How HOAs Secretly Took Over Our Neighborhood

There are 370,000 homeowner associations or HOAs in the US right now with 1 in 4 Americans living in one. But at the same time, most people hate them. They can sanction fines, force you to sell your home, and even limit your constitutional rights. So if most Americans hate HOAs, how did they take over our neighborhoods? And how do they impact the housing market?
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00:00 - What's going on?
00:23 - How did they start taking over?
03:09 - But...
03:34 - I can't believe they can do this
06:56 - How is this even illegal?
09:59 - Is this the worst of it?
12:34 - So are they really that bad?
______
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All opinions expressed by Vincent Chan are solely Vincent Chan’s opinions. You should not treat any opinion expressed by Vincent Chan as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy, but only as an expression of his opinion. Vincent Chan’s opinions are based upon information he considers reliable, but does not warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. Vincent Chan is not under any obligation to update or correct any information provided. Vincent Chan’s statements and opinions are subject to change without notice.
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[@VincentChan]

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[@joncena168]

Please find stories of ppl taking down their HOA or dissolving it

[@wwm84]

HOAs are cancer. I'm not paying $300/mo just to fund a group of Karens telling me what color I can't paint my house or whether I can leave a Gatorade bottle sitting outside for the night.

[@Acteaon]

RIGHT!

[@pavman42]

I try to find Gatorade bottles at night when I'm thirsty. HOAs make that harder.

[@r.morris5589]

cities do this anyway. more worried about how tall grass is than about speeders in the neighborhood.

[@cynic5581]

The problem with this is you’re demonstrating why HOAs exist. If your house is painted an ugly color (subjective) and your yard is full of trash then you’re reducing the value of your neighbors house. We didn’t have an HOA in my old neighborhood and my neighbors house was sooooo bad it was reducing the offers I was getting 100k UNDER its value. I had to personally pay to clean up their yard and maintain it until I was able to sell my house. Cost me around 10k if you factor in my time. I drove back over there a couple times and the new owner put up a 8-10 foot fence. It looks like the border of a 1sr and 3rd world country. The other neighbors call it the Korean Demilitarization Zone…😂😂 My new neighborhood has a HOA and while it’s a bit pricey it does give me access to a pool and small gym plus garbage collection is included. Now my neighbor and I compete for having a better looking yard, first world problem and I love it.

[@bluewffl8472]

​@cynic5581 Thats all well and good you solved your personal issues with where your original house was. Glad you found a way out of your bad investment. I would contend a home with a HOA is more akin to leasing/renting then actually owning it. Not sure why everyone would pay the same or more for something you don't actually fully control and own yourself without additional parties having a say...

[@ouroborosalarichard]

Still remember people in my neighborhood trying to establish an HOA. Thankfully, no one else was willing to go for it. We all own our homes outright. We've all been here for decades. HOA, NO WAY!!!

[@stephen7938]

Now you know which neighbors hate everybody

[@terrenceblackwell4467]

The HOA has no business to invade someone’s neighborhood; plus, state governments should go after corrupt HOAs and the federal government should step in immediately

[@rotcataergeht]

The govt own your home. Youre Just renting😂

[@dakota-rt8kd]

I could never understand it myself 😮 I refused,to buy a house with such; adding costs and having a group of people constantly, setting limitations on your own life. Nothing, wrong with mowing your own lawn 😅

[@leprechaun3677]

@@rotcataergeht not unless they live in a state without property taxes.

[@rdbb-pv7et]

HOA should NOT be granted more power that the rights of individuals, and they need to regulated just like the government is regulated and limited.

[@colinsmith1495]

If the HOA acts with governing authority, it should be held accountable to government limitations. Free speech, due process, legal accountability, etc.

[@muhdiversity7409]

How is that regulated and limited government working out for you?

[@thedungeoneer8186]

​​@@muhdiversity7409 Better than if it was run by an HOA I can assure you that.

[@rcampbell4967]

That level of scrutiny, liability, and oversight is a bit much for a volunteer board. You could hire the board, but then HOA fees would sky rocket. That model is a failure out of the gate.

[@lookoutforchris]

Lol, you think the government has been limited?

[@JULYXXIV]

HOAs should be illegal. I’m house hunting right now and there is no way in HELL I’d live in a HOA

[@jofujino]

At least in my state you practically don't have a choice. All of the older homes that aren't in HOAs are in very expensive neighborhoods that are unaffordable by most. You want an affordable home? Live (a) in the boonies off the electrical, plumbing or water grid, (bl get a condo/townhouse but that's in an HOA, or (c) buy into one of the homes built from like the 70s on that are almost entirely in HOAs. The problem is the local government loves off loading responsibility and expenses to HOAs. So if you want your housing project to be permitted you need a higher proportion of the project to be designated for affordable housing if you want to build a non-HOA community. Also if you build the houses too close together they are also automatically designated apartments and you can only build apartments in HOA communities. Thus, you have practically no non-HOA options that are affordable except the occasional subdivided property in an old non-HOA community.

