Houses...wtf?

HOA... at my second house, very classy hood ( 300K + homes) we were told we couldnt park trucks overnight on the street or in our driveways...wtf? I had a couple nice show trucks ( not the lowriders and stupid crap ) classic 4x4s I had and were too tall to get into the garage. They tried to cite me and make me pay fines or tell me to park them blocks away...yeah right to get stolen or damages? We battled it out and I won the cases, they changed the rules to no business vehicles... idiots still as several worked for major companies and had work assigned vehicles ( ATT, Charter...ect...) well, that was their battle now.
 
sonocativo said:
HOA... at my second house, very classy hood ( 300K + homes) we were told we couldnt park trucks overnight on the street or in our driveways...wtf? I had a couple nice show trucks ( not the lowriders and stupid crap ) classic 4x4s I had and were too tall to get into the garage. They tried to cite me and make me pay fines or tell me to park them blocks away...yeah right to get stolen or damages? We battled it out and I won the cases, they changed the rules to no business vehicles... idiots still as several worked for major companies and had work assigned vehicles ( ATT, Charter...ect...) well, that was their battle now.
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Charter cable serve in your area?
 
sonocativo said:
yeah its one of the few major carriers here besides sprint and ATT
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Oh wow, Charter cable is primary company in most part of Birmingham metro, except for Birmingham city limit and Irondale (under Bright House).

It will change anything after Charter buys Bright House.
 
Charter was the big thing here, but now they rank #2 with ATT Uverse taking the lead. Charter is trying hard to compete but failing hard.
 
sonocativo said:
HOA... at my second house, very classy hood ( 300K + homes) we were told we couldnt park trucks overnight on the street or in our driveways...wtf? I had a couple nice show trucks ( not the lowriders and stupid crap ) classic 4x4s I had and were too tall to get into the garage. They tried to cite me and make me pay fines or tell me to park them blocks away...yeah right to get stolen or damages? We battled it out and I won the cases, they changed the rules to no business vehicles... idiots still as several worked for major companies and had work assigned vehicles ( ATT, Charter...ect...) well, that was their battle now.
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I could never live with a HOA. I'd end up smacking someone. LOL!
 
jonnyghost said:
I could never live with a HOA. I'd end up smacking someone. LOL!
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My dog Finlay wanted to eat the jackass trustee that locked us of the building in the middle of winter ! Finlay had cancer and was peeing a lot so I went outside only wearing
a light coat and didn't have my hearing aid on. I was just going to run out and come back in , the jackass had just walked into the house and was standing at the door
and locked the storm . I was BS! I was just about to break the glass on the damn door ! I had to bother my 90 yo neighbor so I could call the jackass and tell him to open the damn open ! When Finlay and I walked back to my building he looked up at jackass window on the second floor and started to growl like I never seen before !
After this happen Finlay growl at the jackass every time he saw him and once the jackass ran up the stairs crying and almost fell ! I hate living in a condo !
I would love to be able to find a small house with fence in yard and get the biggest and meanest looking dog for protection .


@ sonocativo I heard of people living with HOA being told they can't park their trucks in the parking lot b/c it didn't fit in ! I know someone that was told their trash can was the wrong color and the couple had just lost to their baby that a stillborn. WTF ! People could of chipped in a brought them the right 'color' trash can .
 
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whatdidyousay! said:
My dog Finlay wanted to eat the jackass trustee that locked us of the building in the middle of winter ! Finlay had cancer and was peeing a lot so I went outside only wearing
a light coat and didn't have my hearing aid on. I was just going to run out and come back in , the jackass had just walked into the house and was standing at the door
and locked the storm . I was BS! I was just about to break the glass on the damn door ! I had to bother my 90 yo neighbor so I could call the jackass and tell him to open the damn open ! When Finlay and I walked back to my building he looked up at jackass window on the second floor and started to growl like I never seen before !
After this happen Finlay growl at the jackass every time he saw him and once the jackass ran up the stairs crying and almost fell ! I hate living in a condo !
I would love to be able to find a small house with fence in yard and get the biggest and meanest looking dog for protection .


