Annual HOA meeting

[gopack]

Wow, for a minute there I thought you lived in my neighborhood until the child abduction part! Our neighborhood Facebook page is a great source of entertainment. The dog poop drama never ends! However I will never live in a neighborhood without an HOA again. Our old neighborhood did not have one and it only takes one or two people to ruin things for everyone. When we left the people down the street had chickens in their backyard. No thanks, give me an HOA any day over that.

 

[HerRoyalHighness]

They are not horrible. They CAN be, but that's anything.

The little one we have now mainly deals with collecting dues (~$50 per year) that covers costs of the neighborhood street lighting and mowing/landscaping of the entry. Very few restrictions as it was started late 70s. I think it's mainly dont park on the street. Our former neighborhood had one and it had more restrictions like materials that can be used, no habitual on street parking, dont store your garbage cans at the front of the house when it's not garbage day, mow your grass, no active businesses where you have people coming and going. Parking was the one that people were nagged the most about, and I agree they should have been. They would have room for several more cars in their driveway but they didnt want to have to move their cars around if someone needed to leave. It makes it difficult for the other residents and delivery trucks. The guy across from us on the cul de sac caused the snow trucks to not come down and we had icy streets for a week . Heard a few people give him their opinion.

 

[kdonnel]

The dog poop drama never ends!

There are the core group of people who post pictures of the poop, and the core group of people disgusted by the pictures. Neither side will ever see the other sides point.

 

[kdonnel]

Video surveillance can help identify cars that get involved in crashes or persons stealing delivered packabges.

As was pointed out during the meeting, there are at-least 200 video door bells in our neighborhood currently and 50 or so homes with perimeter cameras. Not ONCE in the past three years has the footage been used to identify, catch, and prosecute a porch pirate.

I believe video surveillance can be a deterrent but I also believe in this MEME.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

As was pointed out during the meeting, there are at-least 200 video door bells in our neighborhood currently and 50 or so homes with perimeter cameras. Not ONCE in the past three years has the footage been used to identify, catch, and prosecute a porch pirate.

I believe video surveillance can be a deterrent but I also believe in this MEME.

View attachment 464254

Ring is one of the main ones used around here. Several police departments, including my city, have connected with it. People share their videos too on social networking sites.

It's been quite successful though with lots of vehicles identified and people identified. Maybe it's just different areas

 

[smiths02]

Wow, for a minute there I thought you lived in my neighborhood until the child abduction part! Our neighborhood Facebook page is a great source of entertainment. The dog poop drama never ends! However I will never live in a neighborhood without an HOA again. Our old neighborhood did not have one and it only takes one or two people to ruin things for everyone. When we left the people down the street had chickens in their backyard. No thanks, give me an HOA any day over that.

We don't plan to live in a neighborhood or HOA. Problem solved. DH wants chickens lol
Unlike my in-laws, we will live in a place that has some basic city/county ordinances, though.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I think we technically have an HOA - solely for the purpose of paying the taxes on the common land.

But it's not active, and frankly, they have trouble getting anyone to be "president/treasurer"... because nobody wants to chase down the people who don't want to pay their share.

The neighborhood Facebook page is bad enough (and good enough entertainment).

I'm not even sure if we have one of these?

 

[sam_gordon]

I went to ours Wednesday night. Our drama revolves around our clubhouse. They used to allow residents to rent it out for parties, etc. Unfortunately, several times, the people attending the parties trashed the place. They lost their $250 deposit, but the damage amounted to way more that $250. The HOA has tried to collect for the additional damage, but the litigation is ongoing. So, awhile back, the board decided not to allow residents to rent the club house. Understandable, but we pay for the maintenance of that clubhouse.

There seems to be a couple easy solutions that would solve this...
* Up the deposit for renting the club house ($500)
* Put in the rental agreement that the person renting is responsible for ALL repairs generated by the damage caused during the rental. There's plenty of precedent and a lawyer could probably write something up that would be binding fairly cheaply.

