I will never live in an HOA again. In mine, you could only get work done by contractors on an "approved" list. The list was very short. Corrupt to the core.
OT: Reason #985 to avoid HOA’s
- Thread starter nitanee123
- Start date
Yup. And somebody was well greased before the contractor magically got 'approved'.
Why anyone would put up with a HOA and put themselves at the mercy of a bunch of minor-league Napoleons, I will never understand. So much for your home being your castle.
I live in Reston, VA which is the first planned community in the country. There is a "town" HOA that manages a ton of common property (13 pools, paved trails, 4 lakes, etc) and then condos and townhome "clusters" have their own HOA to manage their common areas so some residents have 2 HOAs to deal with. There is a joke about the helicopters being out looking for red mulch. It's no joke. That sh*t is banned and they will get you!
When I was in a townhome, I got annoyed by the board so I joined it and made it better - IMHO
Moved to a single family a few years back and don't miss the cluster HOA at all!!! Lot more rules for dense housing. The problem with HOAs are the people, not the HOAs. Unfortunately, even the best HOAs will eventually get a bad person...as they say, power corrupts.
I live in a complex of 118 homes, no pool, but a HOA. Takes care of lawncutting / landscaping, snow removal, re-sealing driveways every three years and painting homes every five years. $275 / mo.
Was on the Board for about five years, now on the Architectural and Landscape committees.
Thankless jobs, the bitchers and the moaners are the ones that have never once come to a Board Meeting (6 a year) or voted (even via a proxy).
We revised and updated the builder’s bi-laws and Rules & Regs (originally about 1988) about five years ago. Every new owner gets a set at closing. (Long time owners simply plead ignorance.)
Certainly not perfect, but considering everything, well, it’s better than the parking plan on football weekends.
Was on the Board for about five years, now on the Architectural and Landscape committees.
Thankless jobs, the bitchers and the moaners are the ones that have never once come to a Board Meeting (6 a year) or voted (even via a proxy).
We revised and updated the builder’s bi-laws and Rules & Regs (originally about 1988) about five years ago. Every new owner gets a set at closing. (Long time owners simply plead ignorance.)
Certainly not perfect, but considering everything, well, it’s better than the parking plan on football weekends.
Sorry, Greenbelt in MD was a few years before Reston and what Reston was based on.
The car warmed up the area underneath it. After the car pulled out, a dusting of snow occured, covering the areas where the tire tracks would have been visible - those areas were not warmed up by the engine and exhaust system. The new dusting of snow melted upon impact on the area that was warmed up forming the shape. The tire tracks behind the parking spot are from a car that drove in that area after the new dusting of snow.
Stupid white people and their (rolls social justice dice).....being old and having nothing to do but care about their neighborhood.
It's always hilariously ironic to me when someone claims to be concerned about diversity while at the same time showing themselves to be a bigot.
I live in Reston, VA which is the first planned community in the country. There is a "town" HOA that manages a ton of common property (13 pools, paved trails, 4 lakes, etc) and then condos and townhome "clusters" have their own HOA to manage their common areas so some residents have 2 HOAs to deal with. There is a joke about the helicopters being out looking for red mulch. It's no joke. That sh*t is banned and they will get you!
When I was in a townhome, I got annoyed by the board so I joined it and made it better - IMHO
Moved to a single family a few years back and don't miss the cluster HOA at all!!! Lot more rules for dense housing. The problem with HOAs are the people, not the HOAs. Unfortunately, even the best HOAs will eventually get a bad person...as they say, power corrupts.
+1.
Wow did not know Reston had been around that long. I thought Columbia, MD was the first planned community.
And yes I understand the pain of having both a Condo Assoc. and an HOA.
I suspect there are some different definitions and criteria for "planned" in use.
+1.
Wow did not know Reston had been around that long. I thought Columbia, MD was the first planned community.
And yes I understand the pain of having both a Condo Assoc. and an HOA.