@ sonocativo I heard of people living with HOA being told they can't park their trucks in the parking lot b/c it didn't fit in ! I know someone that was told their trash can was the wrong color and the couple had just lost to their baby that a stillborn. WTF ! People could of chipped in a brought them the right 'color' trash can .
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Im trying to figure how the HOA relates to the stormdoor being locked, and they usually dont know about personal matters excpt the trashcans are standard staples of the area?... Im lost with this one.
 
sonocativo said:
Im trying to figure how the HOA relates to the stormdoor being locked, and they usually dont know about personal matters excpt the trashcans are standard staples of the area?... Im lost with this one.
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I was responding to jonnghost comment about he would end up slapping someone if he had to deal with HOA . The jackass that locked me out was the trustee of my building and he was able to get away shit by abusing his power . And I was agreeing about wanting to slap someone ! My comment has a lot to do HOA
in condos , this happen a lot , any time you give anyone any kind of power there is going to people that abuse it any way they want . There is a lot of
'double standard' at my condo.
 
HOA's can be a pain but without them our neighborhoods could devalue. Also, the HOA's take care of the common areas, such as the entrances, playground and swimming pool.

Our trash/recycle pick-up company provides the containers free for us. (If we move, we leave the cans behind.) They have to be a certain size and shape to fit the automated arm of the trash truck. Each company uses a different color so they're easy to recognize--it's not a style thing.

In our neighborhood, the rule about parking overnight in the roadway is set and enforced by the county and/or city, not the HOA. We all have driveways and garages, so there's no need for overnight parking.
 
People aren't allowed to park any truck they use for their businesses at my condo but is not being enforce . One woman was thinking of buy a condo and asked if she would
be able to her trailer she use for work in the driveway . Everyone has their own parking space at my condo and each unit come with only one parking space.
So people that have 2 cars end up using the spaces meant for guests. Some people park on the street b/c they're too lazy to walk a few steps to their building . But they can't park on the city during a parking ban. I was told by a realtor that my building is devalued b/c we have 4 units and tenants live in 2 of them and a bank
could refuse a buyer a loan by saying the tenants devalue the 2 unit that are owner occupied. This is what I mean by saying a condo is only as good as people running it !
 
Reba's right. Here it's the same thing. Both the trash cans and recycle bins are provided to the house holds. The cans because they have to fit the truck. Yes there are rules about where to park (not on the grass- we almost got nailed for that one once) but it's understandable with trying to maintain the neighborhood and not allow for devaluation.
The friend I mentioned before- now there her condo board let their power go to their heads and pretty much zeroed in on her when she tries to point out things that need fixing or is wrong with the...ahh can't remember what but it had to do with money. They'll pick on anybody who upsets the status quo in order to get the needed (badly needed) and proper maintenance.
 
Reba said:
HOA's can be a pain but without them our neighborhoods could devalue. Also, the HOA's take care of the common areas, such as the entrances, playground and swimming pool.

Our trash/recycle pick-up company provides the containers free for us. (If we move, we leave the cans behind.) They have to be a certain size and shape to fit the automated arm of the trash truck. Each company uses a different color so they're easy to recognize--it's not a style thing.

In our neighborhood, the rule about parking overnight in the roadway is set and enforced by the county and/or city, not the HOA. We all have driveways and garages, so there's no need for overnight parking.
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Part of this must be because of the size of the city. My whole city is just about 13,0000 with two smaller communities that you have to read the signs to know when you cross the boundary. The total population within the city limits of all three is probably about 15,000. There is some buildup outside of the city limits in addition.

Trash is handled like Reba posted but recycling is not done that way. Here is a link to a page about recycling here. http://www.centraliarecycles.org/
The contact page has a photo of the facility. It offers drive-thru drop off during the times listed. You drive in the single wide door on the right hand side of the building as shown. Volunteers help with your unloading.http://www.centraliarecycles.org/contact-information

The city is the one that has hired the pick-up company and we pay for water, sewer and trash on one bill by-monthly from the city.

There are a few very narrow streets where you cannot park on both sides of the street. Then there are a couple of highways that go through town that have no parking in places.