[@JESUS.saves.Repent.]

​@jofujino which state is your state so we know which one to avoid?

[@godsamongmen8003]

Making an HOA illegal would effectively be prohibiting people from entering into certain types of contracts.

[@Glaucidius]

​@@godsamongmen8003Certain contracts should be and are illegal, indeed: Did you try to sell your children into slavery or get your HOA board shot?

[@a1fastyellowkitten780]

i read it as haunting for some reason, to be fair tho if i was haunting a house id not want an hoa either

[@fictitiousnightmares]

When I was buying, and I'm not alone in this, if I found a house I liked, the first thing I looked for is if it had an HOA. The second I found out it did, it was scratched off the list as an option. Any house in an HOA has a value of ZERO dollars as far as I am concerned. So much for them maintaining property value eh?

[@nixon2tube]

Agreed. I was looking at houses once and I went to drive by a candidate. It looked nice, but as I was turning around on the street, I noticed a little sign that said it was in a HOA community. I figure they were proud of that fact to have signs telling me about it. Finished my turn around, drove away and never looked back.

[@imnitguy]

The first thing I do is tell my agent I won't look at homes with an HOA. I own two properties, and neither have an HOA and it wasn't by accident!

[@erutherford]

@@imnitguy Ditto. When my wife & I were driving around and looking we immediately ruled out HOAs.

[@michah321]

You can't be forced to join an HOA if you didn't buy your home with an HOA. That's the law.

[@princessmarlena1359]

Be the donut hole.

[@michah321]

@@princessmarlena1359 is that hat they call the person who won't join?

[@princessmarlena1359]

@@michah321 pretty much 😉

[@Kenzie_Hill]

B&E crime rate is higher in non-HOAs with a city greater than 50k homes. Crimes near apartment complexes is even higher. I'll keep my HOA, but want governments to stop skirting their responsibilities and especially stop jacking up property taxes

[@michah321]

@@princessmarlena1359 then I would be that

[@catherinegreen8440]

Apart from the craziness of HOAs is the horror of these zombie neighborhoods where the houses all look the same and there are acres of concrete surfaces leading to more runoff. America- the most expensive ugly looking stuff anywhere

[@raymond_sycamore]

And that’s not even talking about the fat ugly people here too!

[@user-tr6fw8yo2t]

reminds me of Edward Scissorhands. NPC land of boringness.

[@lookoutforchris]

You have not traveled much I see.

[@EvanYoungMusic]

My HOA took a picture of my backdoor porch door screen. They told me I was in violation of bylaws by having it white. They only allow brown door frames. In order to see the back, the person who they hired to audit had to literally step into a creek. the back of my condo faces the woods and a creek. Yeah.

[@AreaThirteenThirteen]

Some HOA's use drones to spy on people's backyards looking for "violations" that nobody can see from the street or otherwise even care about.

[@rednola9892]

Pretty much all docs where I live only have restrictions if viewable by the street

[@draco4540]

so they had to trespass

[@AreaThirteenThirteen]

I've heard stories about HOA's using drones to spy on people's backyards looking for "violations" that can't be seen from the street that nobody would otherwise even care about.

[@hakuji4829]

Drones and Google Maps… are the new weapons of the HOA Karen’s.

[@bigj3367]

The power that the HOAs have is insane. They should definitely limit that. Just the ability to sell a whole house because you own 500$ is totally disproportionate

[@Greg-qw7xl]

And resell it far below value. 5:40

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

That’s actually one of the more benign ways of HOAs collecting money owed. You hear stories about people losing their homes over fees and fines. (Of course, you are never sure if it’s just clickbait and you are only getting part of the story.)

[@nathanberrigan9839]

There was an HOA in Colorado that was foreclosing on a home EVERY WEEK. It was so bad that CO finally passed a law that an HOA can only foreclose for unpaid Special Assessment.

[@davidhunternyc1]

My HOA lets me paint my house any color I want as long as it's beige.

[@TheOriginalEUrban]

Your beige is too dark. Pay us $500

[@imtheboctilian]

HOA are the worst especially if you value freedom. Mine recently increased its price again, and even in this bad housing market it is one of the main things making me want to move. Never going to live in a neighborhood with an HOA again.

[@Pikmin012]

Nobody in America has ever heard a story that made them say "OH! If only they had an HOA, this wouldn't have happened!"

[@ytadventurer9170]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying HOAs are even remotely worth the tradeoff... but they actually DO have benefits. Squatters, Hoarders, Death Metal Garage Bands, Convicted Sexual Predators, etc. move in next door to people every day. If the person they move next door to is YOU, there's pretty much nothing you can do. You're screwed. But not in an HOA. Of course, if a Karen with a grudge takes over your HOA board, it's probably much worse so... not worth the tradeoff. But that doesn't mean no one has ever found themselves wishing they were part of an HOA.

