S/O Tell us about your HOA

kvruns · November 2015

The neighbor thread and people talking about their HOAs got me thinking: what is your HOA like?

Cost/do you think it is a fair price/what do you get for the $$ (pool, common building, snow removal, etc)?

Are they picky about anything (cars in street, trash cans out, color of house, etc)?

Any horror stories?

Any good stories?

AddieCake · November 2015

Ours is wonderful, and our neighborhood doesn't have any of those crazy rules. We only have a pool with ours.

julieanne912 · November 2015

Our is $48/mo. Our homes are all on 1 acre + and in the country, so there's no sidewalks and only a few street lights. Based on our budget, the largest costs are street snow removal (they contract the county to do it), and legal costs, because the neighborhood is still being built out, and the management fee. There's no parks or common areas at all, although the developer mentioned at the last meeting they may decide to take one of the unsold lots on a corner and make it a little mini park, which would be nice looking.

Well I went over a few things in the other thread, but it's mostly neighbors being picky with other neighbors, not the actual HOA management. They're also still changing up the rules all the time, which should settle as the neighborhood finishes up. They DID insist that our trashcans not be visible from the street, which never bothered me, but I get it, so we keep them in the garage now. Hopefully we can come up with a screening solution for next summer, otherwise our garage will get pretty stinky.

ETA: Ours includes trash removal too.

lightningsnow · November 2015

We live in a condo complex. I am unsure of the cost as BF is the one who handles the mortgage and condo fees but it includes snow removal, access to pool and playground, landscaping and trash removal. The only problem we have in with the property manager. Each unit in the complex has their house keys and the key to the community pool. When we moved in, the previous owner never gave us the key to the pool. We have contacted the property manager about this several times and they want us to pay $10 to get a new key even though we never received ours from the previous owner. On top of that, they refuse to mail it out to you so you need to go to the main office of the management company in order to get it.

Normally I wouldn't mind that. However the main office is located about three-four towns away and is only open until 5 pm. I work 9-5 about a 30 minute- 45 minute ride from home and BF works retail hours. We can never get the time to go there.

Then last year we realized we had a bit of a mold issue in our upstairs bathroom. Turns out we had a leak coming from outside of our unit from a neighbor's bathroom air vent. When we brought this up to the property manager, she essentially told us we were SOL and that it wasn't anything they could do to help us out. We were also supposed to get parking passes for our cars back at like the beginning of the year. We filled everything out and still no passes. No one in the complex likes the manager at all and I'm glad that she never comes around.

Heffalump · November 2015

I actually like ours. The dues are pretty steep, but they go to maintain a nice pool with clubhouse (we rented it for DD's birthday party this year, it has a full kitchen, nice bathrooms, etc.), landscaping at the entrances, and a really awesome walking trail that we frequent. Plus twice a year (Memorial Day and Labor Day) they do a potluck, where even numbered addresses bring sides and odds bring desserts, and the HOA supplies barbecue and all the fixins, including servers.

They have a shitton of rules, but we can live with them. (They're picky, though: retaining walls have to be brick or stone and match whatever the exterior of the house is, for example.) When we first moved in, we were cited three days later for having a "partially assembled play structure visible from the street" because DH hadn't finished putting it back together again--we lost some bolts in the process and he had to buy new ones. Other than that, the only thing they seem to be sticklers about is on-street parking, which usually isn't an issue for us.

kvruns · November 2015

Ours is $350/year and includes a community pool which is nice. My old one was $220 and really just did snow removal, no community buildings. One neighborhood we'd like to move to has a fee of just under $1,000/year which is insane around here. It has a pool and stuff and a community building you can rent out or something but not enough extras to justify that price considering the neighborhood is HUGE and has lots of houses.

This one is not done by a management company so fees are lower. They seem to get uptight about mailbox polls not being the right shade of beige, but don't care to enforce other covenants such as trash cans not being visible, cars parked on the street excessively, etc.

