Not necessarily. Many neighborhoods full of houses built by and for individuals have HOA. It is protection for your investment and I don't want a home without that protection. Some HOA can become over zealous and unreasonable but the leadership can be voted out if that happens. Our neighborhood was platted and the first homes built in 1954, I have been here since 1981 and I have never heard of a problem or disagreement.We are about to the point that older homes are going to be torn down and new ones built, remodeling has been going on for years. No problems.
Because they are created and controlled by the developer/builder as a way of maintaining uniformity in their planned community McNeighborhoods.
Allow me to correct:
Because they are created and controlled by the developer/builder as a way of maximizing the value to prospective buyers.
No developer cares about uniformity or planning, or whether the result is tacky, wonderful, or in between. All they care about is selling at the highest price to make the most profit, and putting the project behind them.
And the way to maximize profit is to add restrictions that INCREASE value to buyers. Buyers also value provisions that allow them to vote and add new restrictions if needed to adapt to unforseen problems.
It's the conservative thing to do, making the property attractive to the buyer with the most money.
I recommend Thomas Sowell's outstanding book "Basic Ecomonics" for lessons on how what is true sometimes differs with one's initial emotions and feelings on a subject.