You’re right, I am associating HOAs to condos when many new communities of any sort have them (everything has to get more expensive, one way or another). And by the way, I do support rules that help keep up the appearance of the neighborhood to protect investment and quality of life. I don’t know where one draws the line on what should and shouldn’t be, but I do think streets should not be used as salvage yards. This does entail some HOA oversight, but that can be done without dues.
I am also biased towards buying a property that needs renovation. Buying upgrades upfront, as discussed earlier in another thread, involves paying more than doing the work yourself and going with someone else’s taste. A better financing plan is to do this on a home equity loan, but of course that depends on having equity to start with.
