are HOAs that bad?

[freaky]

It can be good and it can be bad. If you live in a poor neighborhood then it is bad. If you live in a rich neighborhood then it is good.

You pay your HOA fees and if anything happens you get them fixed for free. In the good neighborhood you also get free securities. It's like living in a hotel where everything is done for you.

Actually, just think of it like living in a hotel. The good hotels will have great service and accommodations. The bad ones will have terrible service.

 

[King of Fists]

Depends. Generally more trouble than they're worth imo, we pay $300 a month to have our small lawn mowed, and access to a pool and fitness center. I wouldn't pay $300 a month for that voluntarily but at least they aren't dicks about things.

Where my sister lives the HOA is $200 a month but they provide literally nothing have ridiculous restrictions like what you can have on your balcony, how long you can leave your recycling bins out after pickup, how long your grass can be (not a bad idea except she has to mow her own grass, shovel her own sidewalk in the winter, etc), the size of wreath you can hang on your front door, etc. She actually got fined by her HOA for leaving her child's toy car on the balcony once.

 

[BangersAndSmash]

hey guys....so i live in ny and i dont have to deal with any home owners association but now I am interested in buying a property in florida and it is virtually impossible to find one that doesnt belong to a hoa. I've heard god awful things about hoas and other ppl have told me that is not as bad as they put it out to be, thought they still wish they didnt have one. Do you deal with a hoa? ...If so, how is that going?

Where in Florida are you looking at?

 

[Rhood]

They fall somewhere between the line of Nazi's, Republicans, SJW's, MS-13, and Communists.

 

[HunterSdVa29]

we don't have them here, although it's quite poor here and the vast majority of people don't own houses

we also don't have grass though, people could rake the sand I guess haha

HOAs sound an awful lot like living in military base housing....

 

[Malvo]

you mean black people ..at least be honest..you dont like black people and you dont want them as neighbors

And Mexicans with cholo kids and tacky exterior house decor.
Lime green and bright purple house paint gots to go.
Can't stand those people.

 

[Pickle Rick]

And Mexicans with cholo kids and tacky exterior house decor.
Lime green and bright purple house paint gots to go.
Can't stand those people.

You seem like a reasonable and completely non racist individual.

 

[panamaican]

Im of the mind... if you live in an area that NEEDS an HOA to keep out undesirables maybe you are living in the wrong area... just my 2 cents unless you have some amazing well paying job from which you cannot transfer or you have elderly family living close i would move.. I hated NY i moved to FL.. i hate FL im moving to NH.. i spent the better part of 3 years scouting places and looking up census and other information and finally we are moving out of FL ... (we had to wait for a district manager job transfer for wife)

Not in the slightest. HOA's and the fees maintain the golf clubhouse where my parents live and they negotiate bulk rates on cable and internet services for the homeowners.

But there are plenty of people with means who are still shitty neighbors. And you want those people out to maintain property values.

 

[Malvo]

You seem like a reasonable and completely non racist individual.

 

[Pickle Rick]

Not in the slightest. HOA's and the fees maintain the golf clubhouse where my parents live and they negotiate bulk rates on cable and internet services for the homeowners.

But there are plenty of people with means who are still shitty neighbors. And you want those people out to maintain property values.

i kind of make a large separation between 55+ HOA communities ( i live near several large 55+ communities) and the ones using it as a way to keep undesirables out

 

[panamaican]

i kind of make a large separation between 55+ HOA communities ( i live near several large 55+ communities) and the ones using it as a way to keep undesirables out

I don't because it's the same thing. A 55+ shitty neighbor usually starts as a 25 year old shitty neighbor.

 

[Pickle Rick]

I don't because it's the same thing. A 55+ shitty neighbor usually starts as a 25 year old shitty neighbor.

let me try to explain further... and i do get your point (and agree) I guess if you go into a HOA you should know what you are getting into and if you don't i guess it would be on you for not knowing what you are getting yourself into?

that being said,

I do feel that some HOA's (maybe a low %) are reaching far beyond the norm

things like garbage can size and or color
distance from the curb when recycle bins need to be retrieved after collection, home decor lawn decor certain things (for me) would be a dealbreaker and i wouldnt join a HOA based upon things i have personally seen (predatory heads of HOA's on a power trip non cessation of violators etc)

 

[panamaican]

let me try to explain further... and i do get your point (and agree) I guess if you go into a HOA you should know what you are getting into and if you don't i guess it would be on you for not knowing what you are getting yourself into?

that being said,

I do feel that some HOA's (maybe a low %) are reaching far beyond the norm

things like garbage can size and or color
distance from the curb when recycle bins need to be retrieved after collection, home decor lawn decor certain things (for me) would be a dealbreaker and i wouldnt join a HOA based upon things i have personally seen (predatory heads of HOA's on a power trip non cessation of violators etc)

That's fine. Plenty of people have the things that are deal breakers for them. That doesn't mean that there's overreach. For example - have you seen the range of garbage can options available to the public? If the HOA is contracted to a private garbage pick up company (as opposed to a municipal option) then they might have a reason for limiting the range of cans. Or for forcing people to buy garbage cans large enough to accommodate a usual trash load and avoid the plastic bag on the curb option that invites animals.

