HOA's....any good points???

I live in a new subdivision near San Antonio. We have an HOA the builder established and pays a lady to keep records of. Currently, since the neighborhood is relatively new (maybe 100 houses now), they won't relenquish ownership of the HOA. And I did the math, with the number of homes the builder plans on the HOA will be collecting about 88 grand a year!!! OH MY GOSH. I really really really want to be in charge of the landscape committee, but not so much to tell people what they can and can't have (the only thing that really irks me is tall grass and/or lots of weeds)....but I want a tree lined street into our subdivision. I can't believe the builder hasn't even done this for us yet.

Since I have heard it is becoming harder to do away with an HOA legally (kinda like how the bankruptsy laws changed...almost impossible now) I am just wondered how can this be maintained in a manner that is pleasant but more important PRODUCTIVE as far as providing a landscape.

We seem to be one of the few homes who have put in trees and shrubs....and I want to encourage more of this.

Any tips on how to run a great HOA or how yours is lacking would be good to hear.

Alamoaimee, I lived in a subdivision with an HOA for 7 years. It was just awful. We had something called the "architecture control committee" ; it became the gestapo. Committee members tried to enforce opinion rather than by-laws. They thought they could tell me what color my house had to be, what I could plant in my front yard and on and on and on. They were really suspicious of the little raised bed veggie garden in my back yard. (It might be infringing on the commom area.) It was a great day when I moved to my little 5.5 acre patch where I can do anything I want to as long as I don't break the law.

Raised Bed,

Yeah sounds like the typical HOA. HA! I think they are all set up with an architectural CONTROL committee. Too bad too. Well, we used to "ask" what we could put in and since that takes soooo long for an answer (from a few people who don't even LIVE in my town but are running it until the builder hands it over). I used to fax in requests (safer than mail, right?) and then they'd lose those. At least our rules states that if you don't hear an answer in like 90 days you have the go ahead.

But I can tell our HOA is not very good because some things that are in the by laws have not been enforced, or at least not "corrected" as far as their rules would regulate.

I envy your 5.5 acre space! I used to have 2 acres and it was wonderful....I hope that I will not be in an HOA restricted community for more than 5 years. I need to build some equity in my home first, and have been improving it more than I could type!

Funny you mentioned painting that couldn't get approval. Our homes here are all brick fronts with hardy siding (annoying). And our sides WERE cream but the builders shotty crews missed spots and we noticed the nails, told them to fix, they spot painted and the house looked like a banana. We thought we'd just live with it (that's the best they were offering). Then they put the brick on the house next to us and somehow splashed small globs of mortar on 1 side of our place. In showing them they wire brushed this off and said they'd be back to paint.

We went out that weekend and got paint to better match the salmon brick we have and went at it, HOA or not.

I have some other fun stories but will wait my turn again. =)

I would NEVER live in a house controled by a HOA.

Good for your George!

Right now our HOA is just a small money collecting machine. They don't really "act" in any way. I was more looking for ways to improve what's already there......

Alamoaimee, since you're in on the ground floor, maybe you can set an early example - encourage people to live in a reasonable community. Maybe even use Dave's Garden as an example of how people can have different opinions about all sorts of things and still get along - even help folks with whom we disagree.
RBB

RBB, exactly the point I was hoping to make with a brand new HOA. There are many things I have done that they never commented about. And the rules are not too restrictive...they don't care about satellite dishes for one.

It is annoying to have to "ask" someone else if you can grow something, when you bought the property to begin with and then pay 4 grand in taxes and yada yada seems ridiculous but hey, I figure I signed up with it same as everyone else in my neighborhood, so it isn't fair to complain. But I do inquire of them a lot about having meetings (they've only had 1 and said "there didn't seem to be much interest..." and yet won't turn it over to us either yet....). So since it is established I just want to make it peaceful. And the opposite of the drama I hear other HOA's have.

