TOTALLY GEEKED!

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

RE: Local Officials Are Coming for Your Garden

Divine Geek · Guru

My neighborhood didn't have any amenities except for a small playground. If there was a pool, tennis courts, a club house, etc, I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the HOA. My problem was I was paying a large sum of money to them for basically nothing.

In my experience, most HOA rules are common sense. Until I lived in my horrible one, I couldn't imagine what kind of lazy people couldn't follow the rules.

I have little desire to live in a traditional neighborhood again. So the subject of an HOA is really moot for me.

Fort Worth Mom · Mod/Penguin lover/Princess!

Okay, my bad...I brought HOA's into the conversation. cry

When, in the OP, it sounds like city codes, were the problem.

If you live within city limits...most of them have rules/codes.

I guess if you want the freedom, to do anything you want to, on your land. You probably have to buy some, out in the boondocks...with no zoning.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
FNW wrote:
I never heard of HOAs until I moved to West Virginia and I never lived with one until Virginia. I think in WV, they are important. And so is zoning. Who wants a nudie bar going in next door, you know?
Zoning I get.

Then you should get the fact that most HOA's own a very large parcel of property with lots of home owners who are voters and band together to rid the neighborhood of such skank

Ok. First, I don't think parking an RV in a driveway or the cab of a transfer truck, for that matter, or a garden, or a paint color you dont agree with makes another a skank or a skank home.

Zoning keeps businesses like car lots and strip clubs out of residential areas.

I can completely understand this.

And, really, it isnt that there are those who choose to live in restricted neighborhoods, for me, it's that someone would give up their freedom.

I don't understand how someone gives up their freedom.

Fort Worth Mom · Mod/Penguin lover/Princess!

lilyofcourse wrote:
I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
FNW wrote:
I never heard of HOAs until I moved to West Virginia and I never lived with one until Virginia. I think in WV, they are important. And so is zoning. Who wants a nudie bar going in next door, you know?
Zoning I get.

Then you should get the fact that most HOA's own a very large parcel of property with lots of home owners who are voters and band together to rid the neighborhood of such skank
Ok. First, I don't think parking an RV in a driveway or the cab of a transfer truck, for that matter, or a garden, or a paint color you dont agree with makes another a skank or a skank home.
Zoning keeps businesses like car lots and strip clubs out of residential areas.
I can completely understand this.
And, really, it isnt that there are those who choose to live in restricted neighborhoods, for me, it's that someone would give up their freedom.
I don't understand how someone gives up their freedom.

Lily, I think maybe this is the part that you don't get/understand.

We choose to live within certain rules.

We like them. (For the most part.)

And, no...I don't want an RV, or a boat, parked outside my house.

For sure, I don't want the cab of a big rig, parked on the street. furious

If I wanted that...I would live out in the country.

I don't. I don't want to see that.

Know what I mean?

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I also don't understand why the sight of a big rig or RV is so unsettling.

Especially the truck.

That's how that family makes a living.

And without that truck driver, you wouldn't have your red ripe tomatoes in February or your gas or anything and everything you use every single day.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

And if the RV is in a neighbor's driveway, that's not outside of your house.

It's their house.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

And no, I will not ever understand why someone chooses to give control to another.

Fort Worth Mom · Mod/Penguin lover/Princess!

lilyofcourse wrote:
I also don't understand why the sight of a big rig or RV is so unsettling.

Especially the truck.

That's how that family makes a living.

And without that truck driver, you wouldn't have your red ripe tomatoes in February or your gas or anything and everything you use every single day.

It just doesn't fit, on the street, Lily.

Most truck drivers, leave their trucks in the lot.

And pick then up, the next day. There is no reason, why they would have to bring them home.

As for RV's...rent a spot, for $30 a month.

Don't park it here. We don't want to see it.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Fort Worth Mom wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
I also don't understand why the sight of a big rig or RV is so unsettling.

Especially the truck.

That's how that family makes a living.

And without that truck driver, you wouldn't have your red ripe tomatoes in February or your gas or anything and everything you use every single day.

It just doesn't fit, on the street, Lily.
Most truck drivers, leave their trucks in the lot.
And pick then up, the next day. There is no reason, why they would have to bring them home.
As for RV's...rent a spot, for $30 a month.
Don't park it here. We don't want to see it.

The ones who own their trucks bring them home.

I'm sorry, I just think it's petty and ridiculous.