[@TedSeeber]

I consider HOAs to be a huge warning sign that, at least as far as I'm concerned, cuts the value of the property by 75%.

[@foodlover8151]

My HOA won't let us have gardens to grow produce. No work trucks, vans. Unsurprisingly, most of my neighbors are doctors, PhD, or IT

[@user-sw1nv7qz2c]

HOA is a discrimination ideology and should be treated as a criminal offense for life!

[@SigFigNewton]

Gross. -PhD

[@Demopans5990]

ya would think doctors would want to grow their own food to eat something healthier

[@margaretmarshall3645]

I’m a gardener and that’s the biggest reason I hope never to live in an HOA!

[@foodlover8151]

@@Demopans5990 I live in a city with lots of research centers and hospitals.

[@Adonis-qb5ze]

HOA is basically reddit/discord mods of housing

[@SigFigNewton]

Dunno, in my experience mods are mostly respectable

[@S41GON]

Lol, accurate

[@Scarlet-Enchantress]

Underrated comment

[@namelessone5968]

That's insulting to reddit and discord...

[@donnie1581]

@@SigFigNewton Bro, Really?

[@tokyojon4344]

Where I'm at, outside of Phoenix, condos / town houses with HOAs cost around $300k to $350k. Full houses, same size are around $450k to $500k. Of course, HOA fees are around $200 to $350 monthly. When I lived in a condo w/ HOA, I broke the rules, twice. First violation, I purchased some wind chimes outside of my front door. They were nice wind chimes too, around $70. This a violation because, the HOA had their own HOA wind chimes (which were naturally available for purchase). My wind chimes had to be taken down because they were apparently not HOA approved. The second violation was an equally egregious crime: I swept my balcony. After it was swept, I left the broom outside on the balcony. HOA fined me $50 declaring the broom a "safety violation."

[@SigFigNewton]

Legalized swindling. HOAs

[@NoSpam1891]

Get friendly with some neighbors and take over the HOA board.

[@Greg-qw7xl]

The scary part is they can raise those fees.

[@NoSpam1891]

@@Greg-qw7xl The worse part is they think that they're the bosses of all the owners and not their servants. And their egos get puffed up.

[@susan7775]

@@NoSpam1891 Same as our elected representatives think they are the bosses

[@GreenspudTrades]

The only thing you can do to fix it is get on the Board yourself. Thats what I did. Its stressful but I have been protecting us all from the Karens.

[@williammuthee2474]

As a Karen, we encourage the community to run for the board

[@SigFigNewton]

HOAs: homeowners have less accountability to the local government, which itself gets held accountable to the public, and tons of accountability to a tiny clique of people who will be never be held to account.

[@SigFigNewton]

If you’re afraid of concentration of power as in communism, avoid HOAs.

[@williammuthee2474]

@@SigFigNewton lol

[@JB-pd3ir]

@@SigFigNewton Yes, I definitely feel they are communism lite (spying on neighbors concept is the same concept used in China).

[@bcusaaus4749]

Note to self, avoid all places with HOA.did it in the past. I sold a condo and a year later , they had a special assessment of 10k per unit 😱

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

That can totally happen. Only someone experienced in owning condos knows how important it is to scrutinize the status of the association reserves and compare those to the engineering studies showing the schedule of expected repairs and replacements before they buy. Honestly, condo sale prices are way too high given the risks and uncertainties of ownership.

[@raymond_sycamore]

I live in a 150+ year old house I’m fixing up myself. Bought it cheap and doing the work on my own as I have time and money. Way better deal than an HOA in a “perfect” HOA new build!

[@Radhaun]

HOAs turn houses owned outright into subscription based housing, no better than renting (and in my opinion, just as exploitative). Although I'm surprised you didn't touch on one of the reasons governments are so eager to let construction and management companies build so many HOA only neighborhoods: Money. Like he said in the video, HOAs pay for their own infrastructure, waste management, even some utilities. All things the state then no longer has to pay for through taxes. So they actually encourage these predatory systems because it "saves" money (it doesn't really, it just pushes the burden around a bit). I'm not saying all HOAs are evil, but I'm also not saying all loan sharks are evil....

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

The abuses of power is shameful. I get angry hearing about people who have lost their homes because they owe the HOA less than a couple of thousands of dollars. It should be absolutely illegal, and I can't help but wonder who is paying off who. I wouldn't be surprised if plenty of local politicians have been paid off by HOA management companies throughout the years. Most neighbourhoods here in Canada do not have HOAs. All condos and townhomes have a strata council, and owners pay monthly dues. Some council members can have a bit of a God complex and some buildings have much stricter rules than others. But I have never heard of a person losing their condo because they were a couple of months late on paying their fees.

[@jonanamar8503]

This is why I live in the country..rural TN. We don’t put up with this SH-T!!!

[@VincentChan]

do any HOAs exist in your area?

[@skypowers.]

