I love my HOA! Doesn’t everyone?

I have to be honest with you. I’m a bit of a control freak. And I don’t exactly like to be told what to do. Ever. So why in the heck would someone like me not only love my Homeowners Association, but specifically choose a neighborhood that had a strong association that actually enforced rules?

One huge reason - Because I lived in one that didn’t.

My first house was on the cutest little cul-de-sac with the most wonderful neighbors. We all painted our houses, kept the yards neat and helped each other in times of need. As the years passed, some of our neighbors moved, new ones moved in. Some of the houses became rentals, and while we still liked our house, (and the neighbors) we never quite had that same feeling again. Eventually houses that were rentals began to get a little run down – some due to landlord neglect, some renter neglect.

By the time we decided to sell our home due to our expanding family, we took a hard look around and realized that while our house still had pretty good curbside appeal, our cul-de-sac didn’t. There were houses half painted, one house with a pretty good back yard hoard visible from the street, and finally, the house with 8 cars parked out front that had cats living in one of them. Literally. Cats, coming and going out of the torn top of a convertible.

I discovered that as long as someone keeps cars licensed and tagged, there’s nothing that can be done about the fact that they keep multiplying, never move and have animals living in them. Every person who looked at our house commented on “the house with all the old cars and cats,” or “the guy with all the stuff in his yard.” It usually came after they said “We love this house but….”

We finally sold our home, and while I don’t have any proof, I know that the condition of the houses on our block definitely cost us some money on the sale price. That’s when I decided that as long as I lived in a neighborhood, I would always choose one with a strong HOA.

The fact is, when you live that close to other people you just can’t always count on their “taste” or “judgment” or willingness to keep their home in good shape. And, like it or not, it’s not only a visual issue, it can be a financial issue for you personally when your neighbor lets their home fall into disrepair.

So each quarter, I happily pay my HOA dues, and know that it means I don’t have a car full of cats up the street, and that sometimes I’m the one getting the reminder that it’s time to power wash!