WYSIWYG · Guru

Zoning I get too.

HOA's and other restrictions (including the gardening one, put forth by the municipality). No. It's my land, I'll do with it as I see fit. If I can't I won't buy it.

You (general) can tell me what I can and can't do with the land when you (general) own it, and I'm nothing more than a tenant. I've lived in two places with HOA's. Never again. Not even if I inherited the property free-and-clear, I'd dump it immediately.

Wasn't it Benjamin Franklin that said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."? Well, Along those lines I say: Those that would give up freedom of their rights to their own property and would take away the property rights of others, to create temporary inflated value of the property, deserve neither the property itself nor the gains.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

lilyofcourse wrote:
And no, I will not ever understand why someone chooses to give control to another.

It's THEIR choice. You don't have to understand it.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Personally, I will never understand people that choose to live like Sanford and son. I drive past house where people use their porches as the local dump, putting all their old junk out there. Looking at that daily if I was their neighbor would drive me INSANE. Instead, I get to look at beautiful, well taken care of yards with flowers, and nice paint jobs. I don't have to live in an area where the neighbors get to choose my view.

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

The only HOA that made me go "WHAT?" was the one in KC that only allowed houses to be painted light tan or dark tan.

Our neighborhood does have a clubhouse, small pool and the streets are cleaned when it snows.

flan

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

Lawyerlady wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
And no, I will not ever understand why someone chooses to give control to another.

It's THEIR choice. You don't have to understand it.

And you know the rules of the HOA before you choose to buy a house in that neighborhood.

flan

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

flan327 wrote:
Lawyerlady wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
And no, I will not ever understand why someone chooses to give control to another.

It's THEIR choice. You don't have to understand it.
And you know the rules of the HOA before you choose to buy a house in that neighborhood.
flan

Not only do you know them, you RELY on them. Many people want to live in a nice neighborhood where no one is allowed to turn it into whatever they want. And please notice, the highest value properties look nice. My house will continue to grow in value and even if the market dips will be one of the first to bounce back. I know because that JUST happened. The market crashed, this neighborhood is already higher than it ever was and people that held their houses can sell and walk away with $50K-$70K profit. Those houses not in a neighborhood? Unless it's an estate house, it just has not recovered as well. Houses next to people who don't care ruin your property values.

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

Good point!

flan

FNW · Guru

The neighborhood we drive through to get to our street has an HOA. They have tennis courts and snow removal. I think that's it. Each house is custom, so there are different styles. Three tudor styled, one spanish/colonial (off a pipestem not visible from the street), one salt box (can't see from street), and the rest are colonial. I don't think there are restrictions on paint color or anything like that. But they start around $1.2M with about an acre of land each and I would guess 90% have gardeners so maintenance is not a problem. There is one house (there's always one house-LOL) that gets overgrown and needs a lot of work but they usually take care of it before it gets too bad.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Yes, there is always that one house.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I grew up in a house on a main state road.

I had one neighbor to the left, an acre of land, and several fruit trees between the houses.

The middle school practice field was behind us through an really thick couple acres of woods.

No experience with subdivisions until we moved here, I'm not a fan.

And yes, it is a choice.

A choice I will never understand.

Cheerios4606 · Guru

Pfft.

My land, my choice.

If I want an RV in my driveway, a tiny house in my back yard, a garden of 10 rows of corn in the front and an ugly fence, then I should be able to do what I want on my property.

If you dont like seeing my idiosyncrasies, move.

just Czech · Give Me Grand's!

I am astounded by the prejudice against hard working lower class families exhibited in this thread.

Your comfort does come at a cost. But, no one wants to SEE that cost.

The underlying overall tone of this thread is offensive.

Am I seeing class warfare? Wealth vs non-wealth?

Yup, I think I am.

This thread saddens me deeply.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

just Czech wrote:
I am astounded by the prejudice against hard working lower class families exhibited in this thread.

Your comfort does come at a cost. But, no one wants to SEE that cost.

The underlying overall tone of this thread is offensive.

Am I seeing class warfare? Wealth vs non-wealth?

Yup, I think I am.

This thread saddens me deeply.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Cheerios4606 wrote:
Pfft.

My land, my choice.

If I want an RV in my driveway, a tiny house in my back yard, a garden of 10 rows of corn in the front and an ugly fence, then I should be able to do what I want on my property.

