Overboard HOA?

[exstatic]

thats a gross exaggeration.

Not really.

The neighborhood behind the townhouse where I used to live had one gentleman with a school bus parked in his back yard. Sometimes the alternatives to a HOA are worse than a HOA.

[Spurminator]

I'm not against HOAs if that's what you've signed up for, but the neighborhood I currently live in doesn't have one. The homes run from $120-200. There are a few poorly kept lawns and some questionable fencing (although if you let your grass or branches grow to crazy lengths you hear from the city) but other than that I'm pretty comfortable with the value of my home. I'm not expecting to attract anyone looking to drop $250-$300K when I sell my home... so I don't think our potential buyers will be the types to care if there's a house a block away with half a yard of mud and some untrimmed hedges, or (god forbid) a basketball goal in their driveway.

I'm guessing a lot of Dallas neighborhoods don't have HOAs... In the Lakewood area you have some neighborhoods with $600K homes two blocks away from $100K homes and the upkeep varies greatly from block to block.

[SequSpur]

we can't park boats, rvs and work trucks and in front of our houses...thats about it and you have to have your lawn mowed, its cool but a waste of money.

[thispego]

no, before you died, you would already be on the street. we have foreclosed on homeowner's who don't abide by rules, nor pay the fines.

HOA's win almost all the time.

You two don't understand what a ing HOA is, do you? There is no fine. If you don't comply, they can seize and sell your house. Protest that.

The moral of the story is do your due diligence before you buy. They give you the rules. It's usually a thick binder. Read them anyway. If you don't like them, don't buy. They won't change the rules or make exceptions for you.

I'm talking about if he was already living there and then this rule was made up.

I would have to be killed before I left my house.

[Spurminator]

Eh, it's Frisco so his neighborhood was probably built three years ago.

[thispego]

well if we're all assuming that he failed to read the rules of the HOA then I guess thats that

[Spurminator]

I'd still like to see a fight though because it's a pretty douchy rule. At least maybe it will cause people to reflect on some of the stupid bull they care about.

[Melmart1]

I'm curious about a scenario thispego brought up. What if he signed on, thinking that he could park his truck in the driveway, then a year or something after he bought the house, they made up the rules about what you can or can't park in the driveway? Would he have some sort of recourse here, or is he just stuck like chuck, even though he read the rules of the HOA when he moved there and no such rule existed?

[thispego]

lol, the truck is brand ing new!

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

HOA's usually have meetings and votes on this type of thing. If most people park their pickups in the garage, then it sounds like he's in the minority.

[Spurminator]

The real kicker was the Obama bumper sticker.

[thispego]

"The high-end vehicles that are allowed are plush with amenities and covers on the back. It doesn't look like a pickup," he said. "It's fancier."

-Bill Osborn, HOA

[tlongII]

I park my truck in the front yard.

[thispego]

HOA's usually have meetings and votes on this type of thing. If most people park their pickups in the garage, then it sounds like he's in the minority.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

I park my truck in the back yard.

I pay $90/year and it takes care of lighting fees and snow removal. What the would you pay $ for in TX?

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

No idea what your point is.

Par for the course?

[mrsmaalox]

They have quarterly meetings, open to the public, every resident is notified. All proposed changes/additions to the covenent are disclosed and voted upon, then the recorded minutes and changes are provided to all residents. So the only way to make a challenge would be to prove that the rules were changed without notifying everyone.

[thispego]

HOA's usually have meetings and votes on this type of thing. If most people park their pickups in the garage, then it sounds like he's in the minority.

I seriosuly SERIOUSLY doubt that the majority of rational minded residents of any neighborhood would vote to prohibit any car not a luxury vehicle from parking in driveways.

[thispego]

I park my truck in the back yard.

I pay $90/year and it takes care of lighting fees and snow removal. What the would you pay $ for in TX?

yeah it must suck to live in michigan.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

I seriosuly SERIOUSLY doubt that the majority of rational minded residents of any neighborhood would vote to prohibit any car not a luxury vehicle from parking in driveways.

How many people go to those meetings? A majority of the people present probably isn't that much.

Did you miss this line in the story?

HOA officials said that many Stonebriar homeowners own pickups but that they abide by the rules and keep them parked in their garages.

Just sounds like a guy who didn't keep up with or pay attention to his HOA rules and regs who is ing after the fact.

[thispego]

They have quarterly meetings, open to the public, every resident is notified. All proposed changes/additions to the covenent are disclosed and voted upon, then the recorded minutes and changes are provided to all residents. So the only way to make a challenge would be to prove that the rules were changed without notifying everyone.

and only the ones who show up get to vote? send the ballots to every address in the neighborhood... is this a bad idea?

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

yeah it must suck to live in michigan.

Not really.

[Spurminator]

I park my truck in the back yard.

I pay $90/year and it takes care of lighting fees and snow removal. What the would you pay $ for in TX?

Neighborhood pools, events. Nice floral arrangements at the entrance of the neighborhood. Or, if you're in Frisco, a moat and a gated entrance with 24-hour security guards granting visitor access.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Neighborhood pools, events. Nice floral arrangements at the entrance of the neighborhood. Or, if you're in Frisco, a moat and a gated entrance with 24-hour security guards granting visitor access.

Ah, makes sense.

I'd imagine it isn't cheap.

[mrsmaalox]

I seriosuly SERIOUSLY doubt that the majority of rational minded residents of any neighborhood would vote to prohibit any car not a luxury vehicle from parking in driveways.

I agree but that's what apparently happened. I live in a neighborhood of majority rational residents and the main reason ridiculous things get passed or upheld is because of apathy. Like 15% attendance rate at the quarterly meetings. And when you buy the house, part of your paperwork is one of those "by proxy" vote forms that allows the board to vote for you if you don't cast a ballot. All the power ends up in a few person's hands. And if those few hands all belong to idiots.....