HOA = another layer of ‘government’ to tell me what I can/cannot do with things that I own.
Yes, I’m not a fan, but when you have only a short time to find a place to move into, and the house you fell in love with is in an HOA, well, we made the decision to go with it anyway. We do love the house, and the property, so had to acquiesce on a few things like chickens and a big garden out there. We have lots of wildlife though, some woods, and a nice creek. It’s a very pretty view.