I see your point, but at the same time...the whole MANDATORY HOA thing seems to be more of a status thing than anything else. There are plenty of areas we’ve lived in regardless of the HOA status. We all purchase our homes based on what we like, not based on whether there is an HOA in place or not.
Many of the HOAs, like mine was, are started by the developer to force the residents to pay for improvements (roads etc) to the subdivision that the developer should have done. It’s a giant, unconstitutional scam that the rich developers (political contributors) just love...yes, everything is about politics.
We all purchase our homes based on what we like, not based on whether there is an HOA in place or not.
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And this is apparently what got your dad in trouble. I’d suggest that the nature of the HOA in a subdivision would be one of the factors determining whether you like the place or not.