7 ms·
Neighbors of owned-properties: - care about the long-term effects of their actions - care about the plan of their surroundings - plan to stick around Th
by inanutshellus 4mo ago
Neighbors of owned-properties:
- care about the long-term effects of their actions
- care about the plan of their surroundings
- plan to stick around
This is a HUGE part of the psychological benefit you refer to of buying.
Notably this is equally applicable to any occupant-owned property (e.g. condos > apartments).
- gib444 4mo agoCan attest to this, living on a street which each year sees houses sold off to landlords, and now there are very few of us occupying-owners left. The renters all have rubbish in their front and back yard, have more pets that they let bark and poo everywhere, smoke weed etc.
- bombcar 4mo agoThis has more to do with how the neighborhood is going (literally “to the dogs”) than it does with renting - you’d be surprised at the houses that look owner occupied but are actually rentals.
- huhkerrf 4mo agoYeah, but it's also one of the downsides. "Care about the plan of their surroundings" can just as easily turn into the HOA drama that many prefer to avoid.
- deleted 4mo ago[deleted]
- y1n0 4mo agoHOA drama sucks for sure, but just outside of my HOA controlled neighborhood, I see also the houses with junk cars in their yards and grass gone to seed. As much as I hate many stupid rules and seemingly unfair application of them, I do like that it mitigates against people that just don't give a shit about their property or the impact of their life choices on others.
- TimorousBestie 4mo ago> HOA drama sucks for sure, but just outside of my HOA controlled neighborhood, I see also the houses with junk cars in their yards and grass gone to seed. You don’t need a potentially abusive and/or rent-seeking HOA for this. My locality controls for all of these potential issues through local ordinances.
- alistairSH 4mo agoSure, but you don't need to buy in an abusive HOA community. I live in a "town" (Reston, VA) that has a notoriously strict HOA. But, it mostly applies to buying/selling and home additions. And it's very consistent. Each subdivision within Reston also has its own HOA that's run by the owners and in charge of regular community upkeep. It works out, as long as you perform due diligence up front and know what you're buying. I don't know anybody who would claim it was abusive or rent-seeking - just mildly annoying sometimes.
- huhkerrf 4mo agoGenuine question: how can you know ahead of time? I could imagine you could have an HOA that seems reasonable until you get to know them.
- fragmede 4mo agoYou get a copy of the HOA bylaws before you close/finish buying. Read those bylaws to find out what rules exist. Some, like no having junker cars in your front yard, are going to be agreeable. Others, like the HOA gets to judge and prohibit certain flags, or the color of the paint on your house, are going to be vaguely worded, giving room for the HOA to be unreasonable. Additional bylaws can be introduced later, but usually reading the bylaws will you give your an idea of what you might be getting into.
- alistairSH 4mo agoExterior paint color is a good example. In my little cluster of townhomes, there are about six colors that we are allowed to pick from. And no two homes next to each other can be the same color. My house is currently a light green and in theory, I could paint it to be a blue or a tan, but not a grey because of one of my neighbors. I don’t find it to be particularly vague or onerous, but if I really wanted a pink house, I would’ve seen that in the HOA documentation upfront and not bought here.
- abalashov 4mo agoThis can be good, but can also be quite bad if points #1 and #2 manifest in Karen form...