msindy
Posts:13
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| 07/20/2008 6:23 AM |
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Who the heck runs these HOA's?? People can barely make their REAL payment and then you have bogus HOAs charging ridiculous monthly fees-for what? To prune a few plants and mow a little grass? And I'm talking in single family home neighborhoods--not attached condos/townhouses.
DO they really provide any real service?????
In my opinion, the HOAs need to be investigated or challenged--they're part of the reason housing is not affordable. |
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jpinpb
Posts:1480
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| 07/20/2008 6:34 AM |
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| IMO HOAs are evil. Cost too much. Rules are militaristic. AND I just heard the other day about a complex in LJ which had some construction defects and it was suggested the developers bribed the board members to not sue. Every time I turn around there are more reasons to avoid them. |
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gus2008
Posts:6
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| 07/20/2008 7:02 AM |
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We have been looking for a house for months now. No matter how perfect the location, the house etc, we will not buy the house with HOA. I don't mind mello roos but no HOA. I like to have the house so I can do whatever I want with it (in good taste of course). I don't want HOA tell me that I only can have certain flowers, plants, curtain etc..
I want to hear some opinions from HOA board members. I am sure there some on this board.
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jpinpb
Posts:1480
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| 07/20/2008 7:10 AM |
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I remember hearing about a lawsuit over a palm tree. A homeowner planted one in the front of his house and kept getting notices to remove it b/c it didn't match the landscaping of the complex. He kept getting fined for not removing it. Finally the board paid a nursery to remove it and the homeowner came home to find it gone w/a bill. Actually went to court!
No thanks. If you want to live in the U.S. - land of the free - and have to abide by endless rules, then find a nice complex w/HOAs. |
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BigTrace
Posts:195
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| 07/20/2008 7:22 AM |
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I've never had a good HOA experience which is why I got out of my last one. If you're buying condo's, there's almost no way around them. With SFR, you can choose where to live so it does make a difference when you decide to purchase. That being said, HOA's do provide some advantages if run correctly such as community landscaping, community trash service, limited fire insurance (condo's), maintenance of community gates and the security they provide, upkeep of community roads and amenities such as clubhouses and pools if present. The more that's offered, the higher the price. The one GOOD thing in my book is when they prevent you neighbor from painting his house purple and running the local ecology wrecking year on his front lawn.
Like JP said though, when run wrong, they are evil telling you what you can and can't do in terms of landscaping, how many visitors you can have, how many cars you can own, how many pets you can have. Most HOA's get very militant wanting every home to look "identical" assessing fines when trash cans are left out or if your grass is too high. The good ones are usually the lower priced ones (IMO) because they only pay for the bare necessities as a group and pretty much let you run things the way you want to. The bad ones (like in a golf course community I used to live in), have landscape committees and bunch of consultants on the books.
I think Temecula in general has a 20 or 30 dollar a month assessment (like an HOA) due from every homeowner to maintain the common area landscape,, lighting, sidewalks and parks amongst other things. That would be great, but another $400 to take care of it again on the inside of some gate isn't for me anymore. |
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BigTrace
Posts:195
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| 07/20/2008 7:23 AM |
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| At least mello roos is a write off, HOA fees are not, but either way, I'd hate to be in either one. |
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Jack**
Posts:77
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| 07/20/2008 10:08 AM |
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Wrong! It's nearly impossible to legally deduct M/R assessments.
http://www.ftb.ca.gov/individuals/faq/net/909.shtml
You cannot deduct Mello-Roos taxes if they are assessed to fund local benefits and improvements that tend to increase the value of your property. Mello-Roos taxes may appear on your annual county property tax bill with other deductible property taxes. That does not mean you can deduct the Mello-Roos taxes. You may only be able to deduct a portion of the total property tax shown on your bill.
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andyinsdca
Posts:20
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| 07/20/2008 10:11 AM |
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What's even more fun is when an HOA isn't able to collect enough dues to pay for expenses and has to dip into its reserves. Then, the reserves fall, and it gets harder to sell because banks won't make loans on places in this mess. And, when a unit is foreclosed, the back HOA dues (do you REALLY think that people who are behind on their mortgage care about their dues?) are junior to the mortgage(s), so the HOA can get boned for the back dues.
No thanks. I'll live in a refrigerator box under a railroad track bridge before I deal with another HOA. |
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BigTrace
Posts:195
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| 07/20/2008 10:17 AM |
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| I stand corrected. Jack** is correct, but IMO, they should be. I pay property taxes everyday which goes to fund schools and local improvements. Mello Roos is supposed to do the same thing but it's not deductible?? Makes me think twice about EVER purchasing in a Mello Roos district. |
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78TTop
Posts:88
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| 07/20/2008 10:43 AM |
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I'm no big fan of HOA's but I wish my neighborhood had one. The 'purple house' down the street, the house with 8 cars outside, and the house with the 'antenna & dish farm' wouldn't exist with an HOA. If you buy a house in a neighborhood without an HOA make sure the original developer put some decent CC&R's in place. We have CC&R's but they are minimally restrictive.
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dchestney
Posts:183
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| 07/20/2008 11:01 AM |
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Our HOA (66 unit condo tower) is holding an open meeting this afternoon so owners can learn about three different remodeling plans that a committee developed to update our common areas. The 12-person committee (about 1/5 of our members) spent more than a year consulting with owners and architects/decorators/contractors before developing the three options.
After presentations (with the architect and contractor) by remodeling committee members, the finance committee will explain the possible payment plans, and there will be a straw vote (extending into next week for owners not at the meeting) to advise the HOA Board which remodeling plan and financing option to put to a secret-ballot vote.
