I am not one who likes living so close to others. I’ve lived in a condo and various houses, with property from less than a quarter acre of land to an acre +.
I now live on about five acres, and I’d be even happier with twenty or more. Living with an HOA was a nightmare to me.
Living in the country was our dream. We had a mini farm. The people who lived across the road from us had pit bulls that ran loose. They also put in a dirt bike track around their house. Our houses were very close together but across the road from each other. Their kids ran those dirt bikes all day long. It was very noisy and we could not use our screen porch as the dirt would come right in through the screens. It was a miserable existence and we had to have a shotgun with us at all times because of the dogs. One of them bit my husband when he went out to get the mail.
There were no leash laws in the country and farm folk do not want to keep their dogs tied up. We would have bought another property out in the country but my husbands health turned bad and he couldn’t handle it.
When you have bad neighbors it doesn’t matter where you live. Your life can be miserable HOA or not. This is the first place I’ve lived where someone hasn’t left their dogs to bark all day long. You can’t tie your dogs out all day here. I finally have peace and quiet!!!!!