My old neighborhood was more uptight, and right after I moved in there was huge attendance at an HOA meeting because drama had gone down when a homeowner painted her trim an unapproved color (never asked if she could use that color), had to repaint and then word got out and an uproar happened. I think if she'd requested it ahead of time they would have approved. I was afraid to do anything to my house on the outside and somehow get in trouble without realizing it. Technically you needed approval even to cut down a tree - anything that altered the "look" of the house or property (other than planting flowers type of thing).

PamBeesly524 · November 2015

I'm not sure if it's technically an HOA or not but my 80-year-old grandma lives in one of those senior communities - she bought the house, but the land is owned by them. Just recently the board sent her a letter about her leaves (we live in New England)... Apparently there were too many on her lawn and she needed to take care of the ASAP as her batty old neighbor was complaining.

Grandma's really sassy so she called them up right then and there and told them that the letter took 7 days to get to her, and that her son had come and cleaned them up for her the day after the letter was dated. However, now that a week has passed the leaves are back and the lawn looks worse than before, so if they want her lawn cleaned up then they can come right over and do it themselves since TECHNICALLY it's their yard.

I don't think she's heard from them since.

thisismynickname2 · November 2015

I'm in a condo building in a city so you don't even want to know what I pay per month. However, we have an on-site engineer, a shared and covered garage, snow removal, gardening, communal laundry, communal storage areas, a roof deck-- all things that need to be kept up. Our basic cable and heat are also included, as well as contributions to the building's insurance and contributions to the reserves in case anything happens (like we needed new elevators and that was paid for out of reserves).

You do have to get approval prior to doing any remodeling. There is very low tolerance for noise, and hefty fines if you make too much noise. (There are even appropriate evening hours for practicing your instruments.) What is inconvenient is you can only move M-F 9am to 4pm, and you can only remodel during those hours too. Deliveries during those times only as well. If you try to bring in a huge giant box of a new TV on a Saturday, you could be fined if you're caught. I actually tried to put in new artwork on a Saturday and the association president caught me. She didn't fine me, but she made me store my artwork in the building office until the following Monday.

All of the rules are for some combination of being decent human beings, not hogging common elements, and overall building security, so, whatever.

ericasm0703 · November 2015

We don't have a fee where we live now; all of the houses sit on at least 1.5 acres but most are around 2 - 2.5. The HOA technically doesn't allow above ground pools, but a few people in the neighborhood (including us from the previous owner) have them and nothing has been said. I lived in a condo when I moved off-campus in college and they were super uptight and expensive. Just to name a few: any curtains had to be white (or at least the street visible side); backing into parking spaces was prohibited because you would send exhaust into other condos; any company vehicles had to be parked on the street; any holiday decorations could not be visible from the street because "not everyone celebrates the same holidays"; no excessive patio/balcony furniture. Lord help those poor humans in the townhouse portion of the neighborhood who decided to put their trashcans out before 12:00am Thursday - 11:59pm Wednesday and you get yourself a $40 fine - 12:01am Thursday and you're good to go. I remember there were frequently a few people at the HOA meetings that were upset over their $40 fines. I couldn't have been any happier the day my condo sold.

julieanne912 · November 2015

thisismynickname said:

I'm in a condo building in a city so you don't even want to know what I pay per month. However, we have an on-site engineer, a shared and covered garage, snow removal, gardening, communal laundry, communal storage areas, a roof deck-- all things that need to be kept up. Our basic cable and heat are also included, as well as contributions to the building's insurance and contributions to the reserves in case anything happens (like we needed new elevators and that was paid for out of reserves).

You do have to get approval prior to doing any remodeling. There is very low tolerance for noise, and hefty fines if you make too much noise. (There are even appropriate evening hours for practicing your instruments.) What is inconvenient is you can only move M-F 9am to 4pm, and you can only remodel during those hours too. Deliveries during those times only as well. If you try to bring in a huge giant box of a new TV on a Saturday, you could be fined if you're caught. I actually tried to put in new artwork on a Saturday and the association president caught me. She didn't fine me, but she made me store my artwork in the building office until the following Monday.