@@VincentChan in rural areas you generally pay annually for the Road Maintenance Association that covers the upkeep of the overgrown gully’s and any road repairs. This may only apply to folks who live on what are considered “Private Roads” within an owned community of parcels that are around 5 acres each. The annual fee goes up or down based on the repairs needed for the upcoming year.

[@Acteaon]

Nor should any1 have to. Their very existence is risible.

[@Texarmageddon]

Why plp want an HOA is beyond me. Yes, they help maintain the neighborhood, but at the end of the day…. That’s a lifelong payment you have to pay till you die. Add in your property taxes if you have em…. And who tf wants to keep paying those two things …. You may not think it’s bad now, but wait till you aren’t working and on a Fixed income… you’ll be thinking twice about HOAs real quick

[@lickingfrog]

well, lots of HOA has some real benefits that people enjoys/want, this is up to them this video demonizes HOA, but, most of them (not all of them) are OK and works within common sense

[@nope1918]

​@@lickingfrog There's still the issue that joining a HOA is a one way street. Once a property is part of a HOA the only realistic way for it to leave is if the entire HOA is dissolved. And HOAs invariably end up being run by the worst people because they're the ones with enough free time to actually participate and the desire to spend that free time policing their neighborhood for "violations". It's like buying a lottery ticket except if you win you get a marginally better local community and if you lose your life turns into a literal hell. Would you take that gamble?

[@lickingfrog]

@@nope1918 Idk man, your vision is still a very negative one towards the HOA reality. *TBH, in the end I could agree, I would rather not take the risk too lol. But the reality is that most HOAs are ok and most of them have a vote system to prevent the bad adms. (yeah, it sucks hard when it happens) With an exceptional adm, the win is very big too, not marginally better as you said (i mean: to keep your neighboorhoo free from destructive people or bringing some policies and structures that in the near future could elevate your property price, this happens too)

[@keegannunley5444]

Of all the developed countries, the United States seems to understand freedom the least.

[@raymond_sycamore]

No, only if you choose to live where everyone tells you to live.

[@keegannunley5444]

@@raymond_sycamore nope it's far worse than you think. Our country is littered with pitfalls that don't exist in other countries. Other countries don't live in fear of, medical bankruptcy, asset forfeiture by police, lack of transportation options beyond a car, the ability of an organization to steal your home over small fees, financial ruin by no fault divorce. We're also the only country that allows employers to withhold maternity leave and offer virtually no vacation. Everywhere else employees have the right to several weeks off per year, even in frickin Kenya. Want your own land? , the county will be out to tell you what you can and can't build or put on that land. I understand sewage and waterways protection otherwise they are just forcing everyone into the tax system. By the way 52 percent of our taxes go to the military, the American people, they get what I listed above.

[@AilbheOisin]

​@@keegannunley5444most though not all of the things you mention do happen elsewhere

[@IL_Bgentyl]

Because under a free market you can have restricted markets but under restricted markets you can’t have free ones. Essentially the option to chose holds the restricted to higher standard or people will just leave.

[@BigMichael78]

People have written off the personal work of being free and instead worship the machinations of the law.

[@leprechaun3677]

I’ve lived in two HOAs; one was bad and didn’t provide anything other than notices saying they see a weed in your lawn and was fairly expensive. The other was cheap, provided a community pool and didn’t really care about upholding lawn standards. So it’s really a gamble if you choose to get an HOA, the issue is, it’s so hard to find a house you might be forced to buy into one because of limited supply. My third house doesn’t have an HOA; but realistically I don’t notice any difference between my “good HOA house” and my no HOA house. In other words I wouldn’t get one if they have nothing to offer; and it’s a gamble in the end if they stink.

[@janeprepper177]

HOA's are 😈 evil. Evil 😈

[@SigFigNewton]

HOAs drag down property value if you control for other variables

[@jofujino]

Sadly, the property developers and real estate agents have been claiming the opposite for decades using studies commissioned by property management and real estate companies who make more money building HOA communities. It's basically like the oil companies who paid for "scientists" to do studies showing there was no man-made global warming to push their own political agenda.

[@lv1543]

Forget property value, they literally charge you rent to live in your own house. That alone defeats any equity you would have gained

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

There is a flip side to the HOA story. There have been many cases of new owners bankrupting HOAs by moving in and refusing to follow even basic rules. When the HOA tries to enforce the the rules these owners turn around and sue. Even in cases where the owner is flagrantly in the wrong I have seen them win over the jury and the other owners lose all their joint assets like their reserves and community property to pay lawyer fees. So that’s another risk you face when buying into an HOA. It depends on the laws in your state, but not every state gives the HOAs the kind of power you describe.

[@philburch1970]

This sounds like a great anti-HOA playbook that needs to be more widely publicized.

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

Not so much. The owners already living in the HOA are outraged and furious at the newcomer that literally took their land and money away from them. It gets very, very ugly.