I know @cvjw above mentioned good home values because homes are maintained. However, people suing neighbors over facebook "slander" and people brandishing guns doesn't do well for home values in a smaller community because word gets out.

Homeowners suing each other and brandishing guns A) is not isolated to HOA neighborhoods and B) is not automatic in an HOA neighborhood any more than homes going into disrepair is automatic in a non-HOA neighborhood.

Anyhow, we only go to the board meetings to vote (hopefully to vote some of the crazy out). I don't want to speak at a meeting for fear of getting targeted. Even though there is a third party running the HOA technically, neighbors can still report neighbors (Nearly everyone gets "violation" letters at some point or another for really minor issues, but some people get targeted. For example, retaining walls need to be replaced that were originally railroad ties but the homeowner replaces with a much more expensive and nicer looking stone, but then this homeowner gets hit with daily fines because it was not "approved" by a committee.)

And I'm guessing that home owner never even asked the committee for approval. If they would have, the committee probably would have signed off on it and the homeowner could put their "more expensive and nicer looking stone" in. But by allowing them to slide after the fact, the HOA sets a precedent. Then the next homeowner changes something on the exterior, possibly with inferior products and when challenged, ask why they had to get committee approval but the "Joneses" didn't.

I don't think it's that hard that if you live in an HOA (where you agreed to abide by the laws), before you make some change to the exterior of your property, that you at least look at the bylaws and see if you need to notify/consult/get approval from the HOA before doing anything. "I didn't know" isn't a valid excuse IMO.

A number of years ago, a family, living in an HOA, decided to get a playhouse for their autistic son. So they order it and have it delivered, but for some reason, they couldn't get it to their backyard. So they decide to leave it on their driveway. Enter the HOA, who points to the bylaws which say all playsets need to be in the backyard. Big fight ensues in the courts and in the media, and of course the family plays it off as "big, mean HOA won't let our autistic son have his playhouse". But what they won't admit is they never talked to the HOA ahead of time to see if something can be worked out. They just felt the rules didn't apply to them.

Can HOAs (ok, the people who run the HOA) overstep and and take things too far? Of course. But most HOAs have some kind of election process. Feel free to run for the board or nominate someone else for the board. You do get a say on how things work.

 

[bellebud]

Not at an HOA meeting (I haven't attended), but on Facebook and Next-door, people in my area have complained about Disney fireworks. We live adjacent to Disney. How can you move here and then complain about it?? Baffles me.

 

[barkley]

DH wants chickens lol

what is it with people wanting chickens?????????????? pretty much every one of our neighbors (rural living) moved in and the first thing was 'we want chickens'-then the same cycle begins-

money expended on chicken housing,
money monthly on chicken feed,
joy and rapture over the first few dozen fresh eggs,
realization they can't consume all those eggs regularly produced so they try to sell them-no one wants to buy them,
gifting of eggs to friends, family, co-workers, neighbors...
friends, family, co-workers, neighbors say 'no more eggs please',
friends, family, co-workers, neighbors actively avoid you b/c you are always trying to pawn off eggs,
calls to food pantries find they won't take the eggs,
disposal of eggs on a regular basis,
cleaning of chicken droppings becomes tedious,
you want to go on vacation but there are no chicken pet sitters and you've complained enough about the dropping cleanup that no one is volunteering to help out,
weather turns cold and you find out chickens need warmth so more money spent to upgrade chicken housing,
chickens attract predators so you get to deal with dogs, raccoons, coyotes...
chickens get frightened by a close call with a predator and get ptsd so they can no longer lay eggs,

you are stuck with rattled, barren chickens (sorry, there are no animal shelters or sanctuaries looking to take in chickens).



i kid you not-we have neighbors whose chickens got ptsd and nervously clucked 24/7, and they were stuck with them......for years (they live on average 7-8 years).

