Much like stereotypes, unfortunately, HOAs exist for a reason.
Much like stereotypes, unfortunately, HOAs exist for a reason.
stuart in mn said:HOA discussions always devolve into people telling other people their choice is wrong, and I've never figured that out.
I don't say anyone is wrong for not wanting to deal with an HOA, I completely understand it. I just don't want to live out in the country where it's a 2+ hour roundtrip to a decent grocery store, for example.
Nor do I blame anyone for WANTING to live in a neighborhood with an HOA. I think most of us are saying, don't move into an HOA neighborhood and not read the rules, then get pissed when they bite you. Or that you aren't allowed to do something even though you knowingly moved into the neighborhood.
Much like loan terms, your insurance policies, your contract with your employer, etc.
In reply to z31maniac :
"2 hour round trip to the grocery". I find that misconception all the time. It actually takes us LESS time (actual time) to get to stores, food, etc. We have Indy 15 minutes away. Brownsburg and Lebanon 10 minutes in opposite directions. When we lived "in town" it took 20 minutes to get to walmart because of lights and traffic. You can live rural without 2 hour commutes. You just travel longer distances at higher speeds.
Its obviously an exaggeration. I don't have an HOA, I can walk to the grocery store in <5 mins. My mom has a mega HOA, but is ~30 minutes from the nearest real grocery store.
In general though, rural areas with less restrictions are also farther from stuff.
In reply to ProDarwin :
Farther in distance doesn't always mean farther in time. There are cases for both. I have been out west where the nearest town is 90 minutes one way. That would apply. But those people are also completely different than what we are discussing here.
I just don't understand why people in general feel the desire to live on top of each other. So many neighborhoods full of mcmansions so close together you could spit over two of them. Then they wonder why bored soccer mom's and retired Napoleonic shiny happy people make their lives as Stepford as possible.
Most likely the biggest purchase anyone will make in their lives, and they voluntarily put themselves in positions like that. It's just stupid.
Maybe it's just my experiences that neighbors, and people in general, are just walking breathing E36 M3 sacks, but I've never understood it, and these conversations always make me question it even more.
bobzilla said:In reply to z31maniac :
"2 hour round trip to the grocery". I find that misconception all the time. It actually takes us LESS time (actual time) to get to stores, food, etc. We have Indy 15 minutes away. Brownsburg and Lebanon 10 minutes in opposite directions. When we lived "in town" it took 20 minutes to get to walmart because of lights and traffic. You can live rural without 2 hour commutes. You just travel longer distances at higher speeds.
Call it a misconception all you want. I live in OKC, one of the largest cities in the country by land area. The only large cities comparable in area are Jacksonville and Houston.
Whole Foods is 8 miles, it's a 45 minute round trip. Let's say I take us up north of Piedmont where I can find the 5-10 acres and build a house, that becomes 1.5+ hours roundtrip. That also ignores the dramatic increase in the use of fuel, tires, etc. I only put about 3800 miles on my car this year in town.
Some people want to be in the country, some don't. Some don't mind at looking at other peoples messy properties, others do. Meh.
bobzilla said:In reply to ProDarwin :
Farther in distance doesn't always mean farther in time.
Yes, but in general stuff takes longer to get to when you are in more rural areas.
RevRico said:I just don't understand why people in general feel the desire to live on top of each other. So many neighborhoods full of mcmansions so close together you could spit over two of them. Then they wonder why bored soccer mom's and retired Napoleonic shiny happy people make their lives as Stepford as possible.
Most likely the biggest purchase anyone will make in their lives, and they voluntarily put themselves in positions like that. It's just stupid.
Maybe it's just my experiences that neighbors, and people in general, are just walking breathing E36 M3 sacks, but I've never understood it, and these conversations always make me question it even more.
Depends on if you're someone that likes to be around everything that's going on, or if you aren't.
I miss living in downtown. I was withing walking distance of lots of great restaurants and bars, museums, parks, Chesapeake Arena. There is another giant park about to go in as well. There was a great little cafe in bottom of my building so if I didn't feel like making dinner I could walk down and pay $8 for a nice sandwich and chips.
