Home-Owner Associations and Covenants.

Couldn't agree more. We have the community association from hell. They will actually come around and measure you grass to make sure that it conforms to the length set out in the covenants. To me, they are just pathetic little people with nothing better to do with their lives.

This is simply another situation where individuality and freedom is derided and punished.

It is a form of political correctness at it worst.

In a time when people are complaining of too much government interference in our lives and privacy, these people enter into these things willingly and voluntarily as a way to belong and set themselves apart.

They give up their rights, their privacy and their individuality in order to fit the approved mold.

If the government would try such a mandate they would moan and complain, however they do this willingly in the name of maintaining and raising property values.

They make very good sheeple and are well on the way to fitting in with the socialist utopia that the liberals so dearly yearn for.

Thank goodness, I finally found someone who agrees with me. I find it disturbing that, despite being a homeowner, you can be bossed around by some "association" that tells you how your home - your private property - can look, and can even fine you for not keeping it to their standards.

This is part of the reason why I do not look forward to living in the suburbs. I grew up in the country - our yard was full of holes, toys, and God knows what else. Of course, we kept it looking relatively nice - it's not like we had super long grass in which one could find a old rusty car or something, but it didn't look anywhere near as neat as some of these homes in the suburbs.

My grandmother is a real-estate agent, and from her I've come to learn why these places are the way they are. Still, though, I still can't get over that a group of your neighbors can tell you what to do with your own property. That's just...weird.

You should live where I do. When I step outside my door, I can and do shoot a 30.06 or a .357 if and when I feel like it. I can park my cars when and where I feel like it. No one can even see my house or yard. Sometimes they are a mess. Even if anyone could see my place, they would not complain about it.

Life in the country has its advantages. On the minus side, I could not get on the internet until 1997 and only this year finally got DSL. I had a party line on my phone until 1992.

So there are plusses and minuses both ways, rural or city.

No one could PAY me enough money to live in a place like that. My brother and his wife live in a town house community and have all that crap with rules and such and for the life of me, I don't know how he can stand it. Park here and not there, do this and can't do that. Oh bullsh*t! No way in hell would someone tell me what I can and can't do unless they pay my mortgage and then some and still none would be enough.

I guess I must be a redneck too since I agree with you. I have a sister with a house like that. My saying my place is a home, hers is a house. I think love grows stronger in little placees that lets kids be kids and parents have time for their kids rather than try to impress the neighbors. My yard always had signs of kids and living . Guess what all the kids that live in houses rather than homes came to my home to play and be a kid like they should be. All of these kids including mine are grown up now. Most of their friends from my oldest who is 33 now, to my my son who is in his latter twenty to my youngest who will soon be 20 still call me Mom . They always said I was like their second Mom but I think what they really ment was I was like they woould have liked their Mom's to be. I say it takes a bit of mess to live. I would rather have all these young peoples love than have a perfect house . So lets continue to be rednecks lol. The best to you and your loved ones. By the way I am not old only 53 with about 53 extended kids lol. Take care

No way could I live in a place like that.
I was in the country and as the saying goes "You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl".

I have heard of these type's of communities, they even go as far as to tell you what plants you are allowed to plant,the colour scheme your home is allowed to painted.
No f###### way am I having some snotty nose upstart telling me what I can and cant do.

No you weren't raised wrong. You're spot on YET AGAIN!!!
I see those model display nothing neighborhoods plenty of times. It does look like no one really lives there.

No one out in the yards, or just one person for like a few minutes watering the lawn or using a sprinkler.

No kids playing, only very few times I see them though.

No one using (if they are there) sidewalks.

Oh and heavens help you if you look around or drive through. You get the oddest and creepiest stares, even from the kids.

Then there's also the people in general which you described. So bizarre. I'm under the impression they are fake especially after actually interacting with some of them. So many wrong things, looks like bizarroworld, even feels like it at times.

Oh yea, and if anyone says I can't put up a US flag, I'll tell them "whatever" and still do it.

I totally agree with you. Our community was recently incorporated into a city and they came up with all kinds of stupid rules. One was that you can't park a vehicle or leave any equipment in between the front of your house and the street. Lot's of people in my neighborhood park in the yard. It's their yard and if they want to do this --so what?

Another one was you can't park closer than 3 feet to a sidewalk. What if you have company and have cars lined down your driveway? You will get a ticket. Seriously! They went around and issued tickets in one of the neighborhoods.

We laugh at the neighborhood group here because they give out a "Yard of the Month" award. You get a sign in your yard when you win. There are only about 5-6 people who have immaculate yards and the sign rotates from house to house. LOL! They should get a hint that nobody cares!

My hubby and I almost bought a condo, and once we read the Association Rules we said NO WAY!! The funny part is people pay to have the association make these ridiculous rules. My Gma is a "snowbird", and the one year she did stay in Illinois for Xmas she was cited by the Association because she put a strand of Xmas lights around her front door. But that spring when we had a huge storm and one of the trees blew down they told her she was responsible for it's removal, because it was "her yard".