All of the rules are for some combination of being decent human beings, not hogging common elements, and overall building security, so, whatever.

SITB! My old building in Chicago was like this. The HOA fees were something like $650/mo (I didn't own the condo, I just rented it) and included most of the things you list except a roof deck and garage, but there were SO MANY RULES. The move in/out rules were the worst. I loved living there because it was a beautiful historic building in a great area (It was the Marlborough at Deming and Lakeview, across from North Pond), but man, those rules....

I'm also now drooling at the penthouse unit in my old building that was for sale a few years ago... mine was on the 2nd floor with views of nothing but the construction site of that building to the south which is now done http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2012/08/06/2600-n-lakeview-ave-unit-8b.php

Maggie0829 · November 2015

We pay $120 a month. This includes trash removal, landscape maintenance, paying for the street lamps (apparently we rent these), snow removal, plus money to go into a reserve account for any emergency needs such as road repairs, sidewalk/curb repair, etc.

I joined the board about a year after the board was founded. Two of the previous members moved and the third was voted out because, well, she is a bitch. She also NEVER pays her dues so because of that she wasn't going to be allowed to stay on the board anyways.

Like I said in the other thread, many of our rules/guidelines we ignore. As long as people keep their houses looking decent then we are cool with whatever they want to do. The only thing that a homeowner needs to get approved is if they want to do any exterior alterations like a deck, patio or storm door type thing. And we have yet to tell anyone no.

The only issue that our neighborhood has had, has been dog poop. Apparently people in our neighborhood have problems picking up after their animals. I think I have talked more about poop in the past 3 years then I have in my entire life. We have sent letters, made announcements, sent emails and still we have a poop problem.

We also have a problem with some of our homeowners not paying their dues. We have a couple homes that are at least a year behind. With the delinquencies our neighborhood is not able to get FHA approved which can cause issues when it comes time for people to sell their homes. But not much we can do but keep asking/reminding people to pay their damn dues.

WinstonsGirl · November 2015

We don't have one, and that was part of the reason we moved here. The only HOA I'd pay for, in the city is the neighbourhood that has a lake. There is a beach, tennis spurts, fishing, skating in the winter, etc. Fees pay for the upkeep. That make it worth it to me

julieanne912 · November 2015

Maggie0829 said:

We pay $120 a month. This includes trash removal, landscape maintenance, paying for the street lamps (apparently we rent these), snow removal, plus money to go into a reserve account for any emergency needs such as road repairs, sidewalk/curb repair, etc.

I joined the board about a year after the board was founded. Two of the previous members moved and the third was voted out because, well, she is a bitch. She also NEVER pays her dues so because of that she wasn't going to be allowed to stay on the board anyways.

Like I said in the other thread, many of our rules/guidelines we ignore. As long as people keep their houses looking decent then we are cool with whatever they want to do. The only thing that a homeowner needs to get approved is if they want to do any exterior alterations like a deck, patio or storm door type thing. And we have yet to tell anyone no.

The only issue that our neighborhood has had, has been dog poop. Apparently people in our neighborhood have problems picking up after their animals. I think I have talked more about poop in the past 3 years then I have in my entire life. We have sent letters, made announcements, sent emails and still we have a poop problem.

We also have a problem with some of our homeowners not paying their dues. We have a couple homes that are at least a year behind. With the delinquencies our neighborhood is not able to get FHA approved which can cause issues when it comes time for people to sell their homes. But not much we can do but keep asking/reminding people to pay their damn dues.

You could lien their property, but that is only really a problem if they go to sell it. Some states even allow an HOA to foreclose on a home that is delinquent, but that's a pretty big undertaking.

