DIYbanter - View Single Post - HOAs

(D. Gerasimatos) writes:

My question is: Why do you care what color the house next door is?

You're focusing overmuch on the purple house. Make it the tons of
autos always parked on the parkway. Make it RV's in the driveway. Or
boats. Or disabled cars. Or really wacky looking additions. Check
the home repair newsgroup--not too long ago, some idiot wanted to
convert an in ground swimming pool into living space. If he was in a
municipality with a lax building code.... imagine.

People care because they know that--even it it doesn't offend their
own sensibilities--it is likely to drive buyers away when it comes
time to sell the property.

The other problems (if you perceive them to be problems) can be
handled by municipal ordinances.

If and only if the ordinances exist. Trouble is, you will find that
municipal ordinances don't disallow things that prudent sellers really
wouldn't want to have happening next door without recourse.

Conformist or not, these are the realities of resale, which one day
you might find out. Post your address, and we'll take up a fund to
buy the house next door and really fix it up nice, and see if your
views don't change.

HOA-free neighborhoods (and I have a house in one now) can be lovely
places, especially with a municipality that has building codes that
are enforced, and zoning ordinances that are enforced and variance
review procedures that ensure that neighbors are informed and invited
for public comment when a neighbor is doing something "out of the
ordinary" with their property.

HOA-encumbered single family subdivisions (which I'm not ruling out on
my next purchase) can suck if the HOA is infested by a board that gets
off on micromanaging neighbors and you're a person that wants to do
something "out of the ordinary" with your property. Or if they have
high costs and don't provide any value for it.

So there are no universal guarantees one way or the other, but as
someone who improves his homes with an eye toward "return on
investment," I sure as heck don't object to enforcement bodies (be
they municipality or HOA) that have a stick to beat on a potential
yahoo who moves in across the street and wants to re-enact the Beverly
Hillbillies, and undermine my (and other sane neighbors) ROI goals.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/