If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, you’ve likely found yourself on the wrong side of its regulations once or twice — whether or not you actually deserved this. However, many of these annoying HOA rules really do benefit the neighborhood. An HOA in real estate, or homeowners association, is a community-based governing board that maintains certain property standards. When you open a violation notice from your HOA, you might not feel that great, but a closer look at the why behind each one reveals how much they actually do help keep things livable.
For example, sure, it’s annoying when you’re the one getting called out for a party that’s too loud or a paint color that doesn’t fit the community guidelines; however, when you’re trying to sleep in, or sell your house, or simply enjoy inhabiting it, the value of guidelines that maintain curb appeal and community cohesion become clear. These are a few of the most widespread HOA regulations and how they really do improve things.
Maintaining lawns and landscaping keeps the neighborhood looking attractive
When you get a letter from your HOA about your grass height, it can be annoying — especially if you feel like you take very good care of your lawn, thank you very much. The same can be said for flowerbeds overflowing with weeds or bushes that are in desperate need of trimming. Or, maybe it’s just a few weeds, and you trimmed back the bushes two months ago, but you still think they look just fine.
No matter the reason for these annoying letters, there is sound logic behind them. HOAs require that your lawn be mowed and your landscaping be kept up with to maintain curb appeal. Having good curb appeal is directly tied to having higher property values, with some in the field suggesting a well-maintained exterior can bring you more than 10% extra when it’s time to sell. So your lawn impacts the value of your neighbor’s home, and vice versa, making these landscaping rules essential for everyone.
Prohibiting parking cars on lawns maintains curb appeal
A member of our team once parked her truck partially in her yard while mulching her flowerbeds. Since the bed was full of dirt, she thought parking this way was an excellent way to save herself some labor, instead of walking all the way back to the driveway each time. She went inside for lunch, but a few days later received a letter informing her that parking on the lawn was strictly prohibited in her neighborhood, and the behavior was to cease immediately. Strict language for a seemingly small act, but HOAs are very serious about where residents are allowed to park…