This sounds like democracy to me. The nominating committee has to work hard each year to find people willing to serve on the Board. In the six years we have owned here, there has been on year when an unreasonable Board president managed to alienate people and bring progress to almost a halt, but otherwise I have been pleased with how our Board operates. This is the only place we have lived that has an HOA, and I was uncertain what to expect, but our Board has done a good job of resolving minor disputes, arranging for maintenance and repairs, and making improvements. Perhaps most telling--each year virtually any owner willing to run for the Board wouild have been gladly elected to a two-year term and probably re-elected for two more years (we have a four-year term limit).
I don't doubt that many of you have had less favorable experiences, especially if you didn't live in a high-rise. But I can't agree that "HOAs are evil." People can make them work or not work. It all depends. |
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Boondoggler
Posts:25
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| 07/21/2008 4:12 PM |
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I've mostly had good HOA experiences. I like HOAs as they deal with the type of neighbor who would park vehicles on the lawn etc. Sorry if I am different, but I like to see neighborhoods that are well cared for and have some kind of design integrity. I like to see landscaping beyond patches of worn dirt.
I once lived in an historic neighborhood with beautiful row homes, but no HOA. People would paint their half of a shared column green or their run of a shared gutter yellow. My neighbor stuck artifical stone cladding over the lovely red brick facade, totally ruining the look of the street. I moved out. I now feel protected from the design-challenged freaks that used to surround me :-) |
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jpinpb
Posts:1480
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| 07/21/2008 4:20 PM |
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As andyinsdca mentioned, there is the problem w/HOA solvency, discussed on other threads on this blog and Piggs.
If, say, in a small complex w/6 units there are defaults and 3 units are not paying HOA, and say the HOA includes water, you will have to carry the load for the others or risk have water turned off.
This has occurred. I'm optimistic on larger scale condos, like downtown, this would not happen, but you never know. Bank owned don't pay HOAs, either. It can be quite a mess. |
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gus2008
Posts:6
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| 07/21/2008 6:24 PM |
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| I like the neignorhood that are well manicured . I think there are lots of neighborhood with no HOA but have "pretty" homes. I guess I just want to live in the neighborhood where the home owners have great taste and proud of their homes. I know there are neighborhood like that. |
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LoonyQT
Posts:904
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| 07/21/2008 9:07 PM |
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| Ever seen the movie, "Over the Hedge"? The lead human character is the epitome of HOA to me!! lol. |
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jpinpb
Posts:1480
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| 07/23/2008 9:00 PM |
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Ok. True story. Today I find out about a lawsuit filed by the HOA against a homeowner. Reason for the lawsuit? The color of the window frame is not in conformity w/the architectural committee. These people applied to paint their windows in 1999. The homeowners have to select from a shade of brown, and each home has differing shades of browns.
These people ended up painting their window sand tone - not sandstone. Apparently the HOA board did not approve of this subtelty and are insisting the owners repaint to what the HOA is deciding it should be. The owners were willing to repaint, providing all the other homes were in conformity as well. Apparently others have repainted a shade of brown that was acceptable. Anyway, the HOA was not willing to agree to that. Rather, they are now assessing additional homeowners fee to cover the cost of attorneys and the lawsuit. They are suing for breach of CC&R and claiming that the sand tone has a shade of gray, not brown, violating the color code and they just can't get away w/that b/c it is impeding the HOA from performing their function b/c others may violate the CC& R if these people don't repaint their window.
I mean, I just couldn't deal w/that kind of favoritism, targeting of homeowners and micro-controlling - and the waste of time and money. |
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jpinpb
Posts:1480
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| 07/23/2008 9:08 PM |
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| To add, is this reasonable? I mean, it's not like they painted it pink or purple or red or green. It was kinda close, from what I understand. |
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andyinsdca
Posts:20
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| 07/24/2008 10:45 AM |
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Posted By jpinpb on 07/23/2008 9:08 PM
To add, is this reasonable? I mean, it's not like they painted it pink or purple or red or green. It was kinda close, from what I understand.
It's an HOA. You can never assume "reasonable" with an HOA. HOAs are made up of the people who were the ones who tattled on other students in school, were the nannies and whatnot.
Death to HOAs. |
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Brian
Posts:2275
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| 07/24/2008 11:03 AM |
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I would love to see the zoning changed so you could build townhouses to the lot lines without having to devise a condo scheme. We need townhouses like in New York or San Francisco without HOA. That will increase density and reduce traffic congestion.
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jakob
Posts:494
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| 07/24/2008 4:42 PM |
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You guys will love this article about the co-op boards in New York.
"All the money in the world can’t always buy an apartment in Manhattan’s most exclusive buildings—and it’s not just because of soaring real estate prices. The trickiest aspect of gaining access to a top address is winning the approval of the co-op board: A handful of powerful and sometimes petty folks, who spurn celebrities and the nouveau riche, determine whether you’re worthy of living in their midst. “The boards are bourgeois in their thinking and their tastes, and they want to protect themselves,” says broker Alice Mason. Applicants are often required to have $100 million in liquid assets, but “it really comes down to who you know on the board, references from employers and even doormen, a list of clubs you belong to and charities you contribute to,” says Mark Millan with City Realty. “If you have a pet, the pet has to be interviewed.” Some blue-blooded co-ops still require residents to be listed on the New York Social Register."
http://www.nypost.com/pagesixmag/issues/20080713/Powerful+Co+op+Boards+Gatekeepers+Fifth+Avenue |
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