My farm is in an HOA that used to be like that. When I first bought the place, the HOA’s sole purpose was taking care of the shared driveway that runs through all the properties. A few years ago something changed. 3 members who were most persuasive about keeping the HOA limited moved away. Of those who stayed, the majority just wanted to avoid conflict, which means the one loudmouthed control-freak dominated. He’s an ex-cop from Chicago who had apparently been trying to ban farming in the area since he moved there 20-odd years prior, which as you can imagine didn’t go well in rural Wisconsin. He couldn’t convince the other HOA members to ban farming altogether, but he kept grasping at straws and arguing nonstop until people gave in on minor points just to make him stop.
So, now I can’t sell what I grow there until after I have my house built. I’m attached enough to my land that I’m not willing to sell it and go elsewhere. He’s old enough I doubt he’ll be around much longer, and I’m hoping with the way people feel towards HOA’s, it’ll eventually be possible to get enough votes to change the rules back to where it only covers the shared driveway, or gets dissolved altogether.
That was a long way of saying, keep a close watch on your HOA, to ensure that it STAYS low-key!
Ellandra, get involved in your HOA and start contributing. Don’t just watch and complain. Do something positive.