A Freeper's observation: Home Owner Associations

With tonight being Halloween I expect that many of you will have halloween related activities to take care of. I have some plans of my own for this evening as a matter of fact.(passing out candy to all the trick or treaters out there) When you're through with these activities and you're ready to get back to freeping, just come by here and take a look at my post and give me your feedback. I'll check back in tommorow and respond to all the posts on this subject.

This essay was scheduled to be posted by me at this time yesterday but as everyone was well aware the website was shut down due to technical difficulties.

In this essay I will tackle the subject of homeowner associations. As everyone was well aware, there have been recent articles concerning people's dealings with such groups. One Vietnam vet is facing grief with an HOA for displaying of his flag outside his home. I've also heard horror stories about people who have had dealings with HOA's telling them what they can or can't do with their house and other stuff. Here's what I've discovered about HOA's

These groups DO NOT have the best of intentions about their own neighborhoods. What these people will do is require you to pay a fee to live in their neighborhood. These groups are kind of like gangs. they assume a territorial dictatorship over neighborhoods telling people what they can or can't do with their own homes. The fees they take from you sometimes will be used for their own self-serving purposes, sometimes to support candidates for public offices whose ideas may conflict with yours. Sometimes these groups will exercise power if allowed to to force people out of their own homes if they decide they don't like their political or religious ideas or beliefs or their lifestyles or what have you. Here are a few hints when dealing with HOA's. This is for those seeking to buy a new house or moving to a new house.

When buying a new house,
BE SURE TO READ THE DEEDS VERY CAREFULLY FOR ANY TERMS AND CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY INVOLVING MANDATORY MEMBERSHIPS IN A HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATION.
Do some checking into this HOA. If this group chooses not to be forthcoming with you, then there's something very smelly about this group. In that case, I would cancel the deal and look for a new house. Quite frankly, IMHO your best bet would be just to get a house in the country that is NOT located in a subdivision. If a home owner association forms in your neighborhood, check into it and see just what they intend to do. If they choose not to be forthcoming with you and you have enough discretionary funds, move out and get a new house in a neighborhood that is not run by an HOA. That's what I would do.

Now, here in the small Southwest Oklahoma town where I live, we've been fortunate enough not to have to deal with a homeowner association. But if one was to ever form here, at least I have enough money to move out into the country where there are no such groups. Remember, a lot of these group DO NOT have the best of intentions for their neighborhoods so be aware of what's going around your neighborhood.

Hear, hear. I agree totally.

I don't want a mini-mart next to me or even a block away. I certainly don't want to live next to a mobile home or a house with junked cars in the yard. Sometimes I wonder what the houses of these anti-HOA people look like.

I have never heard anything good about homeowner's associations. A Friend of mine moved to Champaign, IL for a new job several years ago. He sent his wife ahead to find a house. What they didn't know (and she didn't read the fine print) was that there are no decent neighborhoods that don't have a homeowner's association. Several months after he joined his wife, he was served with a lawsuit, without any contact from the association. Until the suit, he didn't know there was one. He was sued for 1) not paying dues, 2) planting a garden, and 3) posessing a "junk car" - a fully restored 64 Nova. He got a good lawyer, told them to pound sand, and all his neighbors hate him - but he does what he wants with his property.

So true. There was an 80 year old widow in Houston, Texas that was evicted (and her house seized) over an $800 dispute. In litigation now, but she may lose her entire equity in the house.

HOA = poison!

Well, thanks everybody for the responses to my post. 24 RESPONSES. I noticed there was only 1 in disagreement with our oberservation and that's fine. That's O.K.

If you feel confortable with living in a HOA convenent, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. But, I would still submit based on what I have uncovered in my research a lot of these HOA's are only in it for the money and the power and not neccasarily for the best interest of the communties which they purport to serve.

Now, as to those who are having delings with HOA's I don't know what to tell you except that when you sign a deed, you're bound by it and there's really nothing you or I or anyone else can do. The best thing is just to get you a good lawyer and see what he or she can do. I think you'd be better off just moving and getting a new house. What else can i say?
regards.

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