Kentucky 75-year-old's house seized, sold over $288 unpaid HOA dues

[laundry_queen]

81. HOAs aren't the only way

it's a shame that people buying think that it's a necessary evil. Buyers have to let builders know they won't buy if there is an HOA - although there will always be those who want HOAs because they live in holy fear of someone painting their door pink and affecting their property values by $10. Anyway.

The brand new duplex I bought did NOT have any HOA, BUT, it is in what the town has designated as an 'architecturally controlled' area. Basically, for 6 years after the house is built, I cannot change the outside of the house or the basics of the front yard landscaping (ie, I can add flowers, I cannot cut down the fruit tree). After that, I'm free to do what ever I want. Owning the land my house sits on, and having that control and lack of an HOA was a HUGE selling feature and was the main reason I bought my place (that and I got a great deal and it's a high efficiency building). I don't know why buyers put up with an HOA. I think I'd go insane. I've had friends and family that have owned condos and have had huge issues with the busy bodies on the HOA. My brother, who was a young guy who bought a condo in a building where there were mostly older people found they were always going around raising money for ridiculous improvements not really needed, like new tulip bulbs for the flower beds and so on. He was there for 3 years and in that time the monthly fee went up $100. My parents currently deal with an HOA for their lake lot and they were having huge problems with constant raises because of money mismanagement until they urged their accountant friend to run to take over the finances. When he did, suddenly there was all kinds of money. Turns out the previous people in charge were hiring their friends for all kinds of bogus 'maintenance' jobs and telling the tenants that these jobs were necessary. When the accountant went over it he found there were all kinds of duplications. The previous HOA president sold his lot pretty fast once he got voted out. But really, who wants to deal with that shit? Not me. I'll take the risk of my property values tanking over dealing with control freaks who are looking to enrich themselves and friends.