If only workers’ unions were so widespread and powerful as HOAs…
I want to talk to your manager… about workers' rights!
HOAs just like unions and governments are as good as the people that involve themselves in them and the less people represented in the democracy the more power you have in it so if you're not happy then get involved.
In my experience the people that “involve” themselves are raging clowns with superiority complexes.
And they have control because they don't have opposition from people who aren't like them… Welcome to politics, it's the same thing at all levels. Get involved or shut up. You don't vote? Then you agree with whatever the people who do decided.
Or just don't agree, and get a house that's not part of an HOA. With individual houses at least, you can realistically out out a system where the 51% of Karens accept management company bribes.
Wrong. Most areas with an HOA require membership to purchase the home.
Oh, look at that, most good areas have HOAs.
You didn't understand what they said… You're free to purchase a house somewhere where there's no HOA if you disagree with HOAs and don't want to get involved in them. That's how you have the freedom to opt out.
I understand their point, it's just a bad one. So much of where we live depends on job, educational, financial, and familial circumstances that it's just outright ludicrous to pretend HOAs are the only factor to consider for a home purchase. Or even an important one.
Especially when so much of what makes them frustrating to deal with is created by bad HOA members, not even necessarily the contract itself. You will not know it's a problem until it becomes one, in all likelihood.
Yes, you are technically free to not buy into a HOA neighborhood, like you're also free to deliberately send your kid to a shitty school as you live in a van.
Three quarters of US citizens live somewhere without an HOA, doesn't seem so hard not to have to deal with one and if you do, as I already mentioned, just get involved and improve things and if that doesn't fix it then get involved at a higher level. HOAs are a US issue only, get them regulated.
In the US these homes are increasingly rare. Pretty much any neighborhood built since the 70s comes with HOA bullshit attached
74% of the housing market doesn't have an HOA in the USA, worst case put pressure on the higher level of government to get them regulated, it's a US issue, you don't see that anywhere else.
Exactly. You don't hear about good HOAs because the people who live in them have no reason to discuss it.
True in theory, and while I realize that this is purely anecdotal, in my experience as a contractor, HOAs are invariably a giant pain in the ass to deal with.
What you want as a contractor is a professional property management company that's used to dealing with construction contractors and is familiar with industry standards and basic reality.
Fortunately I don't work in residential construction anymore.
I kinda agree with you. In theory, they definitely are. But at the same time, in practice, the already bad reputation of HOAs seems to attract the worst kind of people. It's a political position and suffers just like any other political position. The kinds of people who'd be best at it often don't want to do it because it's toxic.
That reminds me, I used to think getting that haircut would make me look all cool and badass.
I really don't know what I was thinking.
We don't have them in Australia that I'm aware of, but they do sound atrocious. What happened to that land of the free?
They're basically just groups that are supposed to help prevent one person tanking everyone's property value by letting their home go to shit.
The problem is that typically the only people who get involved in them are retired busy bodies who want to assert what little power they have. Good ones too exist, though.
We have these things called laws which do that
If a law isn't enforced, then it's not illegal. Most cities don't have the budget to hire enough people to enforce the municipal code, which is where HOAs step in.
…groups that are supposed to help prevent one person tanking everyone’s property value by…
By being black. Or otherwise a minority.
We do have them in the Czech Republic but only in blocks of flats, not neighborhoods.
Turns out the rights of private property supersede the quaint concept of "freedom".
They are far from ubiquitous here. You'll typically find HOAs in new housing developments.
Most (single family) homes in the US leave the owner beholden only to governments. Some places are "unincorporated" and don't even have a municipal government at all.
HOAs exist to serve a specific subset of the population who want to own a single family home but lack the ability or willingness to do major maintenance.
My best friend just bought an HOA home against my advice, but he's terrified of doing anything with tools despite my offers to teach him. Of the dozen or so friends and family members I know who bought a home in the past decade he is the only one who was not actively repulsed by the idea of buying a home with an HOA.
I own a home in an unincorporated area that also has an HOA, but ours is only for 3 things:
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Yearly fire inspections (California)
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Negotiating with the local trash company for service cost
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Negotiating with the local propane company for lower cost
My super anti-government neighbors are still working to dissolve it, but it doesn't even have any rules that aren't "see county laws and fire code", they just don't like the $50/year fee
I'm aware my experience isn't the norm, though
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What? This is completely wrong. HOAs do not maintain your home for you, that’s wild that you think that’s the reason for HOAs. I live in an HOA and they don’t do anything besides make sure everyone’s house is presentable (like no missing fence pickets) and upkeep the HOA center + pool.
I read somewhere else another suggestion for a name which was brilliant: Klanned Karenhood
I'm not in any way familiar with HOA's but… in my mind they should be filled with at least a proprotion of bored boomers.
Karen's can be boomers, butcan they be male?
Is that Tatiana Maslany?
Or Mumsnet
Are you having a gaggle, mate?
Wow… This isn't a clever shit post, it's just sexist claptrap.
