[quote=temeculaguy][quote=xiv014]Why is it that most new construction in San Diego have HOAs?[/quote]
Because society has evolved and has improved. When my grandfather bought his house, people of a certain race, religion or socio-economic status would rarely dare to live somehwere they didn’t fit in. Then the last 30 years happened and now we need HOA’s. I’ve had houses in both, just go with the HOA. Be accepting of everyone, have neighbors who are different from you, make friends with them, but have the assurance that whatever the 1950’s were afraid of, won’t show up next door.
For every hoa horror story you may hear, I can tell you about the giant peeing baby fountain in a neighbors front yard, or the baby blue house, or the raiders sheets as curtains for four years, the year round christmas lights, the 9 cars out front, the corn instead of lawn, the urban chickens, the smell of curry in the air 24 hours a day, the monster trucks, boats and dunebuggies on the lawn, the yard appliances, the perimeter fence at a tract house, the weekly garage sales, the unmowed lawns, the trash cans permanently at the curb, the constant rv storage and I’m sure a few other things that you can avoid for the bargain price of $30-$90 a month (what my various hoa’s have been over the years at different houses). We all live together now, we accept each other, but we gotta have a few basic rules. Just pay it, I’ve found it to be some of the best money I’ve ever spent. When I was young I avoided hoa’s cause I was cheap, now it’s a requirement.
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Another great post TG. I fully agree.
I’ve lived in an HOA, disliked it and bought a new home without an HOA, dosliked that even more and moved back to an HOA.
Yes I have to grit my teeth sometimes at what the HOA does, but you know what? The board members are a great bunch of people who care about their community. And I can tell you without hesitation that the hard work they do – FOR FREE – raises my property value. Driving down my street, the area looks much, much better than the non-HOA area I previously lived – and both areas are about the same age.
If you like independence, eclectic styles, variety, and neighbors with year-round Christmas decorations then avoid an HOA.
If you’d prefer uniform appearance, high degree of upkeep, pride in neighborhood appearance, and a group of your peers driving by your home with a checklist then choose an HOA.
We each have our preference, choose the one that’s right for you.
