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lawnjocky
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2010 03:53pm
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I hate HOAs and as far as I'm concerned they are worse than useless and full of busy bodies, etc, etc, etc. Therefore I decided to run for our HOA Board just so I could rant at the SOBs everytime they tried to over reach. They are like flies, a fondness for poop and the tendency to buzz around an bother people. The best part of the deal is I got to write a two paragraph statement for the news letter as to why I should be elected. I hope I didn't miss insulting any of the existing Board members or officers in my statement. I painted with a broad brush and my statement made the above sound mild. This could be fun after all.
Jocko
Token Nergro Board Member
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flatwater
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2010 10:37pm
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Gees don't hold back but I agree with you 1000 percent. I told the DW years ago we would never live where we had to deal with them. I'm at this time the prez of one. It consists of me, myself and I, How sweet is that ?
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Jerry
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2010 10:48pm
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What is a HOA Board?
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lawnjocky
Member
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# Posted: 5 Jan 2010 07:35am
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HOAs are Home Owner's Associations. Many properties are subject to covenants that were imposed when a larger property was subdivided into smaller parcels. The covenants contain conditions under which you hold your property. Some of the conditions are imposed by the governmental authority that must approve the subdivision and the remainder are imposed by the developer. The developer has two motivations, to increase value and thus his profit and to retain control as long as possible. This is why reading the covenants before you buy is so important. I like to read them before I look at the land and thus my judgement isn't skewed by falling in love with the land.
Our covenants state that the exterior of structures shall be earth tones. Most of the people who have built understand that to mean the outside walls since those are surfaces that are commonly painted. The HOA Board has decided that it means all exterior surfaces and is jacking a buunch of people arournd because they have noncomplying roof surfaces such as colored steel or galvanized roofing. Under the Board's understanding almost every cabin is out of compliance including my own but they haven't said anything about my place yet. I can't wait until next year's annual meeting. I am going to ask each Board member what color his windows are and since they are not earth toned I am going to complain because they are exterior surfaces and are not earth toned and demant the Board take immediate legal action.
The Board is having attorneys go after owners and spending our dues to do so. The Board also tried to reduce the number of votes to change the covenants without telling anyone the down side of such a move. When I saw what they were doing I stood upto them and asked for their e-mail list so I could circulate a warning about their proposal and they refused. I asked for docummentation as to the need for the change and they refused to supply it. Due to my activism the proposal was defeated but they wo't tell what the election results were. What a bunch of jerks!
If you don't know what an HOA is you are a lucky man.
Jocko
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Jerry
Member
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# Posted: 5 Jan 2010 09:43am
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Jocko,
That sounds terrible! No, I've never dealt with a HOA, but adding layers of governance over and above what I deal with now would put me over the edge. The only governing authority I deal with is county government and they are strict enough for me, although in my case they have been fair. In other rural areas around here, primarily around lakes, the property owners have formed lake associations. As baby boomers with money retire from the big city they want to move out to the lake, but then immediately want to make it similar to what they left; i.e. paved roads, public utilities, etc. Where my property is we only have seven land owners on the road and all have agreed we like it as is, and don't need any association to do things like maintain the road. This year I will lead the effort to collect enough $ from the others to get some needed maintenance done.
Good luck with your HOA. That sounds like one headache I've avoided.
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soundandfury
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# Posted: 5 Jan 2010 08:40pm
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If you hate HOAs so much, why'd you buy into that development?
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lawnjocky
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2010 06:30am
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In the area I was interested in the only land not in town was either several thousand acres or a larger portion that hade been split up. In order to split the land the developers had to get approval from the state and county so both put conditions upon approval thus all available parcels had some restrictions on them. As staed above, I carefully read the covenants before looking at any land. Most I dismissed after a quick read. The area I purchased in had the most owner friendly covenants and yes it had an HOA like all the rest. Because the covenants tied the hands of the HOA in many ways they have tried to change them by misleading the owners. Some people just can't leave there neighbors alone and hve to try to run things. Like in Forest Gump, you can't fix stupid, well in HOAs you can't fix A-holeness, but you can discourage it through simple humiliation.
Jocko
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marsha
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# Posted: 30 Apr 2010 01:47pm
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Have you ever considered a Homeowners Underground? I bet the majority of people in your neighborhood feel the same as you do, but are too discouraged or intimidated to speak up. A small group of us were able to get a homeowner's bill of rights passed, which puts a ceiling on the amount a homowner can be fined, set procedures for informing homeowners of a violation, etc.
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al@cabinbasics. com
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# Posted: 30 Apr 2010 05:20pm
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It's the HOA Tea Party!
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