"[FRISCO, TX] Jim Greenwood said he never dreamed his HOA would have a problem with his new Ford F-150 pickup. Then he received the first of three notices threatening him with fines.
"Stonebriar HOA rules allow several luxury trucks on driveways, including the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline and Lincoln Mark LT.
"But most Ford, Dodge or Chevy pickups are restricted."
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First they came for the Fords. I didn't protest because I didn't have a Ford...
This really sounds more like an operational rule than a bylaw or deed restriction. I bet if you could get 30 people to show up at an annual meeting you could change it. I bet the deed restriction only uses language like "work truck" or "commercial vehicle" and the definition is left up to the board. In my little HOA we actually killed the deed restrictions altogether, just by getting enough people to show up. These things usually sunset if you don't renew them. All you need to do is show up at that meeting with the votes and let them die. The world is controlled by those who show up.
If you can see more than two of your neighbors from your house, you live too close together for my taste. The idea of an HOA makes sense in the city, if it's condos or the buildings are attached, but not for free-standing single-family homes. Why on earth does anyone put up with that? My mother's retirement community calls themselves an HOA, but the residents don't own the cottages, so it's not like there's much responsibility. They have only a few "quality of life" rules, and they're very easy to live with (non-residents must park in vistor parking, etc.).
Because too many people are "sheeple" that "go along to get along", especially for rules that offer (even if only by illusion) protection from downward mobility or lack of upward mobility of the sale price of their housing units.
So too many people do not resist anal-orifice busybodies when they run for election to HOA boards or when they do their dirty busybody deeds once the busybodies get elected.
And so, in some HOA neighborhoods, one cannot do car repairs on one's own driveway much beyond changing a tire, and in extreme cases one even cannot engage in a nice good long kiss with a date in front of one's own front door. And one can get into trouble for painting one's screen door with the wrong finish-grade of white paint.
One problem you will find with most HOA's is that they refuse the would be home buyer a copy of the rules until the closing. I have placed several bids on houses part of the bid being subject to having a copy of the home owners rules for review. You would be shocked as to how many come back with an answer that the HOA doesn't allow the rules to be handed out before closing. Thats when you walk away. Lou
In one apartment complex where I lived, I got in a little tiff with the management because they had a "no maintenance" rule. Apparently someone had seen me removing the carburetor from my girlfriend's car in the parking lot and reported me (I was outside all of five minutes.) I was then told that "no maintenance" means that the hood cannot be raised nor can the car be jacked up. period.
The retarded thing was that I know my immediate neighbors did not report me because they all knew the car (a very distinctive, old car) and liked it and would come down to chat about old cars if they saw me with tools.
it was then that I realized that a) I had to move quickly before I eventually got evicted and b) when I eventually did get financially able to buy a house I was definitely looking for one that did not fall under an HOA so I didn't end up in a similar situation.
Probably because even though it was built/assembled in Tennessee (like our 2002 Nissan pickup purchased here in Canada) it has a Japanese name.
Don't worry when Indian Tata and/or Chines/Korean/Indonesian cheaper electric cars etc. start appearing on our highways, costing one tenth in electric fuel than gasoline some idiot/s will try to ban them too! Bit expensive and limited rang right now; but like computers, VCRs, DVD players the price will come down and availability increase.
BTW anyone see Jay Leno driving his 1909 electric car. And then the demonstrator 2008 electric Tesla (partly British Lotus, assembled in California). More fun than a Miata or an MG; oh gee! Neither of them are North American either!
To be acceptable in our 'bling' societies things have to be big, wasteful, polluting, too expensive and showy.
BTW We rented a U-Haul yesterday to bring home some used lumber, now stacked in our back yard, hauling it behind our used 2006 Nissan X.Terra.
This fall or next spring an associate is going to 'give' me a 12 by 20 shed that will rebuild in our back yard, hopefully as 14 by 20+ shed. Already asked the municipality and since it is in our back yard and does not contravene any street building line, in this town of the Free and the Brave, the town clerk can approve it without reference to the town council.
Anyway, got to go; it's beautiful day up here in the 'big' country (mid 70s) and I have towels and bed sheets in the washer to hang out on the clothesline. We even hear in this day and age with fuel and electricity rates rising sharply that in certain places hanging clothes on outside lines is not allowed! How stupid! Although 99% of our electrcity is generated here by non polluting water power they dry nicely and are soft and fluffy dried in the breeze without the use of 'fabric softeners' etc!
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