Not positive, but I think I remember hearing that Columbia modeled itself on Reston. Here's a brief history if you are interested.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reston,_Virginia
In a nut shell, Reston was a farm. It was bought by Robert E Simon (initials RES = RESton) for the purpose of creating a town. It was conceived from a literal green field state and planned to have an urban core, village centers where people would gather, and lots of open space (parks, 50+ miles of trails, lakes, etc.)
Reston Assoc, the "town HOA" is a PITA and tried to do too much, but overall, I would say that Reston is a pretty good place. The half I live in is completely wooded which is almost impossible to find anywhere, lots of open space, quiet in neighborhoods, but we are only 5 minutes from the Dulles Toll Road and 15mins from Dulles Airport and the Beltway. I like Columbia a lot too.
Nope you are correct. After your inital post I looked it up and from what I could find out Reston was planned in 1964 and Columbia was 1967. I was shocked that Reston was planned that early.
I have a very good friend that lived in the Reston/Herndon area, this would have been mid 90's.
And there really wasn't a lot out that way once you got past (I think it was called Wolftrap).
I know that the Lee Jackson Hwy sucked and I would take the Toll Road instead.
I don't even think there was a metro stop that was very close.
But it was a very nice area.
I just bought a house and became a member of an HOA. I have never had such a thing in the past. If I go to these meetings, what am I supposed to do? I imagine that I'll shut up and listen for a few to see how things work. But how does one contribute without becoming a "bitcher and the moaner"?
we just had an HOA blowout. There is a common space that is on the lake with lake access. The HOA is very, very inexpensive. Recently, a family bought a high end playground set and put it in the space without permission. Well, they didn't pull a building permit and it is too high. Secondly, once you put in a public playground, there are all kinds of compliance and insurance issues. The HOA board informed the homeowner that they had to take it down. There was a lawsuit filed. The playground owner called a special meeting of homeowners and got the old board overthrown. He is now president of the new board. Upon being elected, the HOA attorney informed him he needed to take down the playground of be held personally liable because it wasn't approved and is not part of the HOA holdings. Now, as president, he is much more open to litigation because he now "knew or should have known". It was down the next day.
He is a very wealthy man (a doctor who's wife inherited a highly performing company with 100 employees). He wants to develop the space and increase the HOA cost to $150/month (it is $80/year now). While his house is well north of $1m, there are others in the HOA who's homes are less than $100k. Many won't be able to afford it but it is part of their deed and a lien can be placed if they don't pay.
Interesting to watch this unfold. It is a real mess with neighbors, who were once good friends, no longer speaking to eachother.
He is a very wealthy man (a doctor who's wife inherited a highly performing company with 100 employees). He wants to develop the space and increase the HOA cost to $150/month (it is $80/year now). While his house is well north of $1m, there are others in the HOA who's homes are less than $100k. Many won't be able to afford it but it is part of their deed and a lien can be placed if they don't pay.
Interesting to watch this unfold. It is a real mess with neighbors, who were once good friends, no longer speaking to eachother.
Its a very fine line but IMO, if you go to the meetings and voice your opinion you are not a bitcher or moaner.
If you post your "thoughts" on Social Media and don't go to the meetings THEN you fall into the bitcher/moaner catagory.
Paint ball eggs and toilet paper fix issues like these
Sounds like this guy needs to be overthrown into the algal bloom. That right there is what would blow my top. A guy like that? I would be making that guys life a living hell until I’m thrown in jail, forced to sell, etc... but I’d never live in an HOA so that’s that.
I tend to agree. But I believe, after blowing it up, it is a learning process. He is now learning that everyone is not wealthy and that there are other considerations beyond "I want....". It is kind of like a person complaining about coaching and then come to understand it is a different world once you are "wearing those shoes".
A lot will always depend on the board. Sometimes the board gets in power and they act like dictators. My HOA has several advisory committees -- Finance, Landscape and Social.
