Forest Lakes. Its a great neighborhood as far as property values and resale. I could sell my house in a minute. The demographics are good as well.

The grounds upkeep has been an ongoing issue. When you don't maintain safety rails on bridges and walkways, and don't keep the grass mowed around the lake, you just create opportunities for people to get injured or bitten by a snake. And its simple. When you hire a contractor to do something, like build a bridge, you keep 10% out for retainage, to make sure they finish the job. We still have ruts from the jackleg getting stuck. People run and play football and everything else out there. Then you have leverage. Hey, fix the ruts, or you don't get the final balance. Or we will fix it and deduct it from your final balance. The lady handling that swore she was going to get that fixed. Never happened.

I asked a year or two ago about the grass too. Oh the landscaper had his equipment stolen. So we go 4 to 6 weeks without the grass around the lake being cut. I swear it seems like every year, its the same. They start out doing a good job, and by the time we get to mid July, they aren't cutting it. So either they are underbidding the job, or they spent their money somewhere else and can't pay them. But if thats the case, why lower dues?

HOA costs are myriad:

Salaries for staff
Insurance policies - more if things like pools, tennis-sports areas, playgrounds are involved, and possibly with lakes-ponds (Karen might sue if Little Jimmy falls in the pond that doesn't have a sign or fence, for example)
utilities for any things like water fountains, special lighting
legal fees, licenses
attorneys
accountants
landscaping
repairs
emergencies


However, the amount of money coming in darn sure could result in skimming if the wrong people are in place


Lockjaw, it's a damned shame you'd have to get on the board or sue to get a simple line-item budget that should be available. But I know what you mean.

Any neighborhood built after 1980 will have one. They’re very hard to avoid.

I realize a lot of y’all live in the country but in town it’s not easy.

They don't have a house. THey have a board full of folks who want the job and then don't do it. When I complained about the grass and asked what the cut frequency was, I was told once a week. Dude hasn't cut the full property in way over 3 or 4 weeks now.

So they are even wasting our money, or something. Just incompetence.

I'd rather live in a crime ridden neighborhood than an HOA. I don't have kids though.

Lockjaw, you may have a breach of contract claim with the HOA if it's been 3-4 weeks since they haven't done anything with the common grounds.

They remind you to maintain certain things with your home and yard. Yet they get pissy if they're reminded about it for their own stuff - common areas, pool, tennis courts, lights, landscaping, whatever else.

Might be time to remind them that they're there for you, and an attorney looking into a Breach is a possibility.






Would you really make this choice?

Instead of some occasionally nitpicky reminders about not leaving garbage cans out or having work vehicles-trailers-RVs-crap on the street or visible, you'd rather live around drug hoods, thugs, burglars and thieves in a shucks*y neighborhood with people who don't care about their appearance, property values or anyone else?

It's easy to say "Well, it's his house so he can leave that RV on blocks in his driveway if he wants to." But when that RV has grass growing around it, or the car on the street hasn't moved in three months, or the paint is peeling and house looks like sh*t, your property values go down. Other people who move in are just like that, and not people who appreciate their home well enough to maintain $$$ values.

My current neighborhood has no HOA, and it looks like chit. I guess I'm white trash, because it doesn't bother me.

Property value has been going up, but it would probably be worth more if the neighborhood was cleaner. I doubt the increase in value would make up for HOA fees and increased maintenance costs though.

There's a few drug dealers on the street, but crime isn't that bad. I had a few vehicle break ins back when I lived in a terrible neighborhood. The most expensive part was getting the window replaced, which was way less than what an HOA steals from you.

HOA's are basically another government. I'm willing to suffer quite a bit to avoid that. Having kids would change the way I think about this.