I think it would be good to have people ask about putting in plants, but only so I can make sure they know how it will do here. Like, some people have put in sago palms. I think the ugliest palm on the planet...but my opinion, and I won't tell someone they can't have it. But what they don't seem to understand when they plant their 10" palm at the edge of their driveway/sidewalks is that it is a bush palm and will reach about 10 FEET. LOL. That one gets me every time.

But using DG as a guide is exactly what I have in mind. It would save everyone some hassel.

HOA's are somewhere I'll never live again. I loved my condo but I gave up on deciding what should be planted because only "control freaks" run HOAs

Soferdig...yeah, I guess so (?) I haven't seen any in action until I moved to the south (NOT to say they don't exsist anywhere else. But up til 3 years ago when I lived up north, I'd never even heard of one).
I think it's just one more form of "government:" that takes a lot of money and gives little back.

And since it is already established I am just wondering how I can make it something that is safe and secure and not regarded as a mere inconvienence, per say. I am sure suffice to say for anyone who lives in an HOA or has lived in one, they would prefer it wasn't there. But, as long as people are buying into them they will continue to be established because someone....somewhere....maybe another planet =)....thinks they are great.

Anyone have any good ideas their's used?

Plant you deck with anything that excites you and give plants to everyone in the HOA. Never confront the President and work hard on caring for the plants in the common area and others will take notice and appoint you. Rather than running for pres or whatever.

I don't think I really want to be in charge since I travel for work a lot I'm often gone. But I agree...whoever makes Pres to stay clear of them! We only have 1 small bed at the front entry so maintenance should be easy. Once I tell the neighborhood we need to take out the Bradfords...the builder (or someone???) actually planted 3 (one's dead) and they are only 6 feet apart...if that! LOL!!!

I gave planter boxes to all the decks I looked at and the owners took over and took care of them so I got to see the plants I liked without any politics. Each year they asked me what they were getting next year. We became friends not enemies.

Sofer...sounds wonderful. Exactly the kinda of thing I was hoping to hear! We've been the only ones in the neighborhood so far that I know of who's knocked on all the newest neighbors to say hi. It's amazing how much people are surprised and yet, despite being "strangers" will invite us in for a spell. I think people crave this...but just doesn't happen anymore. The distribution of plants like you mention would encourage this.

I lived in one in SC - Put up a fence for the backyard "against" the rules. My house was in an odd spot in the lot I had, so apparently they met about it, and decided it was "kosher". I had quite the variety of plants in the yard, and while I'm sure they weren't all "in the rulebook", I never got a complaint. I made it a point to take extra care of the yard, and the flowers. I always figured it'd be hard for them to complain if I had everything in order.
Here's a suggestions: don't look at it as rules "against you". Look at it as rules to keep your neighbors from putting those 14 rusty cars in the front yard and leaving their dog poop on the sidewalk to their front door. Usually, having houses that are clean, well-kept, and neat front yards might seem like "regulations", but it keeps property values up.

Angel, I totally agree. But from what I've heard HOA's tend to be run as sofer said, by "control freaks" who think they must dictate everything. Problem I ran into (with ours being sooo new and outsourced right now) is that it was just taking too long for a response. And some things are time sensitive, especially when it comes to trees and plants for sale from your local nursery.

So I started out great as far as asking. Now I just do what I want. Once I got a letter about cutting the "weeds and/or grass on my side yard" (I'm on a corner) and it was addressed to me but for a different subdivision?! After I faxed them about how tacky this error was I have not gotten any letters. I had to mention the fact that I love having a yard so much one of our first purchases was a lawnmower, weedeater, edger, extra grass seed (sod was shotty) etc. Some of our neighbors don't even have a lawnmower and it shows. That's the only things I'm worried about, having long grass especially weed invaded and the animal mess on sidewalks.

But I think the outsourced company is tired of dealing with disgruntly homeowners, I have not seen anyone else buying a weedeater or edger. And there has only been 1 other person besides us plucking weeds out. You get a lot of these when you house gets built on old neglected farmland. =) But I actually enjoy plucking them out!

I am not too concerned about their "regulations" so much as informing people what might do great in their yards (plant wise...but not restricted).

