On Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:31:28 -0400, "cshenk" > wrote:

>"Omelet" wrote
>> Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
>
>>> And I have never seen an HOA board that didn't include the *most* anal
>>> retentive morons in the development. I'd use the term "Nazi," but the
>>> first one to toss that perjorative out...
>
>> Point and score!!!
>> THIS kind of thing is why I hate HOA's!
>
>But the real point is that they vary. Sure, thousands of horror stories
>like Terry had, but many have a happy relationship with simple basics in the
>HOA. It's when they get overtly restrictive that they are bad. (I can't
>imagine one telling me what color I can paint my house!)
>
>There are plenty of HOA's out in the county areas that just help get basic
>gardening to communal areas (not covered by any other, owned by no home
>owner). Some just require if you have excess cars, you park them mostly on
>your own grass so you don't impede others driving on the road or a firetruck
>getting past them. (One we lived in required #of cars not exceed # of
>drivers except by 1 and no more than 3 feet of the car could be in the
>street which I thought reasonable).
>
>I had a great laugh over another friend's predicament with an HOA. They
>required wood fences (no specified height). He put up a steel chain link
>that was 8ft tall, with another 2ft underground then properly covered it
>with a very nice 8ft wood fence on the outside. HOA erupted. Holds a
>meeting. He attends. Quietly, at his side are his 2 HUGE Great Danes. He
>parked them with a firm 'stay' right up at the front and they just sorta
>sprawl as small as they can, quiet and well behaved but BIG. Along comes
>time to mention the fence issue, he just asked if anyone had a problem that
>he had one a little higher as lower might not be that smart and his dogs
>were known to eat wood fences? LOL! He told me silence reigned and they
>moved on to another subject.
>
>So, HOA's can be reasonable. It's all about what that one is looking for.

Finally a sensible post. Many work just fine. It's just like a city
or town.

Lou