When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So everyone told me not to move into an HOA but how bad could it be? Move in day, a great, friendly neighbor came up and welcomed us, quickly followed by "Bad news, the HOA is terrible, stay away [from them]." Fuck.
I've vented a ton to a few members but basically, 21 home community, 4 old ass board members, who seem to hate the three "young" couples, us being one I'm learning and 1 young cool guy, . I've gone above and beyond to be part of the community, help out, etc and things were great. I wanted to extend our back fence, just like our neighbors have done. Pres and VP said, sure, not a problem, here's the form, should be about a week to approve and then you can get a permit but that was March 25th. On May 18th they denied it saying it interferes with the "Architectural landscaping" and wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't' respond to me emails, and avoided me in the community. The one young board member came over and said it was crazy they didn't approve and then another said the same. They suggested waiting a bit longer and assured me they would get it approved but said they believe it's because I'm friends with the other guy suing and moving. Recently one came over to apologize and said he was embarrassed to be part of the board but not to give up and the president would be calling me, never did.
I waited a month but called the president to ask for clarification and to see if we could possibly not utilize all of our property for the fence, like the neighbors and extend it 9 feet less than requested. He screamed at me, told me no other neighbors had moved their fence (a permit search and the neighbors themselves have said they have) and that it was not going to happen. I tried to stay calm but at some point, I said do I really need to get an attorney involved. Well, he said all communication with the board was done and to sue us, followed by hanging up.
What are my options or am I fukked? I want to move so BADLY but my buddy took a loss on his house to get out of our HOA so the most recent comp isn't great, plus the guy that warned me about the HOA, just passed so the family is trying to sell quickly. I don't want to take a hit on the property but we moved in, with the intention of having a bigger yard. Realtor thinks we could break even or perhaps come out a bit ahead but we have dumped money in trying to prevent any issues in the future (getting old work up to code, two new AC's, redoing roof, pool stuff, was going to do a new water heater and garage doors, etc). I hate to go the lawyer route, just because of cost and while the board members are the only ones breaking rules (two months of picture evidence to prove it), I'm not sure I want to start that war, yet. Obviously, I have started to rally neighbors together to get the president out and while I have been making progress, we only have one meeting and it's in December.
I really wanted the fence behind our house for an outdoor kitchen and more dog play area this summer. The other concern is safety (people have been in our yard by our bedroom windows and while probably kids, still unsettling) and the road noise, hopefully the fence will deflect some of it.
Do I resubmit a smaller fence request, knowing they will deny it and then go from there? Can I get a lawyer to submit a request and hopefully, the idea of getting in another lawsuit will be enough to get it done? Do I just wait for the fat fucks to have heart attacks and resent them every day until then?
if you want it done the best and fastest way, lawyer up... they will know how to deal with these things and know the exact things to say when something like 'interfere with the architectual landscaping' is thrown around... and don't resubmit a proposal of your compromise... always fight for maximum and then settle at your compromise... if you cut the fence shorter to 9', you may have to settle at 5'...
i just had to deal with a 2" setback on my existing structure... yes the town would not budge for less than 2" (1.96" to be exact)... and now i have a stupid looking step back on my second floor addition...
also in regards to the most extreme option of moving, do you and the mrs feel like the HOA is going to be a constant pain in your backside? or is this the frustrating talking? what else does the HOA provide for you? Do you have amenities that you use for the community that aren't available elsewhere? or is it just a governing board that sits around and collects fees from all the neighbors every month. if you see that you purely get no benefit out of the HOA and you guys aren't fully settled in yet, i would consider moving... you can't always make money on a house (i took a bath on my first house) but it's the expensive lesson learned... i just chalked it up to a REALLY bad night in Vegas and move on...
Thanks Kam and very good points. Sorry you had to deal with 2", that's insane.
HOA fee is pretty inexpensive at $225 a month. We get our front yard cut and watered and they maintain the street and small landscaping in the center; no real benefits or amenities. I used to like HOAs because I thought they kept the community looking good but ours does a half assed job and while I thought others were crazy saying they just want to torture you, I'm starting to see that might not be all wrong.
Can you / does it make sense to continue to rally the neighbors and oust the HOA and/or certain members? They work for or represent you (the home owners) and if they aren't doing a good job, then it's time for a change, no?
if you want it done the best and fastest way, lawyer up... they will know how to deal with these things and know the exact things to say when something like 'interfere with the architectual landscaping' is thrown around... and don't resubmit a proposal of your compromise... always fight for maximum and then settle at your compromise... if you cut the fence shorter to 9', you may have to settle at 5'...
i just had to deal with a 2" setback on my existing structure... yes the town would not budge for less than 2" (1.96" to be exact)... and now i have a stupid looking step back on my second floor addition...
also in regards to the most extreme option of moving, do you and the mrs feel like the HOA is going to be a constant pain in your backside? or is this the frustrating talking? what else does the HOA provide for you? Do you have amenities that you use for the community that aren't available elsewhere? or is it just a governing board that sits around and collects fees from all the neighbors every month. if you see that you purely get no benefit out of the HOA and you guys aren't fully settled in yet, i would consider moving... you can't always make money on a house (i took a bath on my first house) but it's the expensive lesson learned... i just chalked it up to a REALLY bad night in Vegas and move on...
yes that was an option... but i wasn't about to waste time and money over the 2"... whilst the town engineer agreed that i shouldn't have a problem presenting my case in front of the board of adjustments, i was trying to get the project underway... at the end of the day, i'll find a way to blend it so it isn't as noticeable...
yes that was an option... but i wasn't about to waste time and money over the 2"... whilst the town engineer agreed that i shouldn't have a problem presenting my case in front of the board of adjustments, i was trying to get the project underway... at the end of the day, i'll find a way to blend it so it isn't as noticeable...
