I HAVE DEBATED FOR A LONG TIME ABOUT USING THIS SUBJECT: Actually abusing this subject would be more like what I am going to do. I have thought long and hard, well, long, any way, about how to address this issue. Even now, I will probably get it wrong. Having given you that warning, read on, or not. The subject is HOA'S.
Don't know what that is? Count yourself lucky, then. For any one who does not know what HOA stands for I will just advise you that it means people running how you live. AKA as a Home Owners Association. Depending on where you live the rules will be different but the premise is the same. WE HAVE RULES AND YOU WILL OBEY THEM. They dictate how and what color you can paint your house. What you can and cannot plant in the yard. How many cars you can have and where you can park them. And you actually pay this association to tell you what you can and cannot do. My wife and I pay $77.00 a month to our HOA. In some cities these fees run in the hundreds of dollars a month. And there was a recent item on the news about an HOA telling a man he had to remove some stickers from is car. There have been many instances of the HOA fining homeowners for putting up a flagpole and flying an American flag.
We have rules also, like no dogs running loose ( they do run loose any way ) No noisy vehicles or other noise that is irritating to the neighbors (Mostly allowed to by the HOA powers that be ) but if you get behind on your dues your water is turned off till you pay up. I don't know what other HOA'S do when dues are in arrears, but I know that many of them levy fines against the home owners for rules violations.
Makes me wonder what makes these people know more than I do about how I should live. On a final note, I will say this; Some of these rules do keep the neighbor hood cleaner and the property values up. At least that is what it is supposed to do. Still, the Ditch ank is looking better every day.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK
Dude. One of the reasons we bought where we did was because we have no HOA. Man. I could tell horror stories of ones in San Diego! So, so, so not a fan...
ReplyDeleteIf someone wants to run your life, they will . There wasn't any here either, then someone said you want to buy what I have, then I will retain control over what you buy and what you can do with what your money bought from me . The same thing would be true of a grocery store, you want that steak to eat tonight, you can buy it with your money, but I will tell you how you have to cook it and when you can eat it . Same difference . Mom
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