If you dont like seeing my idiosyncrasies, move.

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

Cheerios4606 wrote:
Pfft.

My land, my choice.

If I want an RV in my driveway, a tiny house in my back yard, a garden of 10 rows of corn in the front and an ugly fence, then I should be able to do what I want on my property.

If you dont like seeing my idiosyncrasies, move.

Choose a house that's NOT in a neighborhood with an HOA.

Easy peasy.

flan

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

just Czech wrote:
I am astounded by the prejudice against hard working lower class families exhibited in this thread.

Your comfort does come at a cost. But, no one wants to SEE that cost.

The underlying overall tone of this thread is offensive.

Am I seeing class warfare? Wealth vs non-wealth?

Yup, I think I am.

This thread saddens me deeply.

No, you're actually not.

Our neighborhood has had Section 8 houses for years.

Does "lower class" = dirty?

Not in my world.

flan

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Cheerios4606 wrote:
Pfft.

My land, my choice.

If I want an RV in my driveway, a tiny house in my back yard, a garden of 10 rows of corn in the front and an ugly fence, then I should be able to do what I want on my property.

If you dont like seeing my idiosyncrasies, move.

Which is exactly what the people the choose to live in a covenanted community with an HOA have done.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

just Czech wrote:
I am astounded by the prejudice against hard working lower class families exhibited in this thread.

Your comfort does come at a cost. But, no one wants to SEE that cost.

The underlying overall tone of this thread is offensive.

Am I seeing class warfare? Wealth vs non-wealth?

Yup, I think I am.

This thread saddens me deeply.

Excuse me? What does this have to do with hard working lower class families? It has to do with what people DO with their property - not who they are. I've seen quite rich people with horrible gaudy taste that I wouldn't want to live next to.

Being poor certainly does not mean you have to be dirty. People piling their trash on their porch or painting their house purple or lime green has nothing to do with their income level. It has to do with being lazy ass slobs or having horrible taste. Things that I'm quite sure are not income specific.

FNW · Guru

HOA's are not based on wealth or class. They exist in most neighborhoods in my area of the country. I had one with my "starter" townhouse. I don't have one with my "forever" home. Actually, most of the less costly neighborhoods have the most HOA's in my area. And in WV, it was the newish subdivisons that had them. Outlaying areas are zoned.

This is not about class warfare. Or wealth. It's about choosing to buy a home with HOA or not. Don't want an HOA? Don't buy a home that belongs to one. They exist in both wealthy and not wealthy neighborhoods.

This might be a rural vs. non-rural argument, however. I suspect HOAs exist in subdivisions where they might not exist in more rural neighborhoods.

Personally, I would love to live on a farm out in the country. But I cannot afford to do so. The commute would be too much, and there aren't jobs that I would qualify for in the country.

TrudyML · Guru

There is nothing worse than being on my condo board. If I had a dollar for every time I have to say, 'I am not your landlord or the building supervisor' I'd be a millionaire.

Right now the landscaper quit. Why? The owners who illegally brought dogs in THEN never pick up the ****. Sooo a huge fight ensued over it. it isn't their dog. I watch you all day! Ugh!

I am looking for a place. Please let me out!

Mary Zombie · Guru

Trudy I had craziness when I was in the board too. And th wanted us to take care of everything. Dude rent if you want a landlord that does repairs!

TrudyML · Guru

So true! Everyday. Emails, texts. I can't stand it!

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

FNW wrote:
HOA's are not based on wealth or class. They exist in most neighborhoods in my area of the country. I had one with my "starter" townhouse. I don't have one with my "forever" home. Actually, most of the less costly neighborhoods have the most HOA's in my area. And in WV, it was the newish subdivisons that had them. Outlaying areas are zoned.

This is not about class warfare. Or wealth. It's about choosing to buy a home with HOA or not. Don't want an HOA? Don't buy a home that belongs to one. They exist in both wealthy and not wealthy neighborhoods.

This might be a rural vs. non-rural argument, however. I suspect HOAs exist in subdivisions where they might not exist in more rural neighborhoods.

Personally, I would love to live on a farm out in the country. But I cannot afford to do so. The commute would be too much, and there aren't jobs that I would qualify for in the country.

