I can understand why they exist, seeing some people’s yards in my neighborhood. Thankfully, I live in a delightful area of the country where space is treasured and my nearest neighbors are not on top of me, so what they decide to do with their property has very little impacet on my property value.
I grew up in Connecticut (The street I lived on had only 30 homes. The neighbors cared for their homes. Biggirl - I believe - lives in the same town.) Here, I can’t plant a tree without the HOA giving me permission. I now moved to a Condo in Downtown Tampa.