dropdeded 0 #1 February 2, 2007 Buying a house in a small mountain community, and there is a home owners association, never dealt with one before. Is this gonna suck?? I have plans for working on the place and I know Im gonna have to get stuff "approved", Im just wondering if HO Ass.'s () are a pain in the ass? dropdeded------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dbattman 0 #2 February 2, 2007 Depends on the board. Might be worth sitting down for coffee and a chat. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eeneR 3 #3 February 2, 2007 Quote Buying a house in a small mountain community, and there is a home owners association, never dealt with one before. Is this gonna suck?? I have plans for working on the place and I know Im gonna have to get stuff "approved", Im just wondering if HO Ass.'s () are a pain in the ass? dropdeded Honestly it depends. You really should look into the bylaws they have in place before you buy. Most of the time the rules pertain to mostly exterior stuff. But each is different. Some have pet regs, noise regs and so forth.She is not a "Dumb Blonde" - She is a "Light-Haired Detour Off The Information Superhighway." eeneR TF#72, FB#4130, Incauto Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Katzeye 0 #4 February 2, 2007 Ask for a copy of their bylaws before you purchase. If it's greater than 100 pages - run for the hills. just kidding. I had one in San Diego that was a pita - telling me I had to clean out my dryer vent and shit. The one we have now in here in the south is much better to deal with, you have to get permits for most stuff that's visible, but nothing for the inside. And they are willing to workwith you if you space out and forget to get a permit. So, yeah, go into the office and get the vibe and read their bylaws front to back. That will give you a good idea. Is a chicken omelette redundant? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos340 1 #5 February 2, 2007 Fuck a Home Owners Ass. Lawn Nazi and Busy Bodies with nothing better to do than tell you what you can and cant do on YOUR OWN Property. I went riding around with a Girlfriends Father one time as he "Patrolled" the neighborhood. He was making a List of violations.. Things like that boat trailer is visable from the front of the house from some odd angle. (The boat was behind the House and you really had to be looking to see it), Another house had repainted thier Shutters (Same color as original) but didnt get a permit first, Just totally stupid shit. Definately convinced me that I would NEVER live somewhere like that. Read the by-laws real carefully before buying in that neighborhood. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
willard 0 #6 February 2, 2007 I used to live in one of those "gated" communities...you know the kind with the so-called security shack you have to go past, keycards at the gates, etc. Bunch of BS. I wanted to fence in part of the yard for my dog but the powers that be couldn't decipher their own regs enough to agree on how much of the yard I could fence, which part, what type of fence, blah blah blah... Got wrote up once because the concrete of my driveway came within 6" of the asphalt roadway. Forget that it was like that before I ever moved in. HOAs can be ok or a real PITA depending on whether you are in the clique and how much crap you can take. Read the regs carefully and consider them to be the minimum as far as what they can hassle you over. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ExAFO 0 #7 February 2, 2007 Considering the shitty treatment I endured while renting a place in NM that had an HOA, the stories I've heard from friends, and what Law School has taught me re: HOAs--RUN AWAY. Buy a house with character in town, not some Edward Scissorhands-looking cookie cutter house. HOAs are fucked up.Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #8 February 2, 2007 QuoteConsidering the shitty treatment I endured while renting a place in NM that had an HOA, the stories I've heard from friends, and what Law School has taught me re: HOAs--RUN AWAY. Buy a house with character in town, not some Edward Scissorhands-looking cookie cutter house. HOAs are fucked up. I've lived in HOA regulated areas since 1995 and I've yet to have any issues...Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jewels 0 #9 February 2, 2007 I think it's the declaration you primarily want to see, although ALL of the HOA docs (including the bylaws) are important. A lot of it will be dry reading, but better to go through it than to be surprised later. You should also get a copy of the Rules and Regulations. That probably WON'T be incorporated into the declaration. HOAs can have their positives and negatives. Yes, it does place some limitation on what you can do without getting prior approvals, but it also protects you from what the guy next door thinks is a really great (but atrocious) idea. I once had a friend who was uptight about an HOA restriction and said that they should paint the house purple with polka dots--to which I pointed out that that's exactly why it can be good to have an HOA. You don't have to live with the purple house or the in-home taxidermy business unless local laws and your HOA allow it. Know how much you're in for when it comes to dues and assessments. Ask if any special assessments are anticipated in the upcoming year; if so, for what, and how much? And, as someone already mentioned, good will goes a long way. It might make sense to get a cup of coffee just to talk about things, find out what expectations REALLY are (not just what's on the paper), and then decide if it's too onerous to live with. Just a starting place. . . .TPM Sister #102 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