[@Crazy-Chicken-Media]

yeah I got a warning letter from the HOA once. the letter that got back was from a super expensive lawyer. with lots of legal talk. ready to explore. the best part was I didn't have to pay for that because my best friend's a lawyer One of those Harvard ones. which he could easily bankrupt this entire HOA with one lawsuit, oddly enough, I haven't heard back from the HOA ever, even though I break pretty much every single rule they have. because I live in a really, really, really, really red state and they will be hard pressed to find 6 to 12 people to side with an HOA.

[@michaelwilkening8542]

When your HOA is run by a bunch of Karen's that want to fine people thousands for having a bike in your lawn or a car that is 10 years old good riddance.

[@rchot84]

I am so happy I don't have to endure an extra form of government on top of the city, state and fed who have their hands out and wants to tell me what to do and what not to do.

[@skyrobin4008]

I’ve seen HOA fees as high as $900 on the condominiums. It’s wild.

[@bryanthompson1]

A lot of times it's because they're very old buildings that have enormous amounts of deferred maintenance. Replacing a heating system for a 400 unit high rise is enormous, especially when it's full of retirees that have pushed it off for years since they don't want to pay the special assessment. At least those are typically avoidable.

[@chidenisee]

I live in an HOA. ours is pretty hands off thank goodness. We are planning to move soon. I will make sure to check the contract of the next one.

[@akaroth7542]

Don't buy into an HOA, you're exposing yourself to life-ruining risk.

[@jwetzel3141]

I’m our hoa president. Here’s the rules: No one who wants to be on the board is allowed to be! We draft libertarians into service. This is the only way to keep the covenants and not ruin peoples lives.

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

Ha, ha, I like that!

[@MrCPPG]

Benevalent tyrants until Karen gets in.

[@spicytuna62]

My wife and I bought a house in 2022 that wasn't in an HOA and man I'm glad we did. The neighborhood is full of a variety of houses. Anywhere from little 900 sqft starter homes all the way to houses that have been improved to over 2,500 sqft. Recent selling prices have been anywhere from $180k to over $450k. It's so full of character. Not only that, but my flower beds and my yard are a little weedy right now. I've never been fined for it.

[@JPKnapp-ro6xm]

But you don't care of your neighbors hate you for it.

[@jaynecobb6711]

​​@@JPKnapp-ro6xm It is MY house and IAM the one that makes the house payments. If my neighbors want a say in how my house is kept, then LET THEM make my payments for me. Otherwise the neighbors can shove it.

[@stephen7938]

In North Carolina, any new greenfield neighborhood development requires an HOA wholely to aupport the Environmental mitigation (usually a pond) required by law. So the inly way you xan get away from an HOA in NC is to buy an older older home or live in the country.

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

It doesn’t sound like that would be too bad IF the HOA rules began and ended with the joint responsibility to pay someone to take care of that.

[@armymutt25A]

Sounds like a good reason to not move to NC. All these new subdivision south of Raleigh are destroying the environment and overloading the counties.

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

@@armymutt25A Too many people and constant growth, everywhere you go. Don’t ever count on finding someplace nice, because it tomorrow it will change into something you can’t stand.

[@imnitguy]

I live in Charlotte, NC and I own two homes (one built in 1987, the other in 1980) and neither have an HOA. Who wants new construction anyway?

[@terence7009]

its a challenge but it is possible to buy outside of one. but it takes way more time to. I found a brand new modular that is not in an HOA. definitely paying a bit of a premium, but absolutely worth it.

[@rscii497]

This is an EXCELLENT channel that covers a wide variety of topics in a thoughtful and intelligent manner. I'm so glad I found it!

[@rpvitiello]

HOAs like those need to be declared a layer of government, and subject to the same rules.

[@Distortic]

I trust my HOA more than I trust the government. Not only do they see me face to face everyday, but my vote actually represents my interests, as opposed to lobbies running the show

[@hiroshi138]

I've never lived in an HOA but I'm picturing the board members as people who were bullied as children or failed at everything because "reasons" and now it's payback time 😅

[@princessmarlena1359]

Or they were the bullies as kids.

[@michaelwilkening8542]

More likely the control freak bullies who never grew up and kept on their bullying was into adult hood. You will find that they are made up of old men of the stay off my lawn mentality that now have a way to pick on everyone in the neighborhood.

[@vladbulauchyk4287]

Found this video very informative!

[@Wizznilliam]

This is called 'Chickens coming home to roost '. They created a monster to keep "others" out and now the monster is out of control and money hungry.

[@5831a]

Sounds like a Karen's dream!

[@pavman42]

What's messed up is even residential subdivisions with a sign and shrubbery + lighting = HOA. Fortunately, I own a home in a non-HOA. I would never pay a HOA unless the benefits outweighed the costs of home ownership without them, which is hard to fathom in this era.

[@jasonz7788]

Great video thank you

[@onebridge7231]

I’ll never live in an HOA. They can Jack up their fees anytime because most HOA members don’t show up for meetings.

