I hate HOA’s when it comes what I can WITH my property.
On the flip side, I don’t know how many times neighbors diagonally across the street have had out door parties with recorded music blaring into the wee hours of the nite and loud enough that I can hear with my entire house shut up and me sitting in a room at the back of the house with the TV on and the air conditioner running. At those times I could live with an HOA that said what everyone could do outside ON their property in terms of gatherings. In my situation it is not an HOA area and the local cops refuse to take an interest. Some of my neighbors are just afraid of the folks diagonally across the street from me and just don’t want to rock the boat for fear of their reaction.
An HOA, as bad as they are is NOT an unconstitutional invasion of rights as it is a matter agreed to in the sale and deed agreement; in other words people can chose to live under a set of HOA rules, or not.
The trick is finding an HOA Board that follows it's own rules.