And yeah, in my place I mentioned in Chicago, my landlord always forgot to pay the dues, and the manager there said it happens all the time, she has to hound people for money. They were developer clients of mine who got the unit in a trade for one of their new builds. So not the typical landlords. I actually started just paying it for them and taking it out of my rent.

thisismynickname2 · November 2015

julieanne912 The Marlborough is gorgeous and the new building next door is just amazing. That whole stretch of Lincoln Park is my favorite... too bad I don't make enough $$ to own there, lol.

Edit: door, not store...

julieanne912 · November 2015

thisismynickname said:

julieanne912 The Marlborough is gorgeous and the new building next store is just amazing. That whole stretch of Lincoln Park is my favorite... too bad I don't make enough $$ to own there, lol.

Yeah I loved loved living there. I got a killer deal on rent (I paid $1200 for a 1200 sq ft 2 bedroom) because the unit was for sale the entire time I lived there. Nobody wanted to pay 300k for a condo with no parking with $650 assessments I guess. It only got shown maybe once or twice a month, usually on Saturday afternoons, so it was easy to keep it clean and leave for showings. Only reason I left was because I left Chicago altogether!

I worked about 6 blocks away and only paid $40 at work for garage parking, so it was a great set up for me.

thisismynickname2 · November 2015

julieanne912 said:

thisismynickname said:

julieanne912 The Marlborough is gorgeous and the new building next store is just amazing. That whole stretch of Lincoln Park is my favorite... too bad I don't make enough $$ to own there, lol.

Yeah I loved loved living there. I got a killer deal on rent (I paid $1200 for a 1200 sq ft 2 bedroom) because the unit was for sale the entire time I lived there. Nobody wanted to pay 300k for a condo with no parking with $650 assessments I guess. It only got shown maybe once or twice a month, usually on Saturday afternoons, so it was easy to keep it clean and leave for showings. Only reason I left was because I left Chicago altogether!

I worked about 6 blocks away and only paid $40 at work for garage parking, so it was a great set up for me.

For 2.1 million on that penthouse you'd think they'd be able to hire a better interior decorator. Snarky snark snark.

lovesclimbing · November 2015

ericasm0703 said:
We don't have a fee where we live now; all of the houses sit on at least 1.5 acres but most are around 2 - 2.5. The HOA technically doesn't allow above ground pools, but a few people in the neighborhood (including us from the previous owner) have them and nothing has been said. I lived in a condo when I moved off-campus in college and they were super uptight and expensive. Just to name a few: any curtains had to be white (or at least the street visible side); backing into parking spaces was prohibited because you would send exhaust into other condos; any company vehicles had to be parked on the street; any holiday decorations could not be visible from the street because "not everyone celebrates the same holidays"; no excessive patio/balcony furniture. Lord help those poor humans in the townhouse portion of the neighborhood who decided to put their trashcans out before 12:00am Thursday - 11:59pm Wednesday and you get yourself a $40 fine - 12:01am Thursday and you're good to go. I remember there were frequently a few people at the HOA meetings that were upset over their $40 fines. I couldn't have been any happier the day my condo sold.

-----boxes----

Ooh, that would not fly with me!!! Can you sue them if you back into someone? Pulling forward out of a parking space is a million times safer than backing out because you can see what's around you instead of backing out more or less blindly.

ETA: thank you KGs @KnotHolly for adding formatting options to mobile!

cgss11 · November 2015

We rent, but the HOA we live in is $60 a month. We're in a very small cul de sac (probably about 20 houses) It covers the basics, street maintenance, and landscaping. There is also some block parties that money is spent on (provides the main dishes, bouncy house, etc.

The rules are pretty basic. The biggest ones are trash and recycling bins have to be stored either in the garage or the backyards, and must be removed from the street within 24 hours, and no street parking after 11:30 pm.

