HOA/POA's are financial institutions now?

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

We're in a non HOA neighborhood in Grapevine. We don't have the community center or pool to maintain, so there's no need for an HOA. The City makes people take care of their yard and house, and prohibits junked cars, etc. I've never had a problem with how our neighbors maintain their houses.

Me either. I have called the city only a few times since 2009 and it has been over safety or sanitation issues. For example a neighbor's tree starting to lean on a power line, a neighbor putting his trash out too early and having it torn up by animals who spread it all over the alley, etc. Y'know...pretty minor stuff. I certainly don't narc on neighbors who fix cars on their driveways or whose grass is a little too long. I don't care.

We do some of our own car maintenance; you can't see our driveway unless you go right up to the fence and deliberately peek through. I'd be furious if someone complained about my husband changing the oil in his own car on his own driveway. It's not like he's pouring the oil down the drain or running a business or anything. I don't even know if it's legal....it probably is....but we'd still do it even if it wasn't.

[mSooner]

Even if "pride" is the quirky neighbor who spends hours gardening his exotic plant collection

Ha, the two yards I'm thinking of: One likes to plant wildflowers instead of a lawn. Looks cool, if not odd, 1 month out of the year. The rest of the year...

The other one has a sign in the yard designating it as a wildlife preserve. It looks the part. On both sides are neighbors with normal grass and hedges

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by mSooner

Ha, the two yards I'm thinking of: One likes to plant wildflowers instead of a lawn. Looks cool, if not odd, 1 month out of the year. The rest of the year...

The other one has a sign in the yard designating it as a wildlife preserve. It looks the part. On both sides are neighbors with normal grass and hedges

We've had one in both neighborhoods we've live in Dallas. One guy had all these elaborate arbors and trellises in the front yard for his exotic plants. It was out of place but not an eyesore. In our current neighborhood, it's the guy who spends 5 hours each day tending to what looks like a bunch of monkey grass...oh well. It certainly isn't hampering property values in either neighborhood!

[LeagleEagleDFW]

People are making some fair points here, but I don't think it's fair to compare Preston Hollow or the Park Cities to most neighborhoods.

[TheOverdog]

This is why I don't live in a HOA neighborhood - as long as their house is a structurally intact house, then it's good enough for me. I could care less what they plant in their lawn or park in their driveway.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by LeagleEagleDFW

People are making some fair points here, but I don't think it's fair to compare Preston Hollow or the Park Cities to most neighborhoods.

You can compare mine to an average neighborhood, though. My neighborhood looks great without having an HOA.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by LeagleEagleDFW

People are making some fair points here, but I don't think it's fair to compare Preston Hollow or the Park Cities to most neighborhoods.

The other Dallas neighborhood I lived in with no HOA was in East Dallas and home values were in the $200-300k range when I lived there. Kind of the quintessential first time home owner area with some original 1950's owners mixed in. Like I said in a previous post, you'd be hard pressed to find a neighborhood in the metroplex at the $200-250k+ price point that really needs a HOA as long as there are appropriate city codes in place & enforced. Common decency and pride of ownership aren't values that kick in once one is a millionaire.