There is in every American, I think, something of the old Daniel Boone - who, when he could see the smoke from another chimney, felt himself too crowded and moved further out into the wilderness. -- Hubert H. Humphrey
In reply to RevRico :
I won't call it stupid. It's not for me, for sure. Some people need the security of people around them. Some of us are more self-sufficient and like solitude. Different strokes for different folks.
Funny anecdote: Wife's friend used to come out to the house and complain about how quiet it was and how lonely it was and how she could NEVER live like that. She has to be around people. But then she doesn't leave her house to actually interact with people. She just likes people around, but not to actually be there. Moral of the story: People are weird.
In reply to ProDarwin :
I disagree. but that's what makes it awesome.... we can do that!
Density is an interesting thing. I live where I do for a few reasons:
#1 I don't want a long commute to work, both in time/distance
#2 With more density is more kids, which makes it more fun for my kids, as they have more friends in the neighborhood to play with
I'd love to move out where I have land to build a shop and plan to do so when I retire. Right now I want to be closer to work and have more kids around so my kids can play. When I do move, I'll still be staying around the city somewhat as I don't want to have to drive far to get to my friends, restaurants, the store or the airport.
In reply to docwyte :
<-- no kids. Wife gets her fill of kids as a teacher.
In reply to bobzilla :
He is explaining his reasoning for his family. Not trying to convince you that its the right choice for you. You made the right choice for you. He made the right choice for him. To each their own. We wont be declaring victors in this thread.
This is what happens when we don't have "what oil?" threads...
In reply to Cooter :
So.... what happens when you park a Ridgeline in front of your house? Is it still less of a truck?
gearheadmb said:In reply to bobzilla :
He is explaining his reasoning for his family. Not trying to convince you that its the right choice for you. You made the right choice for you. He made the right choice for him. To each their own. We wont be declaring victors in this thread.
There are never victors in HOA threads
Patrick said:gearheadmb said:In reply to bobzilla :
He is explaining his reasoning for his family. Not trying to convince you that its the right choice for you. You made the right choice for you. He made the right choice for him. To each their own. We wont be declaring victors in this thread.
There are never victors in HOA threads
/endthread
docwyte said:....Just because you don't use it doesn't mean you won't benefit from it...
I feel the same way about school levies. I dont have kids, so in theory I should hate the idea of more taxes to fund little Skylars non-binary underwater basketweaving specialist or whatever at the local elementary. But In actuality, I am all for better schools, because they mean better housing markets. I will typically vote for the levy if its not outrageous
HOA discussions make me wish we could talk about politics.
In reply to SVreX :
You know who talked about politics??
He also parked a Ridgeline in front of my house once, but I couldn't figure out what oil he was using.
In reply to Cooter :
US Standard oil, of course.
I live in the suburbs just north of the Los Angeles county line. I think my HOA consistently does a good job of hitting the sweet spot between overreach and complacency so I have no complaints.
I’m paying a premium for having easy access to big city offerings ($451 per sq. ft. based on today’s average between Zillow & Redfin) though I rarely take advantage of them so there’s significant waste but my property tax is ridiculously low due to a unique opportunity for me to wildly exploit Prop 13’s provisions so it’s pretty much a draw relative to my alternatives.
One very important factor that hasn’t been mentioned in this thread is the benefit of having quick access to high quality, full service healthcare. I’m a 54 year-old math guy and I know that living out in the middle of nowhere when you’re older presents risks on the order of being obese or even being a heavy drinker.
Added Later...
Relationship between distance to hospital and patient mortality.
volvoclearinghouse said:There is in every American, I think, something of the old Daniel Boone - who, when he could see the smoke from another chimney, felt himself too crowded and moved further out into the wilderness. -- Hubert H. Humphrey
Curiously, ol' Hubert moved from a small town (Waverly, MN) to Minneapolis where he became mayor, then spent the rest of his career in Washington...seems like he was trying to avoid the wilderness. 
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