The Finance committee is supposed to review budgets, aid in the quote process and make recommendations for investing our capital reserves. So far that's been one guy.
The Landscape committee reviews the guidelines periodically and recommends changes when the feel changes are necessary. They also review all landscape requests from homeowners and make a recommendation to the board (approve or deny).
The Social committee has a small annual budget, but works with local businesses and runs social events. We've had Xfinity pay for food for our pool opening party, pay for a band for a summer block party.... They hold small events such as bingo, gift wrapping, ice cream party, pretzel truck that each cost about $100 - $300.
People that actively attend meetings and/or participate in these events, even by just showing up, saying hello and introducing themselves are far more likely to gain respect and the attention of the board when they have an issue or suggestion. Just posting crap on Facebook does nothing. I don't belong to that group (as mentioned above, I'm president of my HOA), I never read the stuff, and I intentionally ignore anything anyone tells me about that page unless it comes directly from the person making the post in the first place.
Bottom line, get to know the members of your board. Don't be a giant pain in the butt (they are volunteers and your neighbors). Offer suggestions, not demands or complaints. Work with them to make improvements over time. Don't expect immediate response (it's not simple for a small group of volunteers to make large projects just happen). And participate in as many meetings and events as possible.
Accepting that HOA's are voluntary associations that can be disbanded, if you don't like yours either become the change you want or convince a quorum to disband.
I serve on two HOA's and welcome the thought of protections for two of my most valuable assets. It's too often the case that if left to their own devices neighbors will act in a way that affects the value of your home. There is a difference between the HOA that measures grass height (no thanks) and the HOA that compels a homeowner to at least cut grass 2X per month.
I serve on two HOA's and welcome the thought of protections for two of my most valuable assets. It's too often the case that if left to their own devices neighbors will act in a way that affects the value of your home. There is a difference between the HOA that measures grass height (no thanks) and the HOA that compels a homeowner to at least cut grass 2X per month.
So here's the deal on HOAs. By in large, an HOA takes care of the business of the community to manage shared property/services.
This includes Hiring and paying contractors (ie lawn care, landscaping, trash, snow, tree maint, etc as required), collection of dues, etc
They also would set maintenance priorities and the direction of how money is spent and draft a budget.
Attending the meetings will keep you up to date on the finances of the organization, issues, and setting of priorities. As a member of the corporation, you can also voice your opinions on how you'd like to see things done.
Now, most HOA's also have some sort of design and maintenance standards. These range from reasonable things like not allowing your neighbor to paint their house pink and put a truck up blocks in their front yard (which happens to be 10feet from your front door to (IMHO) the ridiculous of managing mulch color, approved light fixtures, and mandating that trash cans can only be visible on the day of pickup and fines can ensue if not. This is where HOAs get a bad name.Even with these standards, you have people that would manage in a reasonable manner and those that become the stuff of nightmares where people without anything better to do become a secret police force looking for any blade of grass that is out of place and making your life hell. Unfortunately, if this is now your HOA is/or what it becomes, your only choice is to run for election and change the culture.
good luck. It's not all bad.
This depends on the neighborhood though. As mentioned above, there is a reason mulch color needs to be consistent throughout my neighborhood. And the homeowners that were present when the discussion was held all agreed.
Light fixtures have always been approved within certain standards. I don't recall any light fixtures being rejected (and two years ago we had a hail storm that caused just about every roof to be replaced and lots of light fixtures were replaced as well, so there is history). The approval process is to deny the ridiculous, not micromanage typical choices. The borough mandates when trash is allowed to be at the curb, not the HOA.
Fully agree. As I said, it's most often the people, not the HOA that is a problem. In reston, there are overall design guidelines, for almost everything. Most were done in the 70s - lots of earthy tones, etc. Red mulch is forbidden...everywhere...single family homes included. Not an issue of being contiguous. Just doesn't fit the look the founders wanted.
