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Some of the readers might recollect my plan to install a dish antenna.
Well, as Yogesh stated in his post, that requires HOA approval, and that required me to apply to HOA.
The HOA has a standard form for 'property modification', be it a dish or whether you want to put in, maybe a gazebo!
The process requires a number of steps, including getting a contractor to add Summerfields as an insured party. Also taking photographs and other fun stuff. Now I understand that when a major modification is being done, but installing a dinner plate sized disc in your backyard?
Anyway, I had a tough time finding a dish installer that would do the insurance part. After months of struggle, I give up!! Others may have had different experience, not sure.
Hope HOA is happy!! It is almost as though they own the property and not us!! And they need to learn some serious customer relationship skills, Nicole especially!
I say throw the bums at Association Advisors out as soon as possible, when homeowners take control. I wonder how much of HOA fees goes towards their contract? We need to have a competitive bidding process for this.
I hear ya man!
HOA probably started off with good intention around the country, but now with power and authority, it just creates more hassle than any good.
We have federal laws, state laws, county laws and local govt laws that we have to abide by. On top of all that, HOA has its own bureaucracy. Its one thing to abide by govt laws, but now you also have to follow a private entity's (HOA) regulation for your privately owned property. The situation is such that you paid fully for the property with your name on the paper, but you don't completely own it.
Before you accuse someone of being like a 2-year old, look around.
I challenge you to find a Sussex home and try to park your 2 SUVs in their garage. Forget about 2 SUVs, try parking 2 full size family sedans. The way garage is designed in Sussex, its almost impossible to park 2 cars in garage. The stairs that go from garage in to the house prohibit proper parking of second car. Pete was informed about it during closing, but all he said was that that's how it was designed. Nothing could be done. So whatever I said earlier was based on my experience. Your situation may be different.
So SummerNJ, go try it out buddy!
And who says that cars HAVE to be either in garage or on driveway? I pay taxes so I have the right to park my car on township road/street. I don't park my car in the street cuz I don't have to. But if I needed, I would certainly park my car in the street.
If you think that keeping garbage cans and cars in garage gives community cleaner look and feel, that's just your opinion and does not mean everyone has to share your opinion.
Just because you "can" doesn't mean you "should". Again its my opinion, you can disagree...good for you.
If two cars can't fit in your garage, one car and one garbage bin can easily fit...right. So what are you complaining again for??
I agree with Sawdustmaker. Its better to cut out the bank and pay the property taxes directly. In the case of my bank, I have to place taxes into escrow for the first 2 years but after that, I can pay directly to the township.
Just because you "can" doesn't mean you "should". Again its my opinion, you can disagree...good for you.
If two cars can't fit in your garage, one car and one garbage bin can easily fit...right. So what are you complaining again for??
Again, just cuz you want to put your garbage can in garage, you can't tell others to do the same! Its not about what fits and what doesn't. Its about what belongs where.
Your earlier argument was about parking both cars in garage, now that I proved you that every case is different, you back track and find other issue.
sarak - i really hope your property taxes aren't $15k.. the bank could be miscalculating and over charging the amount they want you to deposit in escrow. in the beginning of 2014 my bank made a mistake projecting my property taxes to $18k and tried charging me an extra $1000/month until I proved to them that my property taxes are $9k-$10k
Thank you snowpail/sawdustmaker/yogesh for your inputs..I will followup with Tax assessor and the Bank.
Some of the readers might recollect my plan to install a dish antenna.
Well, as Yogesh stated in his post, that requires HOA approval, and that required me to apply to HOA.
The HOA has a standard form for 'property modification', be it a dish or whether you want to put in, maybe a gazebo!
The process requires a number of steps, including getting a contractor to add Summerfields as an insured party. Also taking photographs and other fun stuff. Now I understand that when a major modification is being done, but installing a dinner plate sized disc in your backyard?
Anyway, I had a tough time finding a dish installer that would do the insurance part. After months of struggle, I give up!! Others may have had different experience, not sure.
Hope HOA is happy!! It is almost as though they own the property and not us!! And they need to learn some serious customer relationship skills, Nicole especially!
