Philosophical rant, just to tide you over Christmas...

A philosophical thought (with tongue planted firmly in left cheek):

Frequently in the realms of pro-HOA and anti-HOA arguements, the idea is trotted forth that one of the main reasons to have an HOA is that it protects property values, ie, it polices owners to maintain a set of standards, that an HOA is often the only thing that keeps owners from tanking property values. People frequently cite that HOA's regulate owners, and maintain property value. If it weren't for the HOA, this place would be just like that trailer park over there... The HOA is the thin blue line between owners and declining property values, all that stands between a real estate investment and anarchy...

If so, wouldn't it be best to get rid of owners then? Apparently, they are the cause of the problem... they are the reason for HOA's to exist. Why do we have an HOA? because if we didn't, the owners would run amuck! They would run wild, and who knows what would happen to property values!

It looks like, if it wasn't for owners, property values would remain high! Let's get rid of all the owners, and the problem would be solved, right?

in the perfect world, gerald, we would have someone else buy the property.. I haven't got all the details worked out yet though...

Your definition is good, but doesn't cover all HOA's. Ours, for instance, doesn't have any common areas worthy of owning, and we wouldn't be an HOA, if it wasn't for city rules about retention basins.

i would be happy to start a collection..

donate to "Living without at HOA", and send your money to PO Box 11617....

Brian if your going to get rid of homeowners, (BTW didn't the Soviet Union try that?) then you have to get rid of all the MC's (Sorry Roger) because if the homeowners are gone then there would be no need of anyone managing them. Everything could be done by vote, but then no one but the same twenty people would show up to vote so it would end up being run by a cabal. And if you read the posts on some web sites most if not all HOA's are already run that way, sooooo……….

What is often overlooked is that there are a huge number of people who actually want to live in an HOA/Condo. They like the idea of not having to deal with neighbors, they like their tidy little boxes, they like neat and orderly. That's why there are thousands of associations that roll on, year after year, without any of the major problems that we see in the news or on these pages. They're not very loud, and so they often get overlooked.

They fly their "Stars and Stripes" on a nice bracket attached to the house, like it says in the documents; their house is beige or one of the beige variations; they park in the garage and don't change the oil in the driveway; their house is neatly landscaped with approved vegetation and watered regularly; their dog is walked on a leash and they clean up after it; they serve on the board, but are rarely noticed, because they don't like confrontations; etc.

The problems are the people who really don't want to live in an HOA/condo, but someone fell in love with the house or the location or that's the only choice they had for a new-construction home.

A simple change in state laws would remedy 90% of the problems - requiring that all taxpayers within a tax district receive the same services. In other words, all raods would have to be built to code and maintained by the municipality, trash pickup would be included as part of the property taxes (if its that way for the rest of the non-HOA residences). If a municipality could no longer trade off reduced services for greater density, there would no longer be a reason to create a homeowners association simply to maintain a road. More choice means fewer problem owners (won't ever eliminate them, unfortunately).

There's another alternative. I've often wondered why some entrepeneur hasn't started a firm specializing in CC&R enforcement. For an annual fee, someone will pay a visit to that person who failed to get the weeds out of their yard on time, and with a small lead pipe, gently remind them of the things they had agreed to do. You can't tell me that this hasn't crossed the mind of every board member out there, at one time or another. I mean, there are management companies that provide landscaping, maintenance and pool services, why not enforcement (separately incorporated, of course, probably in Bimini). Just think of it, no more second notices, no more arguments out in front of your house, no more owners haranguing you at a meeting, just immediate corection of the violation----and they'll probably move soon after. One more problem owner out the door. I suppose there's no real good way to write this into the documents, even as a "super-secret" codicil to some motion lost in the hundreds of others. Oh well, one can fantasize.

Happy New Year everyone!

Joe

there already is an owners management company that does the "one warning" notices.. they also offer insurance, on home, business, and auto. They have branches in all the larger cities, just check them out... carefully. Look for big guys named Guido and Gianni, or with colorful nicknames like "Jimmy the Dog" or "Marconi the Kneecapper"...

It has crossed mine.

Trash pickup by the city is on Thursday. CC&Rs state that trash cannot be put curbside for collection until the day of collection (that's Thursday at 1:01 AM in case you're having trouble with the language).

Homeowner:

I forgot. (again)
It's my kid's job and he must have forgotten.
I had a lot of trash this week so I needed to put it out Wednesday afternoon.
I'll be out of town on Thursday so I had to do it Wednesday.
My friend came over to help me and he didn't know the rules.
I didn't know that included bags of grass clippings or leaves.
A contractor does my mowing and yard maintenance and he comes on Wednesday (or Tuesday, etc.).

Guess what happens on a holiday week when the city moves the collection day to Friday!

Violating the CC&Rs is not only failing to do what you agreed to do when you bought the property, it's disrespecting your neighbors (and yourself since you are a member of the HOA).

You are correct, that's what I meant. I hadn't had my three cups of coffee yet!