[@InOrlando]

Dude, I would have gone to jail if that would have happened to my house.

[@JV-pu8kx]

With the power given, HOA's should be considered a level of government, and should be treated as such! I.e. obeying the Constitution; oversight on board member elections by the local, or state, electoral board; reporting of the financials to the city or state; overall transparency; etc.

[@ChickinSammich]

We're looking to buy a house this year and it's wild how, on Zillow/Redfin, when you put in price range/bedrooms/bathrooms, you see houses everywhere, then you check "no HOA fee" and watch like 70-80% of the blips just vanish.

[@johnhaller5851]

Some areas have voluntary HOAs which have no rules they can enforce, but have a few community events, like dinners, decorating the entrance, and community yard sales. The fees are optional, but if you want to go to the free barbeque, you need to pay. Mine is $60 per year.

[@ChickinSammich]

@@johnhaller5851 See, THAT I'd be onboard with. I'm cool with paying a monthly or yearly fee for a community group that organizes community stuff. I don't like the idea of paying a fee to a private organization that can just make up rules, make up fines, enforce those rules/fines on my house, and not have any way I can appeal or do anything about it. Like, if I break a county code and I get cited by the county, I can appeal if I don't think I'm in violation, and the ordinances are usually more like "don't let your grass get over a foot tall," not "your house and fence must be on the approved colors list" or "no putting trash cans out too early"

[@Stephanie-vn6ir]

I had no idea how HO a's work. Thank you for explaining it. It is so scary!!😮

[@Mantelar]

I had a neighbor who read our HOA from end to end and proceeded to litter his yard with concrete dinosaur statues. The idiots on the board try to pass a change on by-laws. Neighborhood wouldn’t let them. HOAs are a racket.

[@JakoWako]

Is it just me or is the “didn’t want their property values affected” argument purely fueled by greed?

[@IL_Bgentyl]

It’s more so powered by a lot of people live in adult bodys without being adults. They leave their yards a mess, vehicles and junk all over, never taking care of their homes and so on. Not saying they have to but if they won’t they can pay someone to. The simple fact is people don’t like having grungy neighbors. Some don’t want kids around others don’t want animal. Guidlines that outline the expectations of the living situation you’re buying into is favorable to some. Though many HOAs overstep

[@DiakosDelvin]

It's a two edged sword: On one hand you know those houses with 4 broken down cars and a algae covered boat in the front yard? A rule would help. On the other, being fined for changing a tire in front of your house... It all comes down to having reasonable people in charge.

[@dboucher26]

I've live in both HAO and non-HOA communities, and every non-HOA community I've lived in was in a much better condition, the people were happier, and the home were actually better taken care of. HOAs are not worth it based on my own experience.

[@NoNonsense316]

My first home was in an HOA when I didn't know any better. Moving out of that HOA was the happiest day I had with that house.

[@aubsmart86]

I live in a condo building that has 64 units. We have an HOA and the board is made up of people who live in the building. Thankfully, there are no crazy rules, and they do a really good job of handling everything from our water, garbage removal, snow removal, repairs to anything outside of your own condo. So I think they can be beneficial if they run correctly for condo community type living. But unfortunately, this shows that there are definitely very bad HOAs who continue racist and elitist practices. Again, thankfully, all of the money that we put in goes directly to water and maintenance of the building but I can see if anyone sketchy came in and decided to try and change that it could be a problem.

[@edwinmiranda8174]

Excellent

[@timothym9398]

HOA was a 100% deal breaker when I was shopping for a home. I didn't sign up to have a mortgage, just to also have a petty tyrant landlord.

[@queenbey6678]

I have first hand experience living in HOA and i said for years that houses without HOAs sold faster and for more money. Now we're looking for a house without an HOA

[@Martyr217]

So my take away from this is don't go to the states for a house. I'll either get shot or be homeless. 😅🤣😂

[@Mexicobeanpole]

Umm. Yeah. Probably. 😂😂

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

Sadly, yes.

[@aimxdy8680]

USA has one of the lowest homelessness per capita in developed countries, UK, france, sweden, Canada, and most of europe all have higher homelessness rates than the US.

[@theldraspneumonoultramicro405]

HOA's need to be illegal, its absursdly insane how they are allowed to hand out fines, steal your property and deny you your legal rights, the entire board of pretty much all HOA's need to be sent to prison.

[@JeffC-fq1be]

I have no sympathy with anyone who chooses to live in an HOA.

[@GenerationX1984]

I just tell people in the HOA that I think they're a bunch of annoying prudes that I would never invite to a party. People in the HOA love it when you insult them.

[@egresk1]

Sheep live in HOAs. The exception is maybe a Condo where you basically have to have an HOA.

[@Distortic]

I live in an older highrise HOA and I love it. That said, I did lot of reaseach and read the bylaws and talked to residents in 3 different buildings. I learned how scary they can be. There are good ones, But you have to be careful

[@EconomicWarfare]

A good one. When they increase your bill by 200% you won't be saying that.

