Should your neighbors tell you what to do?
By DoriLentrich
@DoriLentrich (1016)
United States
September 8, 2008 1:11pm CST
I've never really been a fan of homeowner's associations. Most of the time they are run by people with far too much time on their hands who like to get into other people's business. I've met a lot of people who like throw their power around making life difficult for people they don't like. Also, I've seen them as a way to keep the "right" people in a neighborhood and the "wrong" people out.
Do they really do anything important for a community? How do people feel about their neighbors having a say in their lives?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@prinzess1515 (1341)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Its the home owners association that is telling people what to do and not the neighbors. If people didn't have HOA then your neighborhood could turn into a complete dump. People would be allowed to leave their broke down cars in their yard, put trash where ever they want to on their property. Never cut their grass and paint their houses ugly colors. Now when you try to sell your home and you have some mad house next door to you, you aren't going to get that much money.
1 person likes this
@jskorepa317 (47)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I agree with a lot of that, however, instead, when I try to sell my house, the potential buyer wonders why there are six for sale just in my driveway alone. There are 14 that have been foreclosed on in the development and so many more that will be soon. The HOA around here has gotten so out of control that a lot of residents have just given up and moved on. Leaving their condo abandoned and lowering the worth of mine. If an HOA works properly, then they are great, but the minute they get corrupt, the residents are screwed!
1 person likes this
@DoriLentrich (1016)
• United States
9 Sep 08
You're right about them maintaining standards, but there has to be a limit. What's an ugly color? How tall does grass have to be before it's too tall? What if they plant a particularly garish bush? When you buy in a neighborhood, you buy the neighborhood as well as the house, but do they really go downhill that quickly? I keep hearing about places becoming dumps, but to be honest, I've never run across a neighborhood that went from nice and upperclass to a dump in ten years. Ten years is a long time to see the writing on the wall and sell if you need to. As for living next to a mad house, leaving garbage and cars around normally violates city ordinances in residential neighborhoods. Can't the law handle it? Or do neighbors have to get involved?
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Sometimes, they do good things with regards to moderating disputes between homeowners and taking care of landscaping, etc. But, some of them are really nasty and unreasonable. There have been some HMA who have even broken the law by telling people they can't do things they have a legal right to do.
1 person likes this
@DoriLentrich (1016)
• United States
9 Sep 08
That's true. It's not a well-known fact, but if a HMA puts a lien on your house for non-payment of dues or something else, that lien can be foreclosed upon. It's scary when you think how much power some of these associations can have.
@jskorepa317 (47)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I live in a condo with a homeowners association. I agree that the people on the board have way too much time on their hands and they are power hungry. My husband actually just joined the board last month to try to get some of the things changed. We have a board of women in their 60's who hate children and want to make our development a retirement community. My husband was raised here and we wanted to raise our family here, but it is getting out of control.
They tell us what color curtains we can hang. I have very neutral decor throughout, except in the children's rooms. A pale lilac curtain hangs in my daughters room and a sports valance in my son's. They said I have to get rid of them! Or pay them $25 a day. I won't even get into the other ridiculous things they try to charge residents for.
I feel that I live in a country where I am free to decorate as I want and that nosy neighbors should not have a say at all!
@DoriLentrich (1016)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I hear you. It's ridiculous how far some of these groups will go to get their way. It's sad that they can do things like that to other people. Why would they want to? You would think that the good will of the community would matter more to them then their petty power games.
