Run ... Quickly

JD wrote:

> "trent" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > Hi all,
> >  I never lived in an HOA controlled neighborhood. Spent 95 percent of
> > my 50 plus years in a single family home. The problems I've had with my
> > neighbors in the past seem a small price to pay in comparison with
> > having to live under the jurisdiction of an HOA.
> >
> >  Are there benefits that outweight the potential threats of an HOA?
>
>
>
> Your history plus the simple fact that you're asking the question makes it
> easy to advise you......
>
>
>
>
>
>
> .............................................STAY AWAY FROM HOA's!
Run ... Quickly. Unless you are prepared to live cheerfully to the 
letter of all of the fine print regulations and covenants that most HOA 
groups have. As a Ham Radio operator, I have heard dozens of stories of 
HOA's that have gone after hams for even small antennas hidden in trees. 
Sadly, in the mostly suburban state of Maryland, HOA's are more the rule 
than the exception. It doesn't have to be ham radio, just consider other 
common activities.

  HOA's give neighbors who would otherwise be a mere nuisance the 
license to make your life miserable. Most HOA's have a long list of 
prohibited or restricted activities or changes you can make to your 
house. Oftentimes, many of the rules are forgotten about, as the CCRs 
and Covenants are glanced over quickly at settlement and put in the 
bottom of the desk drawer - until someone has a grudge with a neighbor 
they want to get back at, or they want to assert power over others that 
they lack in other areas of their lives. The rules are in fine print 
legal boilerplate, like the rest of the dozens of settlement documents a 
homeowner has to sign.  Like to work on your own car? Chances are that 
the HOA has a rule against working on cars out in the open. Drive a 
company car with your company's name on it? No Commercial Vehicles 
Allowed in many developments.  Want to put up a new fence?  Chances are 
you will have to run it past the architectural standards committee. Put 
up a TV Antenna or Satellite Dish?  Betcha outdoor antennas are 
prohibited. Paint your house a different color, or plant different 
shrubbery? Swingset for the grandkids? Own a boat or camper? Put up a 
flagpole? Political Signs? Run a small part time business out of your 
home? Yep they can (and often do) poke their nose into these matters too.

 All it takes is one neighbor who has a grudge or has a bug up their 
tail about something, say not being invited to a party or they want to 
assert their god-given right to be the guardian of the sacred rules of 
the HOA  to take it to the HOA. With power of liens and lawsuits, they 
can stymie your plans, drain you of resources fighting things in court, 
and in general be a real pain in the A$$ and force compliance. Your only 
alternative to dealing with a hostile HOA might be to move, which can 
easily cost 5 figures, counting lost time, moving expenses, and real 
estate commissions to sell your house.

A tenant actually might have more leverage against his landlord than a 
homeowner against his HOA. Landlords are businesspeople, and have an 
interest in keeping their good tenants happy, while some that are active 
in HOAs are the type that have nothing better to do than going around 
checking to make sure your awning is the proper shade of green, or your 
grass is no more than 3 inches tall.