CMGragain · November 2015

DH is the reluctant president of our HOA. We have no pool or amenities. Mostly the rules protect us from our neighbors. If anyone wants to alter their exterior, they need to run it by the HOA first. No RVs, derelict vehicles, or boats parked permanently in the driveway or street. Nobody living out of a tent in the back yard. No barnyard animals, though there is a farm with cattle two block away! Fence rules. You need to keep your grass cut. Since we are in the west, there are rules for when you can water your lawn. (We take turns so it doesn't overtax the system.)
There are always one or two people who think the rules don't apply to them. One is across the street from us. Usually most people co-operate. We all want a nice neighborhood.
DH has the unhappy task of calling on people when there has been a complaint, or when they don't pay their HOA dues. He hasn't had a big problem with anybody, yet.

julieanne912 · November 2015

Oh I forgot... our HOA prohibits us from having more than one cow or one horse. No mention of goats, so I could totes have a flock of them.

MegEn1 · November 2015

Bought our house particularly because there's no HOA. Love every moment of it.

STARMOON44 · November 2015

HOAs really aren't common around here. We have town ordinances that cover some of this stuff- need approval for tree approval, must maintain yard, no overnight parking on the street- municipal pools, playing fields, and trails, and snow removal is done by the town. They sound so strange to me!

100yroldblinddog · November 2015

CMGragain said:

DH is the reluctant president of our HOA. We have no pool or amenities. Mostly the rules protect us from our neighbors. If anyone wants to alter their exterior, they need to run it by the HOA first. No RVs, derelict vehicles, or boats parked permanently in the driveway or street. Nobody living out of a tent in the back yard. No barnyard animals, though there is a farm with cattle two block away! Fence rules. You need to keep your grass cut. Since we are in the west, there are rules for when you can water your lawn. (We take turns so it doesn't overtax the system.)
There are always one or two people who think the rules don't apply to them. One is across the street from us. Usually most people co-operate. We all want a nice neighborhood.
DH has the unhappy task of calling on people when there has been a complaint, or when they don't pay their HOA dues. He hasn't had a big problem with anybody, yet.

I feel for your hubby, that's a thankless job. I imagine when he runs into any of your neighbors, there's a good chance they want to mention something that pisses them off. At least, that's been my experience with my neighbor/board member. I think he permanently winces whenever he sees someone outside.

ericasm0703 · November 2015

lovesclimbing said:

We don't have a fee where we live now; all of the houses sit on at least 1.5 acres but most are around 2 - 2.5. The HOA technically doesn't allow above ground pools, but a few people in the neighborhood (including us from the previous owner) have them and nothing has been said. I lived in a condo when I moved off-campus in college and they were super uptight and expensive. Just to name a few: any curtains had to be white (or at least the street visible side); backing into parking spaces was prohibited because you would send exhaust into other condos; any company vehicles had to be parked on the street; any holiday decorations could not be visible from the street because "not everyone celebrates the same holidays"; no excessive patio/balcony furniture. Lord help those poor humans in the townhouse portion of the neighborhood who decided to put their trashcans out before 12:00am Thursday - 11:59pm Wednesday and you get yourself a $40 fine - 12:01am Thursday and you're good to go. I remember there were frequently a few people at the HOA meetings that were upset over their $40 fines. I couldn't have been any happier the day my condo sold.
-----boxes---- Ooh, that would not fly with me!!! Can you sue them if you back into someone? Pulling forward out of a parking space is a million times safer than backing out because you can see what's around you instead of backing out more or less blindly. ETA: thank you KGs @KnotHolly for adding formatting options to mobile!

Considering how rude the entire board was, I doubt it would get anywhere. There were a handful of accidents, a ton of near-misses and even more complaints. The explanation was, "if people would pay attention when they're backing up and if other drivers would keep an eye out for those backing up, then there wouldn't be accidents; it is unfair to expect those on the first floor to be fumed out of their homes because some people can't park correctly (pulling in)." Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather bump into a curb backing into a space than into a car trying to back out of one.

