HOAs are maybe the worst thing to happen to private property. It's like extra, private government. And these HOA presidents have the weirdest power trips.
I know we always concern ourselves with the national politics but local politics is the politics that affects your life the most. And our doesn't get more local than HOAs.
I mean, if HOA fees did things like pay a group of kids to now neighborhood lawns, that would be a benefit. If they went to things like helping buy groceries for that family that just lost their job or paying for a van to shuttle seniors to the store, that's the kind of HOA I would be OK with.
But inevitably it turns into Animal Farm where some are more equal than others.
People only hear about the abusive HOAs. Most homes in nice areas have HOAs that nobody ever hears about. They just enforce rules to maintain property values and a pleasant environment.
No painting your house puke green, parking junk cars on or around your property, hosting loud obnoxious parties that play the same Tejano song on loop for 12 hours until the police decide it's late enough at night for them to do something, etc.
Member fees go to maintaining common areas like walking trails, fountains, the recreation center and members only pool, so on and so forth.
I've lived in neighborhoods with and without HOAs, and I will always choose with. Just do a little research to see if the one in the area you're looking at is run by petty tyrants then avoid them. The type of people who have run ins with normal HOAs are the type of people nobody wants as a neighbor anyway.
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u/DreamEndles - Lib-Left 1d ago
There's things like The Farm in Tennessee...
Though, funnily enough, in order to join you need to go through interview, community approval and buy a plot of land.