[@PaperMario64]

We purchased our home and did not know anything about the HOA. Our realtor didn’t tell us until after the fact. It started off as $125 and now it’s almost $300.

[@MaritsaDarman]

These are veterans and this is disgusting what the HOA did to this man

[@MrCPPG]

HOAs ha e banned folks from flying the American flag. GOOGLE IT.

[@JV-pu8kx]

Clauers' case should have been covered by the Service Members Civil Relief Act. I.e. they wouldn't be able to touch it untill up to a year _after_ deployment.

[@Courtney-Alice-Gargani]

I heard mobile home parks work similar.

[@KameraShy]

Not the mobile home parks around me. They are worse. They are rentals owned by landlords. You are stuck with a non-mobile "mobile home." Raise the rent at will. Only moving option is sell the trailer at a huge discount. If you can.

[@jdjose3268]

How is that legal?

[@Keyboardscholar]

One time I checked out a house in an HOA in Bay Area, CA. The dues were $644 a month and it doesn't even have a gym! Some of the rules are outright weird, such as if you rent you need to pay $200 a year "rental fee". I never understand why people buy into HOA. I did some quick calculation and realized that with the same monthly mortgage payment, houses with HOA would have to be thousands of dollars cheaper than houses with no HOA for it to make sense, and even then HOA fees can always increase.

[@slarsen6653]

Wow, the system is broken and power corrupts, no mercy.

[@eliot5220]

I hate HOAs . I like living the way I want in my house.

[@asterisk911]

Interesting. I own an apartment in Penang and used to own two in Hong Kong, and the HOAs have never given me any problem.

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

You can’t NOT have an HOA (technically a COA) when living in a condominium building. When people are crammed that close together there have to be rules to prevent one person from making misery for everyone else. Interesting, you rarely hear complaints about COAs in the press. A lot of them are converted apartment buildings and they seem to have a more minimal set of rules that aren’t more restrictive than the rules any apartment dweller would expect. Even there you get people who move in and think they shouldn’t have any rules at all though. And they didn’t read the rules until after they arrived, even though it’s part of the sales process.

[@kayc421]

An HOA will decrease property values because people hate HOAs

[@hakuji4829]

Drones and Google Maps… are the new weapons of the HOA Karen’s.

[@lhpeterparker]

Mike Clauer got his home back you forgot to mention that. Also the cc&r's can be changed by member vote.

[@lashurediscussion4970]

Vincent is on point and anyone looking to buy, should review this video. Those who buy into HOA love it until they have a disagreements over something small as forgetting to pick up trash bin within the specific time or unapproved toys outside.

[@actionjksn]

I will never allow an HOA to take control of my house. If you find a place with a "good" HOA just remember, there is nothing to prevent it from changing and turning bad and stealing your house. Always reject an HOA.

[@IL_Bgentyl]

Personally I like HOA but not when they are super strict. Minimal fees with minimal expectations. It’s nice being able to negotiate services for a whole HOA. It helps out contractors by consolidating work and drastically reducing cost and helps out home owners by making their lifes easier. I 100% get some are to crazy.

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

Rember not all HOA are the same some aren't even gated or really exsit beyond having a meeting every month.... Which is why they are so prevalent.... Want power? Just form an HOA in a naborhood that nver had one before.

[@VincentChan]

agreed! not all HOAs are bad but all it takes is 1 bad board member to make it terrible

[@SigFigNewton]

HOAs are kinda like communism. Hyper concentrated power within a tiny clique that can’t be held accountable for their looting of others

[@JupiterTarts]

Same can be said for a lot of things aside from HOAs. Police for instance. I know plenty of police officers that are great people and they'll be some of the first to tell you that the justice system has plenty of opportunity for abuse of power. Good examples doesn't change it being a bad system.

[@louislesch3878]

How can people just form an HOA in a neighborhood that never had one?

[@aliannarodriguez1581]

@@louislesch3878So here is my thought on that. I think the rush to get rid of single family zoning is going to turbo charge the development of HOAs where they previously did not exist. Have a nice neighborhood and don’t want greedy developers tearing out all the trees to cram in multiplexes, get your neighbors to set up an HOA. Like your quiet neighborhood and don’t want to add hundreds of people and their cars to your street, set up an HOA.

[@sircharlesmormont9300]

I'm so glad I live in a working class neighborhood that lacks an HOA. It's great. I don't have to pay $300 a month for my neighbors to nit-pick my decor (or lack thereof). I can just live - and it is no one's business what I store in my backyard or what color I paint anything. I have a relatively diverse and affordable neighborhood. Kids, families walking their dogs, and the elderly morning walking crew are always outside during nice weather. Now, if only the bus line would come back!

[@julianhermanubis6800]

I live in an old, established neighborhood in the South with no HOA, and I love it. I have friends who live in housing developments with HOAs, and they all have HOA horror stories. I'd leave the state or even the country if the only housing I could buy were controlled by HOAs.