STARMOON44 · November 2015

ericasm0703 said:

lovesclimbing said:

ericasm0703 said:
We don't have a fee where we live now; all of the houses sit on at least 1.5 acres but most are around 2 - 2.5. The HOA technically doesn't allow above ground pools, but a few people in the neighborhood (including us from the previous owner) have them and nothing has been said. I lived in a condo when I moved off-campus in college and they were super uptight and expensive. Just to name a few: any curtains had to be white (or at least the street visible side); backing into parking spaces was prohibited because you would send exhaust into other condos; any company vehicles had to be parked on the street; any holiday decorations could not be visible from the street because "not everyone celebrates the same holidays"; no excessive patio/balcony furniture. Lord help those poor humans in the townhouse portion of the neighborhood who decided to put their trashcans out before 12:00am Thursday - 11:59pm Wednesday and you get yourself a $40 fine - 12:01am Thursday and you're good to go. I remember there were frequently a few people at the HOA meetings that were upset over their $40 fines. I couldn't have been any happier the day my condo sold.
-----boxes----

Ooh, that would not fly with me!!! Can you sue them if you back into someone? Pulling forward out of a parking space is a million times safer than backing out because you can see what's around you instead of backing out more or less blindly.

ETA: thank you KGs @KnotHolly for adding formatting options to mobile!

Considering how rude the entire board was, I doubt it would get anywhere. There were a handful of accidents, a ton of near-misses and even more complaints. The explanation was, "if people would pay attention when they're backing up and if other drivers would keep an eye out for those backing up, then there wouldn't be accidents; it is unfair to expect those on the first floor to be fumed out of their homes because some people can't park correctly (pulling in)." Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather bump into a curb backing into a space than into a car trying to back out of one.

Wait is backing out of a spot hard? I don't bump into cars or curbs either way, by being a decent driver and looking. And it was suck to have exhaust wafting in all the time.

luckya23 · November 2015

thisismynickname said:

julieanne912 said:

thisismynickname said:

julieanne912 The Marlborough is gorgeous and the new building next store is just amazing. That whole stretch of Lincoln Park is my favorite... too bad I don't make enough $$ to own there, lol.

Yeah I loved loved living there. I got a killer deal on rent (I paid $1200 for a 1200 sq ft 2 bedroom) because the unit was for sale the entire time I lived there. Nobody wanted to pay 300k for a condo with no parking with $650 assessments I guess. It only got shown maybe once or twice a month, usually on Saturday afternoons, so it was easy to keep it clean and leave for showings. Only reason I left was because I left Chicago altogether!

I worked about 6 blocks away and only paid $40 at work for garage parking, so it was a great set up for me.

For 2.1 million on that penthouse you'd think they'd be able to hire a better interior decorator. Snarky snark snark.

No love for the thrift store couch with blanket covering??

ericasm0703 · November 2015

STARMOON44 said:

lovesclimbing said:

We don't have a fee where we live now; all of the houses sit on at least 1.5 acres but most are around 2 - 2.5. The HOA technically doesn't allow above ground pools, but a few people in the neighborhood (including us from the previous owner) have them and nothing has been said. I lived in a condo when I moved off-campus in college and they were super uptight and expensive. Just to name a few: any curtains had to be white (or at least the street visible side); backing into parking spaces was prohibited because you would send exhaust into other condos; any company vehicles had to be parked on the street; any holiday decorations could not be visible from the street because "not everyone celebrates the same holidays"; no excessive patio/balcony furniture. Lord help those poor humans in the townhouse portion of the neighborhood who decided to put their trashcans out before 12:00am Thursday - 11:59pm Wednesday and you get yourself a $40 fine - 12:01am Thursday and you're good to go. I remember there were frequently a few people at the HOA meetings that were upset over their $40 fines. I couldn't have been any happier the day my condo sold.
-----boxes---- Ooh, that would not fly with me!!! Can you sue them if you back into someone? Pulling forward out of a parking space is a million times safer than backing out because you can see what's around you instead of backing out more or less blindly. ETA: thank you KGs @KnotHolly for adding formatting options to mobile!