Your anger is misplaced is all. The town is subject to the laws. Your neighbors could file a lawsuit against the town if they didn't reject your non-conformance.
you are correct... but it's like getting pulled over for 2 mph over the speed limit... i'd think there should be some sort of exception process that is for the smaller case items.... i shouldn't have to jump through the same hoops as someone trying to get a variance for a 20'... 2" on a 40' setback is less than .5% of a deviation...
I've been through the process... it wasn't a big deal at all. The town gave me a form letter about the meeting to send out to a list of neighbors they had also provided (half of which were returned-to-sender). Then the meeting came. None of the neighbors showed up. I explained what I wanted to do for the record, and they approved it.
My situation came about because I have 5' - 8' setbacks existing, and the town has since revised the by-laws to like 15 or 20'. I put a second story on my house as well.
Can you / does it make sense to continue to rally the neighbors and oust the HOA and/or certain members? They work for or represent you (the home owners) and if they aren't doing a good job, then it's time for a change, no?
This.
Same issue in our neighborhood with the old farts who've lived there for 30 years and the new, younger people moving in. It's still a gongshow but the HOA board fully turned over last year to some of the younger people and things have been getting better ever since. My wife is on the board now and some of the crap they deal with is completely asinine.
Thanks man and believe it or not, $225 is CHEAP, we were looking at close to $1k a month in some gated communities and similar in condos; insane.
From talking to another AZ member, I've learned they deal with insane things but these guys are literally running younger people out while saying they want us. My direct neighbor is SO pissed at him and they were good friends and she is no spring chicken. She's texting me this morning on ways to get him out of the HOA because she thinks it's ridiculous so that's a plus. I spoke with the other young couple and they said they are more than happy to support my wife and I but they want to lay low for another year and sell, to get away from the HOA. They bought a home that needed a lot of work and have done a great job on the exterior but need to finish the interior before selling. He got into it with the board, screaming, cursing, etc a bit ago but admits, they can make his life hell so he is quiet and won't let his kids play with the other young couples anymore.
Just learned another neighbor in his 50's, who lives directly next to the president told him to fuck off and never step foot on his property or he'd be shot
Freaking drama. Have rules, enforce them equally and no problems but when you make them up as you go and selectively enforce, you get problems. On the plus side, I'm learning I have a lot of support in changing the board but no one wants to step up with me.
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
This.
Same issue in our neighborhood with the old farts who've lived there for 30 years and the new, younger people moving in. It's still a gongshow but the HOA board fully turned over last year to some of the younger people and things have been getting better ever since. My wife is on the board now and some of the crap they deal with is completely asinine.
^ Drum up support, seems like you'll get plenty of it no problem. HOAs will usually run elections yearly for board positions. If you drum up enough support to overturn the whole thing, it looks like the overall value of the neighborhood will increase too.
$1k/mo in HOA fees is insanity. I'm again glad I live where I do.
Hate to hear horror stories like these, I will never live in a place that has a HOA if I can avoid it. GF is in the process of listing her townhouse to move in with me, her HOA is a joke, and her monthly fees are insane! Definitely ridiculous how these HOA's F with people
I agree. I refuse to live in a place that has an HOA. Good luck I hope you oust the current president.
What I have now is the closest I would get to one. We live on a private drives so we pay $150 a year which accounts for storm water fee and a collection for future repairs to the neighborhood sign and to eventually repave the street one day when it needs it.
I happen to be the President of the HOA. This guy is an extreme asshole. But he just can't slam the book on this no, like he's a fucking Haitian Dictator. He has to give real cause (and just that no one else has wanted to do this) it has to be in the bylaws as to exactly why they have denied it.
It's pretty easy to get the guy off the board, majority homeowners vote him out.
Hey @jupitersolo, yes, he is indeed. My first thought was anger so to prevent myself from seeing him this weekend and saying something dumb, we went out of town but I can feel my heart race every time I come home. The CCR's are pretty poor quality but you can see our house is on the right hand side end 5991, I just can't figure out what the dots are, community property? Right now, our fence ends at the back of our house/non dotted area. I know there is a 10 foot utility easement, which all five companies said we could use but we were told even the non easement wasn't ours, despite our survey saying it is. 5987 has her fence well into the utility easement and while our president is saying that was originally planned like that, permits show it was done in 1997.
The lawyer told my buddy in here that everyone has been granted a variance and they would not grant mine. While I don't like that, at least that seems to be a logical explantation. The down side, it seems like I can't really fight that, can I? If those dots are community property, do they at least have to maintain it? Another reason for the fence was a giant bush that grows wildly, letting rats climb on our roof and then into our house. I have maintained it every other week but it is ugly and covered in poison something (my arms, legs, face, etc have been covered in it so I hate the bush). I would love to cut it down but then we have zero privacy for our bedroom windows it covers.
If they have let others extend their fences, can't see what problem is. You will have to look at your land plat, to see what is your property and what is the common area. You should be able to build a fence completely on your property. The bush, if on common ground, it's the HOA to maintain it. If if is poison vine, reason to be remove and have them place another similar.
I think it's by the G spot but then again, I really don't know where that is. I usually park in the center of the community and wonder from door to door until I get some positive vibes and I hope for the best.
06-23-2017, 07:08 AM
you are correct... but it's like getting pulled over for 2 mph over the speed limit... i'd think there should be some sort of exception process that is for the smaller case items.... i shouldn't have to jump through the same hoops as someone trying to get a variance for a 20'... 2" on a 40' setback is less than .5% of a deviation...