[@Saratogan]

I am the president of a small HOA in California. We have no management company and all of our board members are property owners in the HOA. I could not do any of the stuff you are talking about even if I wanted to. We have the Davis Stirling Act that governs 100% of what we can do as an HOA board. It is very constricting.

[@davidhunternyc1]

... until you or the next president decide to rule against the Davis Stirling Act. Giving one person or an HOA board this much power is a one way ticket to hell.

[@tutttutt9558]

This video is not presenting all the facts.

[@eattherich9215]

@@tutttutt9558: the facts that the video presents are disturbing enough.

[@MrCPPG]

Ah bdhold, the benevolent tyrant!

[@Saratogan]

@@MrCPPG We came to this HOA governed property after selling our much larger family home upon retirement. I kinda dislike the restrictions that being in an HOA demands. However, it is hard to find a freehold townhouse so we take the bad with the good. Don't like HOAs? Don't buy an HOA govern property.

[@terrenceblackwell4467]

Every homeowner association should not take over someone’s neighborhood because they’re predatory and homeowners are protecting their homes and their rights. It’s like burning the midnight oil

[@b1cf]

My HOA towed my car and let best yard neighbor break the HOA rules.

[@iNick90]

I don't live in an HOA and I absolutely love it. All of my friends who live in an HOA I just sit back and laugh. 😂

[@ShotgunAFlyboy]

An HOA is just the next layer of government as the population grew into a new order of magnitude.

[@cynic5581]

I wish my old neighborhood had an HOA. I was trying to sell my home and my neighbors property was soooooo bad people were offering 100k UNDER its value. Eventually I had to pay to have my neighbors yard cleaned up (took a lot of convincing) than maintain their yard until my house sold. Cost me nearly 10k if you take time into account. My new neighborhood has an HOA with rules that would prevent this. It’s a little pricey but includes pool access, a small gym, and garbage collection. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a fan on being told I need to do stuff however I don’t need to be told to keep my property reasonably nice. I drove back over to my old house recently and the new owner put up this 8-10 foot fence between their house and the nasty neighbor. It looks ridiculous. I talked to the neighbor on the other side that I’m friend with and he calls it the Korean Demilitarized Zone.😂😂 And it really does look like border between a 1st and 3rd world country.

[@dinyhotmail]

Thank you for this video. I have seen what HOAs have done in Florida. I also know that private equity firms are buying many types of properties from trailer parks to hospitals. They do this to drain all the money that they can from these properties. When they have gotten all of the money, they sell them off. Then, people become homeless and hospitals are forced to close. This is absolute greed with no laws that prevent them from doing so. In 2010, a university study found that one in five business leaders are psychopaths. I keep saying that the number is much higher. What you are speaking of is an example of this.

[@Seanpfree]

EVERY single new build in Middle TN has an HOA. Existing homes are 3x more ecpensive. So first time homebuyers that don't come from a wealthy family have no choice at all.

[@Kinsale101]

The people on my neighborhoods don't even pay their HOA fees 😒

[@VincentChan]

wait really? is the HOA board doing anything to get them to pay?

[@SigFigNewton]

So steal their homes from them and laugh like a Disney villain. Function more like a normal HOA

[@JPKnapp-ro6xm]

There is nothing admirable in people not paying their debts, and I bet those neighbors will scream about how oppressed they are when the HOA puts a lien on their house.

[@micosstar]

4:48 "The problem is" that both the narrator and the article say "The problem is"

[@peacefreedom4930]

How do you get rid of an hoa?

[@DiakosDelvin]

You have a HOA vote, just hope the board doesn't dismiss the vote outright or that the board doesn't' have veto right, if they do...the only way to is have every non-board member move until the community is too small to qualify.

[@JPKnapp-ro6xm]

I believe it requires a unanimous vote of the homeowners,

[@notyoung]

One of the items on out search list for the most recent home purchase was NO HOA. That's a choice not everyone has.

[@Rollermonkey1]

When I was looking to buy a house, the wife had all kinds of things she was looking for. I only had one: We would not buy any house with an HOA. The more horror stories I read, the happier with that decision I am.

[@YouilAushana]

8:09 salespeople don't care about your needs beyond the signed contract

[@Taladar2003]

That cult of identical looking houses is so weird. US suburbia is literally a nightmare hellscape because (among many other reasons like lack of anything non-residential, car-centric design,...) everything looks the same.

[@rwarren58]

I'll be watching you as you make our politicians clean this up. Turn up the pressure.

[@MrJZNICA]

I would rather rent than own with an HOA

[@osbornab]

Currently in a dispute with my HOA over their banning me from installing solar panels on my roof. Such much for life, liberty and property.

[@phoebelee55]

Can you please make a video on how HOA’s are good?

[@Srode1999]

It would be 10 seconds long and would consist solely of dead air.

[@William0271]

They should be forced to get a judgement like any other contractual dispute. Selling the home is evil