Here’s an email that came in today, apparently in response to this entry about the fun I’ve had with my HOA work, followed by my response. Was I too polite? Anyway, I quote verbatim, bad spelling, grammar and such intact, but will leave him nameless:
Why do you defend HOA’s? Oh thats right you are the pres of one. home come only board memebers love HOA’s and noone else does? HOA’s violate the Consitution and our American freedoms. They sicken me, defend them if you want after all your part of the problem but that will not change the fact that what you are doing to your fellow homeowners is busy body evil work. Do you pay their mortgage? NO, so why get in other peoples business then? We live in the USA, a great country. HOA’s are trying to take our freedoms away. Fine you might say then don’t buy a home in one. Almost all new homes come with a HOA so where is our freedom of choice? Oh and taking homes away from 70 year old homeowners, WOW don’t you feel good about that one! And HOA’s are in bed with laywers, you keep such good company. I thought Microsoft was evil but HOA’s take the cake!
——- end of his email
G,
I’m curious, you claim HOAs are unconstitutional but as far as I know there is no court decision ever handed down that makes this so–can you give me the citation? We have only five board members and 23 other owners, so obviously the non-board member owners could outvote or replace us if they had any interest in doing so. Yet in the three years or so I’ve been on the board, the other owners have not even attempted to overturn one decision or oust one board member.
You also say that these days almost every home is in an HOA so that homebuyers choice is an illusion. But in my neighborhood, not counting rentals, the single family homes by my informal count outnumber HOA units, so excuse me if I disagree.
Personally my reason for living in an HOA, other than financial considerations, is it makes my life easier. I have a management company that handles a lot of chores that my parents had to take care of for themselves.
And as for the homeowner in the story you read, that person bought into this development well over 20 years ago, when HOAs were far less common than they are today and certainly had plenty of SFHs to choose from if that’s what that person really wanted. If this place was considered truly as bad as you claim by the people who own the homes, there is even a process in the bylaws to dissolve the association but not even that person has suggested we start to dissolve.
Finally, when you pay MY mortgage, you are welcome to some small say in my living arrangements. Until then, get your own blog and post your opinions there. There are plenty of sites that will give you the software/service and hosting at no charge, I used to work for one of them–isn’t America great?
Regards,
Bill
BillSaysThis 