Home Owners’ Associations (HOAs) inspire strong feelings in people who own Raleigh homes. Some people love them, some people hate them but almost everyone has an opinion. In the end HOAs are right for some people and not for others, but are they right for you?

When shopping for homes in The Triangle it’s often easy to spot neighborhoods that don’t have HOAs. An otherwise attractive neighborhood can be marred by a weed-strewn yard, a rusting car, or a house painted a garish shade of purple. These kinds of eyesores are not just unpleasant; they can drive away buyers and make it harder to sell your home. Even nice neighborhoods can turn ugly practically overnight.

On the other hand, some HOAs are out of control. I once got in trouble for leaving my basketball hoop out; I don’t own a basketball hoop. My sister painted her house in one of the HOA approved colors but got in trouble because she didn’t get permission to repaint ahead of time. A friend got chastised for oil stains in his driveway then got chastised again for putting down a drip pan.

Some people don’t like the restrictions just on principal. It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t, for example, mow their lawn. They just don’t like someone telling them to mow their lawn.

You have to ask yourself which is more important: the freedom to run your house or the comfort of knowing the neighborhood will remain attractive.

If you do get in with a bad HOA, all is not lost. These are Home Owners’ Associations not the arbitrary rules of some third party. Get on the board and help change your neighborhood for the better.

Tags: Triangle Real Estate //