According to word on the streets, living in an Homeowners Association governed community makes your property value higher [than those other people’s homes that are not HOA governed]. How do you know this is true? Because everyone told you so and everyone continues to tell you so. But also, if you do an internet search for, “Do homes in HOA communities have a higher property values?”, at least the first page of your search will tell you, “Yes, yes, of course!”
When you thought of your American Dream, did it involve Homeowners Associations? Mine didn’t. While I knew what an HOA was, I did not consider how it could impact my life positively or negatively. But I know me; and I am a freedom-loving, creative person. That information is enough to know that I should have been anti-HOA.
We live in a hurricane state. From June through November, we never know if we are actually going to have any storms that approach Tampa. And if we do, we cannot be certain if we will suffer damage from the storms. Being a homeowner in this way sucks because one storm can wipe out both your home and your income while you deal with insurance claims, field phone calls, and have people in and out of your home coming to assess and [potentially] fix the damage.
When some people think of HOA neighborhoods, they picture sameness. The grounds are decorated with rows of plants. The community is free of trash and other debris. The houses look more or less the same. The lawns appear perfectly maintained. The cars are nicely hidden in the garages. And there are white picket fences, two-parent households with 2.5 children and a cat and or a dog.
Change is hard for most folks. That is why we have traditions. But traditions are not always good. Read Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. Florida is one of the states with the highest amount of people living in an HOA-governed community. And 70% of the people want to get rid of HOAs.
When you are experiencing hard times because of your Homeowners Association, you have to learn—or revert to—certain behaviors to stay afloat while you figure out how to get your life out of shambles. Living in a working-class neighborhood should not be so difficult. We go to work our asses off, come home, eat, then sleep. But when you already are in a disadvantaged situation, you are hyper aware that there is a thin line between working-class and below the poverty line.
Who do homeowners turn to when threatened by the HOA? If you have the money, you can hire an attorney. You can commiserate with your friends, family, and neighbors. You can get a therapist. Sometimes, homeowners turn to the local news station for assistance.
In the past, I have contacted the HOA “board” and received absolutely no response. I would like to believe that because they receive so many communications in a neighborhood with over 700 homes, they must “accidentally” overlook things often. But what if that is not the case?
Again, I don’t know when my neighborhood acquired a property management company because I have not sought the answer. All I know is we used to have an HOA board with a president that lived in the community. And that president moved and shit seemed to hit the fan. So, I have finally asked Chatgpt for assistance.
