Posted on 11/20/2013 2:45:59 PM PST by Responsibility2nd
Totally agree with you, problem is it is getting more and more impossible to buy a home that is not in an HOA neighborhood.
Think Agenda 21 or "sustainable development"
And your taxes go up every year due to demands of teacher and other state and local government employee unions.
They also go up to fund bonds to give those thugs a phenomenally-comfortable physical environment from which to extract their livelihood and indoctrinate kids.
In Texas, there are sleazy attornies who buy up unpaid HOA dues from the Association. Unpaid HOA dues are like property taxes; if you don’t pay them, a lien is placed on your home.
This - to these attornies - is easy money. Front up some 2 or 3 thousand bucks for unpaid dues and forclose on the home.
The homeowner can keep their home however. But they must buy it back from the firm that bought it. And they have to kick in another 10 grand in attorney fees and court costs.
Sweet, huh?
Not applicable here. The forcelosure process begins with certified mail. They sent her certified mail and they have proof. She just threw it away.
No.you were right. Only an idiot would be walking around with a notion like this in her head. HOA dues and obligations are revealed at closings. And, there is a reason why HOA membership is obligatory; HOAs provide services to the development residents who do not value free riders.
She knew HOA membership and dues were obligatory; she just thought she could ride free and found out that she was not able to get away with it. No sympathy here.
BTW, who grants HOA’s authority to seize property?
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Various State laws. But more than that - the homeowners do! Deed restrictions clearly (OK fine print) point out that the buyers do accept the HOA rules. Which are enforceable by the State.
I thought about that too. Did she engage a buyer’s realtor? Did she consult a real estate attorney?
If so, they were obligated to tell her.
No, they are not. HOAs are necessary evils and most often are well run by volunteers from the neighborhood with the help of a few paid staff. They provide essential services that no one else can provide.
Of course I have heard the horror stories of rogue boards, but let's face it, if the residents don't like a board member, they don't elect him or her.
Meanwhile, the grounds need to be kept and security needs to be provided.
If you don't care about such things, fine; there are plenty of places you can buy where all you get is whatever the county provides. Go for it; no need to cast slurs.
My property taxes have gone up exactly twice in the 10 years we've lived here. Of course living where there are no government employee unions probably has a lot to do with that.
Costa Rica?
Well, actually there are two fringe kinds who live with HOAs... morons and control freaks, probably five percent on either end of the bell curve.
The rest of the folks in the middle of the curve are, well, normal folks. That said, I wouldn't put up with an HOA.
Hey, nobody forced her to buy in a deed restricted community, and she knew up front what she was getting into.
don’t summons have to be delivered personally
Try explaining that to someone who’s learning English. But yep, can see it. I love George Carlin on English.
I think HOA’s are great. Leaves the nonsense out. Mine is only 84 bucks a month and they mow my 2 acres and keeps all the community grounds looking good. Where my grandparents home is, one of the neighbors have a junk yard on the yard. It is disgusting. Residence have tried for years to have it cleaned up. The authorities say it is legal. Can you imagine? They are more in the country but still. I will never have that in my neighborhood. Thank God!!!!!!!
Not necessarily .. why wouldn’t her realtor (who sold her the house) have informed her about the HOA ..??
Seems to me the woman has recourse against the realtor if she was never advised.
Most HOA’s don’t advertise they even exist when you’re looking at property, but I think disclosure laws now keep that information from being hidden from the purchaser.
I smell HOA board members.
Necessary for services no one else can provide? Like what? Security and common grounds can be done privately.
Are you ignoring the ones that will fine you if your trash can isn’t up to spec? Flag pole an inch too high? The wrong size fence board? Color of your bricks? Paint on the trim?
What about the many stories of law suits if someone flys an American flag too high or lights it too brightly?
If your’re happy with yours then fine. But don’t chastise me for my dealings in the past with HOA boards. You sound like a spouse of a teacher that attacks anyone for complaining about bad schools and horrible education outcomes by saying, “but my wife/husband is a good teacher”.
Having lived in an HOA community of townhouses, it wasn’t bad too bad. It was like living in an apartment, except I owned it. they mowed the lawn, trimmed the bushes, plowed the roads and driveways and kept the roofing. It was a couple of hundred a month in HOA fees but I was well aware if it when I bought it. It served it’s purpose for the time I needed it and it was much better than renting.
Buying a detached house with an HOA is another thing entirely. That is just foolishness. Make sure you check for obnoxious deed covenants before closing the deal.
Meh. I can see why some people would consider the benefits to outweigh the costs, but it would just rankle me too much. I prefer, on principle, absolutely as much autonomy as possible — much rather mow my own lawn and be beholden to no one.
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