buying a house or condo avoid ones with HOA's

[Conservative65]

i will admit i have never lived in hoa ruled area.....i would rather live in a fucking slum....and i have lol....than have someone lording over me...my house is modest but the i look out on my own property....and no one tells me or grumpy what the hell we have to do...the kids next door ...have explosives...redneck not terrorist....they ride the hell outta dirt bikes with no mufflers...and they do this on the main road....and the old folks are hooking up with golf carts....our new neighbors have goats....their 14 yr old son ask about the bamboo...he can see on our property...we told him to go for it..whatever he wants to make...none of our neighborhood kids play anywhere where their are needles or used condoms....we managed all that will simple common decency....in the mountains if you dont have common decency you end up living in one of the bad hollars....i will say this about grumpy and the other men on this creek...they dont cotton to what they call worthless white trash....i live very well knowing if a man touches me.....all i have to do is tell grumpy or my son....that will be the end of it...and if i am at home...i am armed...not to son's standards lol....i figure he will borg his right hand into a pistol as soon as possible...shm....lord gun fever makes them idiots

the HOA i now have made it clear they only care about you keeping your house and front yard looking good......the back yard they dont care as long as you are not doing something that affects your neighbors.....if they get complaints they have to check it out....so far everyone is pretty nice.....

The problem with mine isn't that they don't do things that fall under what they're designed to do, using the items you listed in post #17, it's that they apply it inconsistently.

Another problem we as homeowners had was one of the board members would come into back yards through gated fences and take pictures.

Sic a couple of dogs on him.

That particular board member never came into my back yard. However, it was explained to the board President what, according to state law, was going to happen should it occur.

 

[pwjohn]

Getting a condo without an HOA would be a neat trick.

It's rare for older condos to be over hoa'd like newer construction.

 

[Moonglow]

Homes associations wield far more power than homeowners realize. That’s because local governments have saved money by ceding HOAs more and more authority over such responsibilities as streets and sewers. Associations can fine you for leaving a garage door open and seize your home over late dues.

“A lot of people don’t realize, especially first-time homebuyers, that when you purchase into these homeowners associations you are giving up some of your constitutional rights and some of your due process rights,” said Dave Russell, who rescued a troubled Arizona condo association and now runs it to much acclaim.

HOA boards often are run by volunteers with little training, which can lead to neighborhood strife and even violence. Lawsuits are filed over seemingly petty issues such as “unattractive” flowerpots on a front step.

The result?

An institution originally created to protect homeowners instead has morphed into one that sometimes torments them.


Read more here: HOAs from hell: Homes associations that once protected residents now torment them

I only live in areas where I am the only house in the edition..

 

[pwjohn]

I bought an older patio home built on a golf course that came with a stack of cc&r's a foot high. None were enforced. It was no big deal to screen in my back porch, fly a flag, leave the garage open, park on the street. And so on