I say throw the bums at Association Advisors out as soon as possible, when homeowners take control. I wonder how much of HOA fees goes towards their contract? We need to have a competitive bidding process for this.
Cricketplayer:
May be you can call up HOA office and ask for clarification about "Summerfields as insured party" and they may help. May be that sentence is just a std. one, and may not needed. Other thing is to ask the residents already having dish antenna. I saw 5-6 homes on Willocks circle (north) and they have dish antenna behind their homes. One has antenna on roof-top. May be they can help you.
sarak - i really hope your property taxes aren't $15k.. the bank could be miscalculating and over charging the amount they want you to deposit in escrow. in the beginning of 2014 my bank made a mistake projecting my property taxes to $18k and tried charging me an extra $1000/month until I proved to them that my property taxes are $9k-$10k
That is exactly why/when we chose to pay our property taxes directly to the town.
I didn't backtrack, you can still park cars on your driveway....but you are just adamant to park on the street and keep garbage bin outside. All because you just want to. Go ahead, I have no argument for that. What is your opinion on people who don't mow their lawn regularly? I guess for you since grass is on their property, they should be allowed to keep it 2 feet high if they want to. Nothing wrong about that ....right? They pay taxes on that land.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopin'
Again, just cuz you want to put your garbage can in garage, you can't tell others to do the same! Its not about what fits and what doesn't. Its about what belongs where.
Your earlier argument was about parking both cars in garage, now that I proved you that every case is different, you back track and find other issue.
I didn't backtrack, you can still park cars on your driveway....but you are just adamant to park on the street and keep garbage bin outside. All because you just want to. Go ahead, I have no argument for that. What is your opinion on people who don't mow their lawn regularly? I guess for you since grass is on their property, they should be allowed to keep it 2 feet high if they want to. Nothing wrong about that ....right? They pay taxes on that land.
I didn't backtrack, you can still park cars on your driveway....but you are just adamant to park on the street and keep garbage bin outside. All because you just want to. Go ahead, I have no argument for that. What is your opinion on people who don't mow their lawn regularly? I guess for you since grass is on their property, they should be allowed to keep it 2 feet high if they want to. Nothing wrong about that ....right? They pay taxes on that land.
Read properly before you make your statement. I never said that I park my car on the street. In fact, I said that I park my car on my driveway. What I said was that if I needed to, I would park on the street.
As far as maintaining lawn goes, there are township ordinance/regulations that everyone has to abide by. I never said anything against following fed/state/local laws or regulations.
Were future residents of Summerfields NOT given the HOA CCRs to peruse before putting a downpayment on a lot?
I lived in two communities that were governed by an HOA. I never really had any complaints about either HOAs. And yes, I owned - didn't rent. But I moved in to already established communities with an established HOA. I was given a copy of the CC&Rs to read over before I purchased. Really didn't make a difference, don't think we did much more than take a quick glance through and sign off that we had received, read and accepted the terms.
Did this not happen at Summerfields?
Is the HOA making up the rules as they go along and see a need without input from residents?
Are there no residents representing the community?
Either way, when you move in to a community that is governed by an HOA not every resident is going to love every "rule" and there ARE going to be hoops you have to jump through in order to do things to your property that you would NOT have to if you didn't live in a community governed by CCRs. Made up along the way or not.
The no parking on the street issue: Just a rule without a reason? No explanation? Summerfields homes are pretty close together & the streets aren't that wide. A street filled with parked cars could pose a problem that has nothing to do with aesthetics.
Is the HOA trying to protect pedestrians (especially kids) from walking/running out from behind/in front of a car parked on the street and get hit by an oncoming car? Is there still ongoing construction and if two cars are parked in the street (on opposite sides, but across from each other) can a construction vehicle pass between the cars? Is it so emergency vehicles can get through? Is it all of the above?
I can understand why someone is having an issue with the "rules" if they were not set in place before they bought in. But if they were, you should have paid attention and figured out if you could live with them or if they fit your lifestyle before you put a deposit down and started picking out fixtures. You also should have figured out if you could live with "rules" being made up as the community grows that you may not like.
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