 

[J'aime Paris]

what is it with people wanting chickens?????????????? pretty much every one of our neighbors (rural living) moved in and the first thing was 'we want chickens'-then the same cycle begins-

money expended on chicken housing,
money monthly on chicken feed,
joy and rapture over the first few dozen fresh eggs,
realization they can't consume all those eggs regularly produced so they try to sell them-no one wants to buy them,
gifting of eggs to friends, family, co-workers, neighbors...
friends, family, co-workers, neighbors say 'no more eggs please',
friends, family, co-workers, neighbors actively avoid you b/c you are always trying to pawn off eggs,
calls to food pantries find they won't take the eggs,
disposal of eggs on a regular basis,
cleaning of chicken droppings becomes tedious,
you want to go on vacation but there are no chicken pet sitters and you've complained enough about the dropping cleanup that no one is volunteering to help out,
weather turns cold and you find out chickens need warmth so more money spent to upgrade chicken housing,
chickens attract predators so you get to deal with dogs, raccoons, coyotes...
chickens get frightened by a close call with a predator and get ptsd so they can no longer lay eggs,

you are stuck with rattled, barren chickens (sorry, there are no animal shelters or sanctuaries looking to take in chickens).



i kid you not-we have neighbors whose chickens got ptsd and nervously clucked 24/7, and they were stuck with them......for years (they live on average 7-8 years).

And this is why I love our HOA!!!!
New neighbors coming into our small subdivision wanted chickens free range in their yard. Our yards are only 1-2 acres in size. Chickens do not understand property lines...and many homeowners have dogs.
Thankfully the HOA put a stop to that nonsense!!

 

[SteveH]

I was part of the founding of our HOA, on the board for several years. Then stepped off. Over this years I've been a bit of the PITA to the HOA board when they don't follow the rules that are established. For the most part we have a very relaxed HOA, that has low does and does a pretty good job.

My first run in was during the annual meeting with they failed to follow the advance notice rule, which requires 30 days notice to be done via USPS, not hand delivered. They were trying to change some rules and increase dues. I showed up with the By-Laws & CCRs when they announced the vote in favor of increasing dues to dropped the bombshell, really PO'd the President who was a lawyer. She argued with me for 10 minutes before finally admitting they were wrong, on several issues. No dues increase

Last year the HOA tried to rush through developing a reserve fund, which I'm not totally opposed to, but they were trying to tell everyone it was a State Law, the law only required a study to be done not an actual established pool of money. The meeting was really funny, the HOA board was totally overwhelmed by the standing room only crowd. Imagine that you want to tax people $1000 with no adequate plan. That went down in flames. I volunteered to be part of the group to redraft a new proposal. We did, and the board promptly ignored our recommendation.

This years HOA meeting they didn't reach their quorum, that's what happens when you have a meeting Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Then on Nextdoor I read they are "shopping " for more votes. Again, out come my By-Laws which are very clear about how to proceed when you don't reach a quorum. They were very upset at home owners that didn't even bother to vote, I tried to educate them on the power of how by not voting we were able to impact their plans, but they still don't get it.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

We have been in 2 different HOAs now. Both times I have ended up involved with the board (board member in one, committee member in the other) and in exchange for a few hours of work a year I got to influence things in the neighborhood for the better. I'm a "live and let live" type person though so my definition of better is very few violations going out and keeping stricter rules from getting put in place unless absolutely necessary.

One guy wanted to petition the HOA to pay for speed bumps throughout the massive development. He was thwarted by the fact that the streets are maintained by the city. In order to get the city to install speed bumps, he needs everybody's approval. He was mad that not everyone wanted to sign his petition. He also yelled at everyone about how fast he thinks we all drive every morning at 6:00 am because, gosh darn it, he's out walking at that hour and he KNOWS who you all are!

Someone proposed speed bumps at one of our meetings. A group of people (including myself) said that if they installed them, we would personally remove them.

The annual meeting is 90% about reviewing the budget, how the community did money wise the past year and how the budget is to be adjusted for the next year. It is the one meeting that always goes down to the nitty gritty.

