I lived in a SFR in Leucadia for many years and we had an HOA. Sometimes, certain people who had nothing better to do would run for office and become a pain in the butt when they would get on a power trip but overall, if an HOA is not over-managed, they can be a pretty good thing. I’ve had friends who lived in nice areas but with no HOA and some jackass would inherit enough money to afford a nice home and move out of his trailer park and into their beautiful neighborhood. Within a year the yard has gone to pot, the house is not being kept up and the next thing you know, it would affect property values. Given a choice, I would take an HOA for a SFR over not having one since it simplifies these types of problems. Condo’s are another matter since the rules & regulations are usually overwhelming and the people who typically get elected to run the HOA are power-mongers who let it go to their heads.