Considering how rude the entire board was, I doubt it would get anywhere. There were a handful of accidents, a ton of near-misses and even more complaints. The explanation was, "if people would pay attention when they're backing up and if other drivers would keep an eye out for those backing up, then there wouldn't be accidents; it is unfair to expect those on the first floor to be fumed out of their homes because some people can't park correctly (pulling in)." Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather bump into a curb backing into a space than into a car trying to back out of one.
Wait is backing out of a spot hard? I don't bump into cars or curbs either way, by being a decent driver and looking. And it was suck to have exhaust wafting in all the time.

I don't think it is, but some people do have issues backing up or just generally don't like to back out of spots.

jenna8984 · November 2015

I would never live in an HOA. But we are not neighborhood/ neighborly people. My H and I want privacy. We specifically searched for a house with as little neighbors as possible and we ended up with one neighbor to the right, woods to the left, woods to the back, cemetery across the street. I suppose the people further down on my street would technically be my neighborhood but I don't give a crap what their houses or lawns look like since I can't see them from my house.

Heffalump · November 2015

CMGragain said:

No barnyard animals, though there is a farm with cattle two block away!

julieanne912 said:

Oh I forgot... our HOA prohibits us from having more than one cow or one horse. No mention of goats, so I could totes have a flock of them.

We have woods behind our house, and then on the other side is a cow pasture. We can hear them mooing when the windows are open, especially at dawn and dusk. (I think they're being driven out to pasture and then back to the barn during those times, but I'm not sure because most of my cow knowledge comes from See and Say.)

Our area is growing fast, so we're pretty sure that pasture isn't long for this world, but we're enjoying it while it lasts. One day a calf wandered away from its mother, found its way through a gap in the fence and ended up roaming down our street. Unfortunately we weren't home at the time and heard about it secondhand.

I love goats. If our HOA allowed them, I would definitely have at least one. One of DD's friends on the next street over has a rabbit hutch in the backyard, which is technically not allowed, but no one has turned them in. Because bunnies!

cupcait927 · November 2015

jenna8984 said:

I would never live in an HOA. But we are not neighborhood/ neighborly people. My H and I want privacy. We specifically searched for a house with as little neighbors as possible and we ended up with one neighbor to the right, woods to the left, woods to the back, cemetery across the street. I suppose the people further down on my street would technically be my neighborhood but I don't give a crap what their houses or lawns look like since I can't see them from my house.

Buying the house we have now has lead H and I realize that we are not neighbor people either. We went from having this amazing apartment on the back of a B&B that never got a lot of business, so it was just us most of the time. It was on a corner lot surrounded by fields a little ways out of town so there wasn't much traffic either. It was glorious. Now we have neighbors right on top of us and cars going up and down the street all the time. Can't wait to sell our house and find something a little more secluded.

banana468 · November 2015

DH and I don't have a HOA for our house but we have the condo association for our rental property. They're fairly relaxed but the only PITA was when they kept calling us to move our 3rd car when it snowed.

My issue: The association previously said that if we were going to be parking cars and inclement weather was forecasted, we should park by the fence on the perimeter of the lot so have the least impact to other vehicles. So we would park the 3rd car there as it was used the least. (We did not have any garage) 3rd car is a Honda S2000 which is a sports car with a manual transmission. I don't know how to drive it. The association would give about 5 min notice that the plow was coming and we were told to get in our cars so the parking lot could be cleared. I got a call one afternoon that the neighbors were complaining that the car wasn't moved quickly. I complained right back that we needed more notice to move cars and that we were fine to keep the car there. Leave it where we did did not do anything to other vehicles other than leave some snow on the ground. And with a winter in New England, we get snow. If you don't like it don't live here.

And considering our neighbor's parked car was totaled on the street, there was NO WAY we were parking the car there.

Luckily we now have a house with a garage and no more complaints.

S/O Tell us about your HOA

Re: S/O Tell us about your HOA

Choose Another Board

Search Boards