My county is now REQUIRING HOAs for all new subdivisions. The new ordinances require green spaces, detention ponds, etc. so there has to be an HOA to manage and maintain those common areas. That's from your $80,000 starter homes and on up. You don't want to live in an HOA community? You are not going to be able to live in any of the new

This has nothing to do with class snobbery, and what does the assumption that lower income people are the ones we are complaining about say?

FNW · Guru

There is a very wealthy Arab who has an estate a couple miles up the road and he has some of the most got-awful statues in his backyard (which is visible from the road). An HOA would be useful.

WYSIWYG · Guru

The new ordinances require green spaces, detention ponds, etc.
- Lawyerlady

________________________________________

Is that where you send water that's been naughty for punishment?

backpacker365 · Newbie

When I have time I like to be more conservative of time/money. I walk or bike to work, hang the laundry on a clothesline, cook from scratch.

I also have a garden and can several things. Last year I canned my garden tomatoes and we just ran out of canned tomatoes a few weeks ago. What was in those cans? Tomatoes and lemon juice. No complicated list of chemicals.

Thats my issue with some of these ordinances. They waste time and resources when I thi k people would benefit from slowing down and returning to a simpler lifestyle.

FNW · Guru

I don't see that lifestyle as "simpler" but I understand what you are saying, backpacker. I would love to have enough sun in my yard to grow more food for the table. The boys have come home with cabbage and radishes to grow so I'm trying out a small section in the north 40 to see how they do. Next year I will try something else if it works out!

Cheerios4606 · Guru

This is the number one reason I would not choose to purchase in an HOA. In many cases (not all) they are nazi busybodies with nothing better to do with their day than to judge whether someone is out of line or not with their american flag hanging in their window.

Private owned land for me thank you very much. ;)

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

In most HOAs Gus and Flo would be against the rules.

A kid leaving a bike on the front yard or a tire swing hanging from a tree that can be seen from the road would get a "fine".

Heaven forbid someone put up a "welcome home" banner for a returning soldier or a "congratulations" banner for a senior.

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

Obviously every HOA is different.

We keep our trash & recycling containers in front of our garage. No one has EVER said a word.

flan

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

lilyofcourse wrote:
In most HOAs Gus and Flo would be against the rules.

A kid leaving a bike on the front yard or a tire swing hanging from a tree that can be seen from the road would get a "fine".

Heaven forbid someone put up a "welcome home" banner for a returning soldier or a "congratulations" banner for a senior.

All wrong.

I've seen ALL those things in our neighborhood.

flan

Honeys_Mom · Mod & Permanent Board Sweetheart

It really does depend completely on the HOA and their association CC&R's.

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

Honeys_Mom wrote:
It really does depend completely on the HOA and their association CC&R's.

Of course it does.

KNOW before YOU buy.

flan

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

lilyofcourse wrote:
In most HOAs Gus and Flo would be against the rules.

A kid leaving a bike on the front yard or a tire swing hanging from a tree that can be seen from the road would get a "fine".

Heaven forbid someone put up a "welcome home" banner for a returning soldier or a "congratulations" banner for a senior.

Maybe if you live in a Nazi run community. But the cure for that is to run for the board and be involved yourself. None of those things would inspire me to write a letter to anyone.

FNW · Guru

The HOAs I've lived in were never that restrictive.

Cheerios4606 · Guru

I could do a quick google search and I am sure plenty of instances would appear showing hoa's can and DO overstep. Again, this is not to say all, or even a majority, but in many cases folks don't realize what brand of hoa they are getting into when they purchase.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Cheerios4606 wrote:
I could do a quick google search and I am sure plenty of instances would appear showing hoa's can and DO overstep. Again, this is not to say all, or even a majority, but in many cases folks don't realize what brand of hoa they are getting into when they purchase.

And if they run into that, the solution is for the neighbors to take control and vote those control freaks out. HOAs have elections every year. Most of the time, though, people just like to complain and do nothing about it.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

I volunteered for my HOA board b/c no one would step up to do it and they were threatening to turn it over to a management company. I said I'd serve if they did NOT do that. Management companies are the worst. They only care about generating money for themselves.

Cheerios4606 · Guru

It was only within the last year that Colorado FINALLY got rid of regulations that prohibited collecting rain water on your own personal property. RAIN water. ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY.

But that is our state govmt at play, and not an out of control hoa.

Thank goodness you are on yours LL. I bet you are a voice of reason keeping things on an even keel I bet.

FNW · Guru

They discourage collecting water here because of the mosquitoes.