Posted on 04/21/2023 5:01:17 PM PDT by daniel1212
Michelle Clark Miller Executive Administrative Assistant (2000–present)
When my sister bought her house, she was the third person to buy in the new neighborhood. They signed the papers and started making payments BEFORE the HOA was established, so the HOA was not mentioned in the paperwork.
Over the next few years, my sister and her then husband erected a basketball goal, added a covered patio, inground pool, and a large storage/workshop. They’d bought one of the two lots on the very tail end of the cul-de-sac, so their lot was HUGE.
They still had way more backyard than most people. They took very good care of their home, yard, etc…the shop was painted to match the house, the basketball goal was kept in tip top shape.
Enter the new HOA. My sister declined to join it. They decided to ignore her letter of refusal, and started sending her violation letters for the shop, the basketball goal, the patio, the paint scheme, right down to the dogs they had. (Three is permitted by the city, and we have no breed restrictions.)
My sister returned all letters with a copy of the refusal to join letter, along with a copy of the registered mail receipt showing they received it. They started fining her. She kept doing what she was doing, and pulled in an attorney friend who was more than happy to take over.
The HOA finally took her to court. Her lawyer countersued, presented all the paperwork to the judge, and the judge not only found in my sister’s favor, but the HOA had to pay ALL of HER attorney fees and had to reimburse her for all the postage fees she paid responding to their letters.
She always sent them registered mail.
The judge was incensed by the matter, especially when he saw her original letter declining their request that she join the HOA.
Do you know that they kept trying to fine her? She sent them copies of the original ruling, and they again ended up in front of a judge. That judge ruled the same as the first one.
The third time, the judge yelled at the president of the HOA, the attorneys, and told them if they didn’t leave my sister alone, he’d cite them for harassment. My sister’s attorney said if they continued, she could sue the HOA president, all of the officers, along with the attorneys both professionally and personally for harassment.
The HOA left her alone after that. She HAS had to run off some of the HOA snoops she’s caught peeking over her privacy fence trying to see what’s in the backyard, and ended up slapping a restraining order on them. (The HOA had to reimburse her for THAT, too.)
I for the life of me don’t understand why people would spend their hard earned money for a home and lot they don’t have control over. No way would I ever live in an HOA controlled community.
I lived under one for 2 decades. Never again.
They’re endemic where I live now, unless I wanted to move to the boonies, along with all the javelina, rattlers, scorpions, etc. No thank you.
I have said people need to start anti-HOAs.
These look like HOAs but they have no powers, expressly no way to amend their charters to add powers, no fees as well.
The only things the anti-HOA might do could be rules for a quarterly or so pot-luck picnic ... that way it did SOMETHING so if folks the street over started getting uppity you could say: no thanks, we actually have an HOA of our own.
It would be like incorporating a neighborhood so a nearby town couldn’t gobble it up.
Might as well rent an apartment or condo if one is considering an HOA.
The last thing I ever want is neighbors demanding or telling me to do ANYTHING. No way I’d ever buy into that.
We have one but it’s pretty low key...basically exists to keep the street lights going and maintain the landscaping at the entrance. I bought a small farm property about 90 minute drive from that house and spend 70% of my time there. Built a practice shooting range and shop building and no freaking building codes or neighbors that complain...paradise!
If you have a street that naturally isolates itself, like up against a state park of near meadows, I highly suggest it. We did keep a law firm on retainer on any and all matters. The same law firm who had two partners on our private gated street. It does somewhat limit resale base of buyers however. It appeals to folks who think different.
Hopefully as the bottom falls out of the housing market the douchebags in the HOAs will get some comeuppance. Like empty unsold properties bleeding developers dry.
I have never lived in an HOA development and have never lived in a condo, and never will.
These people will be the ones to turn us all in when the time comes.
I’d rather live along with the javelina (good eats, BTW), rattlers, scorpions, etc.
On the other hand you need to pick your neighbors. It becomes a legacy and word of mouth community. I've even had neighbors which shared a mansion with three other families. Several kitchens, 14 bedrooms, formal gardens with fountains, elevator, etc.... Always a babysitter and always a weekend party.
No problems with mine.
Never join an HOA. Never buy a house that already in an HOA. Little Hitlers. Its like high school and cliques and all that BS.
Your tagline...how do you know what a woman is?!? :)
One time about 15-20 years ago I started getting emails from a private email discussion group. It was a bunch of people in south Carolina and they were discussing, plotting and planning how to perform a coup against their HOA.
I wrote an email to the group, telling everyone that I wasn’t a resident of their community or even their state. And they were including me in their email discussion. As it turned out, the reason why I was getting their emails was because I shared the exact same username of one of the co-conspirators. But his email domain was email.com and mine was gmail.com. Somehow one of their administrators changed it. They changed it back and I stopped getting their emails.
I do not know how their anti-HOA coup turned out.
I am mystified why anyone would want to have an HOA. What purpose do they serve other than to control how you live in your own home?
I used to live in empe AZ. There wasn’t an HOA, but the socialists city council acted as if there were.
I had a home in one. After lots of bickering over 7 years, the homeowners voted 90:10 to eliminate the HOA. Been a lot more peaceful since then.
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