12 people at least in the house.

+1. Our old neighborhood did not have an HOA and we had the same situation. Multiple cars on lawns and people who elected to burn their trash in their front yards rather than use a disposal company. This was not a rural area where no one had to smell it, either. They'd usually do it on the hottest days of the summer, to really add to the ambience. My parents live in a sought-after part of Arlington that also has no HOA. They could probably sell their house for $1.4M+ with no trouble. They share a block with a guy who uses his front lawn and the street in front of his house to repair motorcycles year round and another guy who has let his house go so badly that there is a largish tree growing through the middle. In most other locations, this would probably be a huge deterrent if they needed to sell.

When we moved, we specifically looked for a neighborhood with an HOA. It's not for everyone, but I vastly prefer it to the alternative.

This is all stuff that is typically covered by city ordinances, enforcement is usually based on either getting a complaint or someone in the inspections department having certain people they prefer to pick on. I don't know anywhere in the US where it is legal anymore to burn trash (although I grant some people pretend it's a recreational fire pit), usually vehicle repairs must be completed within a few days, and a tree growing through a house is a dangerous structure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anybody doing any cool stuff? HOAs are anathema to cool stuff.

Tell me about it. Our HOA just denied my appeal for a very obviously temporary structure at the front of our house.
I do appreciate the HOA in general because without it, people would have 10 cars in their front yard. But it burns my toast that they have so much say over what you can and cannot do. I guess there is no winning.

Are you the decontamination station person?

Yes

[Anonymous]

My friend lives in a no HOA neighborhood and his neighbor built a two story tall aviary and filled it with screaming parrots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend lives in a no HOA neighborhood and his neighbor built a two story tall aviary and filled it with screaming parrots.

That's amazing. Why would you want to live in a neighborhood that regulates the frequency of your lawn-mowing instead of a neighborhood with a two-story aviary with parrots?