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[Poll]
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HOAs -- your experience? Is your HOA board ...
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| genuinely concerned with the best interest of owners and community |
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| antisocial control freaks |
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| in between/don't know |
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Total Votes : 5
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(last vote on : 7/31/2008 5:49:24 PM)
(Poll will run till: -- )
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HOAs -- your experience? Is your HOA board ... - 7/31/2008 12:24:48 PM
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PolarBear
Posts: 735
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Moving to San Antonio!
Status: offline
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POLL QUESTION: Is your HOA board ... (please only vote if you are a member of an HOA)
We'll probably be buying a house within a few months, and I've been reading up on HOAs. I am very disturbed by what I am finding out, especially because there is virtually no viable place to buy a house outside of their control. (We'd have to either look at very old neighborhoods or outside the city limits where buses probably don't go, and I can't drive.)
Here's a fascinating site I read last night -- the HOA Primer.
http://www.thehoaprimer.org/
It talks of corruption throughout the entire HOA industry. If half of what he says is true, any sane person would run from HOAs like the black death!
A summary of some of his findings:
* Antisocial control freaks tend to be the only ones who try to get on HOA boards. No experience is necessary, so they get it.
* Then they stay entrenched on the board for many years because residents are too apathetic to run against them or vote them out.
* Board members make up new rules on a whim, then threaten to sue.
* Board members are insured for the full value of any lawsuits against them.
* Management companies are largely unnecessary and bring in a whole new level of corruption.
* Your money goes to the management companies, which then goes to lobbyists to fight tooth-and-nail against any legislation which would bring some order to these organizations.
* The board, the management companies, and the industry association all do their dirty deeds in secret whenever possible. They were caught lying numerous times.
To me, the long list of rules and regulations strikes me as a full-frontal assault on the foundations of American liberty. It is not at all what I imagined home ownership to be like. It might not be so bad if there were a choice about joining or not, but there appears to be virtually no choice.
I'm wondering if your experience is like that presented on the site.
Thanks!
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RE: HOAs -- your experience? Is your HOA board ... - 7/31/2008 1:15:46 PM
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car2ner
Posts: 2534
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: just north of Florida
Status: offline
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To be honest with you, it isn't the home owner's association that was the pain to deal with... it was the management company! This last election we gained a new president, and he took the reigns to help take care of an old problem we had with the management company. He seems to be honest about wanting to have a good HOA.
Now the community is very nice, the covenants need some work (some too vague and nebulous) and the flip side is this: I am renting a house in a non covenant area... noone fusses at me when the lawn needs cutting BUT there is nothing we can do about the mess a few houses down. The covenant community is a friendly family sidewalk community in good shape. If they could do the work without the management company, I think it would work even better.
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RE: HOAs -- your experience? Is your HOA board ... - 7/31/2008 1:23:48 PM
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PrudentWife
Posts: 1652
Joined: 1/25/2006
From: The Promised Land
Status: offline
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That is far from our experience.
We live in an apartment style condo, so everyone must pay association dues, and is a co-owner in common.
A condo board is slightly different than a HOA board, but there are far more similarities than differences.
The problem with our board would be lack of aggressiveness, the exact opposite of 'making rules at a whim.' The board has never once threatened to sue members. Many of our rules go unenforced, because attempts at enforcing them have resulted in us being sued by and losing lawsuits to co-owners. In my state, property ownership rights always trump association rules.
Our board realizes that a management company would be way more expense than benefit to our complex, and we don't employ one. We do have a full time property manager, who is going to be fired shortly and not replaced. We have a full time maintenance worker, and one maintenance manager (who recently quit and is going to be replaced).
Board members are not insured against lawsuit.
Hubby is on the board of directors, and I write the condo newsletter. The board's tentative plan is to have me take over the bookkeeping duties when the manager is fired.
Our board isn't perfect. But if anything, they just move slow making decisions and spending money. They aren't bullying co-owners into complying with ridiculous rules. Hubby & I greatly wish they would be more firm and aggressive with non-compliant owners. But I guess I should count my blessings if what you report is true.
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 Mooing for 25 consecutive months and counting
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RE: HOAs -- your experience? Is your HOA board ... - 7/31/2008 1:30:04 PM
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APZR
Posts: 756
Joined: 4/18/2005
From: GA
Status: offline
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We are in a very small neighborhood, less than 40 lots. While we do have one idjiot in the S/D, the HOA is well run and everyone are friendly neighbors... no problems at all with board members getting out of line or growing a big head.
Many moons ago we lived in a HOA neighborhood with over 3000 homes, and did have some minor problems. The board over all was made up of people who genuinely cared. The only problems we had were from people who didn't read the rules before buying, then relished the confrontation when fined for violations. I personally haven't ever had a problem with the board, just from rebellious neighbors who signed the documents then tried to claim discrimination and government abuses.... in a PRIVATE HOA.
< Message edited by APZR -- 7/31/2008 1:37:59 PM >
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Ya can't keep trouble from visitin, but you don't have to offer it a chair.
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RE: HOAs -- your experience? Is your HOA board ... - 7/31/2008 1:31:39 PM
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PolarBear
Posts: 735
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Moving to San Antonio!
Status: offline
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Thanks. I've heard there are some laid back HOAs, and I could probably tolerate those. I'm just not sure how to find them. And it sounds like the management company is where the heart of the corruption is. Convince the members that we don't need that and we might be OK.
Personally I would prefer a neighbor who paints his house hot pink and has 10 rusting trucks in his yard than deal with a long list of rules enforced by antisocial control freaks ...
_____________________________
My current ministry dream:
http://victorymuseum.org
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RE: HOAs -- your experience? Is your HOA board ... - 7/31/2008 1:43:10 PM
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APZR
Posts: 756
Joined: 4/18/2005
From: GA
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: PolarBear
Personally I would prefer a neighbor who paints his house hot pink and has 10 rusting trucks in his yard
Well in my area, county zoning would stop that. Most HOA's here are really for convenience... maintain the neighborhood pool, street lights, and landscaping at the entrance. The architectural control committee does have to approve a plan before building, but the county zoning is much more strict than any architectural control committee I've met as a builder. Sure you can get some Nazi types on the board, but they are usually short lived and out voted on every issue.
_____________________________
Ya can't keep trouble from visitin, but you don't have to offer it a chair.
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