I really can't think of one good think to say about HOA's. ;)

Okay fine, it WAS nice not having a gas, water, and trash bill for my condo in so cal. However, my monthly dues were $300. per month. Yep, you heard that right.

I think I would have rather paid a gas, water, and trash bill. Here people have actually lost their homes to HOAs for not paying their fees. That to me is ridiculous. It I wanted to live under a dictatorship I would pick my own. That is the only thing I have seen, or the kind they say you can't use certain building supplies, like the green wavy stuff people use over a patio. Now I do agree with that, but if it is up kept and maybe that is all they can afford.

For 88 grand a year seems like they could landscape, mow, weedeat and edge every 2 weeks. I am sure they could hire a good lawn crew to do all the homes for half of that.

I have a pretty tall soap box when it comes to HOAs. Ours is 15 a year and they never even brought the restrictions around or introduced themselves when we moved in. Eventually everyone stopped paying. All they did was a little mowing around the 2 brick walls at the front. They were making some good money just at 15 dollars a year with the number of houses here. I do my very best but my husband lost his job in 1993 and we bought our home here in 1989. He makes half as much and it has been a struggle. I feel bad enough after Hurricane Rita came thru and tore off roofing shingles.
I even told on here if I couldn't find a way to get the 1200 dollar deductible, I would put on a huge blue tarp and tell my neighbors it was nunya blue if they ask why it was still up. Then politely add it was nunya business. We all and I am not saying you won't but we need to see what is going on in our neighbors life before we decide to tell them to mow the grass. They may have just gotten out of the hospital
or don't have the 3.00 or whatever to put in the gas tank to mow. I know what that feels like.You can only dig the coins out of the couch cushions so many times until there aren't any.

I am disabled now and my yard does not look like I would love it to. I do my very best. But I would be so hurt if someone come over and said something if it wasn't up to what they think.

Enough , I will climb down off my soap box if I can get something or someone to hold on too. Since I had back surgery It is worse more everyday not better.

I really hate to say this but Gestapo with Hitler Youth running around sums up my HOA. Fortunately, they leave me alone lately other than to bug me to provide them with ammunition to turn our neighborhood into a native plants only zone which I will have no part of. I have seen Associations come in and seize property first hand so I certainly wouldn't ignore any annual fees even if other homeowners have chosen to stop paying them. The bankruptcy laws have changed in an attempt to retrain the public and lawyers will be out there scrambling to create new niches for themselves. Association Law can be quite lucrative. Remuneration is virtually guaranteed in the form of billable hours and I'll leave it at that. Please pay your HOA fees if at all possible.

I have to live here in my neighborhood. I may not know my neighbors but we do drive by and wave from our cars sometimes or exchange common courtesies when we haul garbage out to the curb or run into each other at restaurants or at a store. I go the Sofer route

I give many saplings and seedlings of trees and shrubs that I have germinated to neighbors and since I started doing this, people are actually taking time out of their busy lives to stop and chat for a few minutes here and there when our paths cross. They plant my saplings and seedlings and care for them. It's sort of neat. Creates my little sense of community. These people can afford to buy their own plants but being given a sapling in a silly looking 2-liter pepsi bottle is about the same as receiving nice hand me down clothes from somebody else's kids or having somebody walk over with a tray of Lemon Bars just because they were baking and made extra. One thing, they have tried to "apppoint" me and I will have no part of that either but I politely tell them I would love to but I'm just not in a position to take on any more responsibility but maybe in a few years when the kids are older.

SalemSunshine wrote:

My best friend is getting ready to build in one. If that's what she wants, then hey, it's fine with me. Where I fell over, was reading thru the regulations and all the other stuff. The fee last year was $706 for the year, This year, it's $756 a year. Plus water, plus garbage, plus sticker fees.......she and her husband are not people who take to being told what to do. Oh gosh! And I loved reading how they mail out on what days you can mow. So it should be interesting when they tell her she can't plant that, and she can't paint her door this color....yep, it's going to get real interesting.........