The one thing I've learned is that if you don't put rules in place, people will eventually go over the edge just because they can. They'll still break the rules if you have them but at least you can rein them in before they go full ape shit crazy with their personal expression.

If you don't care about that stuff then absolutely don't live in a community with an HOA.

 

[C0NCH3TO]

Where in Florida are you looking at?

i like miami beach....surfide, bal harbour. Its waaay to expensive though, a small house is around 700k. Other option would be fort lauderdale. As long as it is a decent neighborhood. There are very nice areas in fort L. as well as shitty ones.

 

[BangersAndSmash]

i like miami beach....surfide, bal harbour. Its waaay to expensive though, a small house is around 700k. Other option would be fort lauderdale. As long as it is a decent neighborhood. There are very nice areas in fort L. as well as shitty ones.

I live in Tampa. I know that the beachy areas around Miami are very price exclusive. I've never stopped in Ft. Lauderdale, only driven through, so I can't say much about that. I do have one suggestion, figure out how much your car insurance will cost. I don't know how tight your finances will be, but in general, the pay in Florida is very low, and even though your housing costs may seem lower (depends on where in NY you live), energy is expensive, and car insurance is pretty crazy (of course, not NYC or Jersey crazy), and I think Ft. Lauderdale has the highest car insurance rates in Florida. All that stuff adds up, and Florida is no longer one of the really cheap cost-of-living states that it once was. Also, for Florida car insurance, you're not required to buy uninsured motorist coverage, so keep that in mind when you're talking to insurance agents who cut it to save you some on your rate, because with the amount of of uninsured drivers we have (no. 2 behind OK at 23.8%), you'd be a fool not to buy it.

 

[C0NCH3TO]

I live in Tampa. I know that the beachy areas around Miami are very price exclusive. I've never stopped in Ft. Lauderdale, only driven through, so I can't say much about that. I do have one suggestion, figure out how much your car insurance will cost. I don't know how tight your finances will be, but in general, the pay in Florida is very low, and even though your housing costs may seem lower (depends on where in NY you live), energy is expensive, and car insurance is pretty crazy (of course, not NYC or Jersey crazy), and I think Ft. Lauderdale has the highest car insurance rates in Florida. All that stuff adds up, and Florida is no longer one of the really cheap cost-of-living states that it once was. Also, for Florida car insurance, you're not required to buy uninsured motorist coverage, so keep that in mind when you're talking to insurance agents who cut it to save you some on your rate, because with the amount of of uninsured drivers we have (no. 2 behind OK at 23.8%), you'd be a fool not to buy it.

thanks for the info!!!

 

[Toastytoy]

I would literally rather live in a tent on the west side rather than have some mo association tell me what i can and cant do on my own property.

 

[Hollywood Jack]

im looking for a single family house and 99 percent of them belong to a freakin hoa. Even if hoa dues are 1 dollar a month i rather have a home 100 percent free of any hoa shit.

Why is your condo such a massive pain in the ass?

Well, like I mentioned earlier, the monthly HOA fee, the special assessments. And also, the board being corrupt and incompetent, and some of the people who live here.

The other day I came home from grocery shopping and went to grab a cart from the bottom of the stairwell. Some disgruntled neighbor had taken a TON of their own feces and flung it at the wall. Some of it stuck against the wall, but most of it had dropped down to the floor. I had to carefully maneuver around the shit as i retrieved the cart. I'm so done, man.

Anyway, I don't know what part of Florida you're looking at, but here in Broward County, it's not really a problem finding a single-family home without an HOA, which is part of why I'm going to get a single-family house. Good luck.

 

[C0NCH3TO]

Well, like I mentioned earlier, the monthly HOA fee, the special assessments. And also, the board being corrupt and incompetent, and some of the people who live here.

The other day I came home from grocery shopping and went to grab a cart from the bottom of the stairwell. Some disgruntled neighbor had taken a TON of their own feces and flung it at the wall. Some of it stuck against the wall, but most of it had dropped down to the floor. I had to carefully maneuver around the shit as i retrieved the cart. I'm so done, man.

Anyway, I don't know what part of Florida you're looking at, but here in Broward County, it's not really a problem finding a single-family home without an HOA, which is part of why I'm going to get a single-family house. Good luck.

those are great news, yeah broward is fine too...ill keep looking around to find what im looking for...thanks!!

 

[JohnnySagebrush]

HOA=archetypical “safe space.”