The monthly meetings are about hearing from homeowners with immediate issues. I know that in 2018 when I went to the October monthly meeting I was the first homeowner to show up for a monthly meeting that year. I wanted a tree cut down that was on common property and figured I could present my case better in person then via email. The board mentioned that they have gone as long as 27 months between homeowners coming to a monthly meeting.

Monthly meetings seems excessive in a day and age when we have email. Our former HOA had quarterly meetings and our current one (much smaller scope) has an annual meeting.

And I'm guessing that home owner never even asked the committee for approval. If they would have, the committee probably would have signed off on it and the homeowner could put their "more expensive and nicer looking stone" in. But by allowing them to slide after the fact, the HOA sets a precedent. Then the next homeowner changes something on the exterior, possibly with inferior products and when challenged, ask why they had to get committee approval but the "Joneses" didn't.

I don't think it's that hard that if you live in an HOA (where you agreed to abide by the laws), before you make some change to the exterior of your property, that you at least look at the bylaws and see if you need to notify/consult/get approval from the HOA before doing anything. "I didn't know" isn't a valid excuse IMO.

From my experience the same people that can't manage to follow the rules regarding approvals generally install crap materials in a poor manner... so the HOA almost always requires them to be removed. It might be "nicer stone" but if it's installed in a way that it'll fall down in 2 years, it's gotta go.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Someone proposed speed bumps at one of our meetings. A group of people (including myself) said that if they installed them, we would personally remove them.

Speed bumps have been proposed by several people in our area too and the unfortunate thing is most of the violators don't live in our neighborhood. They just use the main road, split off into a artery, but still highly traveled road, to cut across and get to other neighborhood.

What we were able to do is from time to time the City installs electronic speed signs that tell you your speed, mostly by the elementary school right near where other neighborhoods feed into ours, in hopes of it being a slight deterrence.

Speed bumps do exist in other neighborhoods though they are always a City project, funded, paid for and maintained by the City (there aren't too many gated communities to my knowledge in my area). Most people don't want them due to the hassle but also it sucks when it comes to snow removal since the plows can damage them without realizing it.

 

[China Expat]

Our community common fences are over 30 years old, wooden, and falling apart. Out of 1300 homes, only 25 have voted to replace the fences. They are in fear their $29 dues will go up. The HOA made it clear that will not happen. So, we enjoy lowered property values and ugly, visible fencing. People want Ritz Carlton amenities at Walmart prices.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Our community common fences are over 30 years old, wooden, and falling apart. Out of 1300 homes, only 25 have voted to replace the fences. They are in fear their $29 dues will go up. The HOA made it clear that will not happen. So, we enjoy lowered property values and ugly, visible fencing. People want Ritz Carlton amenities at Walmart prices.

Why do you have to vote to keep up the fences? Isn't that what the HOA was founded to do?

 

[Christine]

Why do you have to vote to keep up the fences? Isn't that what the HOA was founded to do?

Agree on this. It doesn't seem that this would need to be put to a vote.

 

[China Expat]

It

Agree on this. It doesn't seem that this would need to be put to a vote.

It is a vote. Not sure why.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It is a vote. Not sure why.

Is the vote specifically for the common property fences or for the increase in dues?

 

[EMom]

We are also in the Atlanta area and lived in our first neighborhood without an HOA. Things turned ugly quickly with boats, log trucks, terrible paint colors, owners not taking care of their yards, etc.

We moved to an adjacent neighborhood with an HOA almost 20 years ago, and have no complaints. Yes, there can be drama, but it is much better than letting the neighborhood get rundown because there aren’t any rules in place to stop it. We use a company to run the HOA with local neighbors as board members. Has worked out pretty good so far and our neighborhood still looks great with the homes selling like hot cakes when someone needs to move.

I would never live anywhere without an HOA. I’ve seen what happens without one. I like keeping our property values up.