There is only one outside swimming pool, one recreation complex with an indoor pool and a few parks with playgrounds that are operated by the city, not a neighborhood. The Recreation Complex was built and is run by the Centralia Foundation. It was mainly financed by contributions which varied greatly in amount from donor to donor. Explore the several page site about it starting with the home page. http://www.centraliarecreationcomplex.com/default.asp
 
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We live in a rural are - horse/cow country, no sidewalks - though about 7 minutes from the freeway and about 15 minutes from a metro area; 25 minutes <depending on traffic> or so from a major urban area. When looking for our house in '12, we avoided neighborhood/communities with HOA's and subdivision regulations, as we have the dogs and wanted to put up fencing, among other things.

We picked up our recycling bins from the village hall originally, but with the change to single-stream recycling last year, the trash service dropped off new bins for recycling. When we moved we also bought bins for garbage from Home Depot, I think.
 
Jane B. said:
Part of this must be because of the size of the city. My whole city is just about 13,0000 with two smaller communities that you have to read the signs to know when you cross the boundary. The total population within the city limits of all three is probably about 15,000. There is some buildup outside of the city limits in addition.
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Could be. Our city is over 46,000; our neighborhood (subdivision) is 500 single-family houses. Our city population was 22,000 when we moved here in 1990. Yikes! Too much growth too soon.

Trash is handled like Reba posted but recycling is not done that way. Here is a link to a page about recycling here. http://www.centraliarecycles.org/
The contact page has a photo of the facility. It offers drive-thru drop off during the times listed. You drive in the single wide door on the right hand side of the building as shown. Volunteers help with your unloading.http://www.centraliarecycles.org/contact-information
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We have weekly curbside pick-up recycling of paper and cardboard. They used to also pick up plastic and cans but they quit a few months ago. There was no profit in those materials anymore, so plastic and cans now go in the regular trash. We have a recycling center/trash dump if we want to take big loads of stuff like remodeling debris or appliances. It's open six days a week and is free to residents of the county.

The city is the one that has hired the pick-up company and we pay for water, sewer and trash on one bill by-monthly from the city.
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Our trash pick up is covered by city taxes.

. . . There is only one outside swimming pool, one recreation complex with an indoor pool and a few parks with playgrounds that are operated by the city, not a neighborhood. The Recreation Complex was built and is run by the Centralia Foundation. It was mainly financed by contributions which varied greatly in amount from donor to donor. Explore the several page site about it starting with the home page. http://www.centraliarecreationcomplex.com/default.asp
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Looks like nice facilities and programs.

Our Family-Y has similar facilities for the public. Most HOA-managed neighborhoods (subdivisions) also have their own outdoor swimming pools for residents only and for a seasonal fee. Some also have playgrounds, ball and soccer fields, tennis courts, hike and trails, and clubhouses.
 
dogmom said:
We live in a rural are - horse/cow country, no sidewalks - though about 7 minutes from the freeway and about 15 minutes from a metro area; 25 minutes <depending on traffic> or so from a major urban area....
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That's a nice combination--rural living but still easy access to the city.
 
DeafDucky said:
. . .
The friend I mentioned before- now there her condo board let their power go to their heads and pretty much zeroed in on her when she tries to point out things that need fixing or is wrong with the...ahh can't remember what but it had to do with money. They'll pick on anybody who upsets the status quo in order to get the needed (badly needed) and proper maintenance.
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The problem with our HOA is that very few people want to volunteer for the board. The board members quit because they get so much grief from the residents. Too much complaining that the HOA does too much or they don't do enough or they do it wrong.

It wasn't so bad when we first moved here (1990). For a few years in the 90's, TCS was even HOA president, and for several years after that he served in other capacities on the board. Not in recent years though; too much ill will in the community. We try to avoid the drama.
 
dogmom said:
We live in a rural are - horse/cow country, no sidewalks - though about 7 minutes from the freeway and about 15 minutes from a metro area; 25 minutes <depending on traffic> or so from a major urban area. When looking for our house in '12, we avoided neighborhood/communities with HOA's and subdivision regulations, as we have the dogs and wanted to put up fencing, among other things.

We picked up our recycling bins from the village hall originally, but with the change to single-stream recycling last year, the trash service dropped off new bins for recycling. When we moved we also bought bins for garbage from Home Depot, I think.
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In Alabama, in most suburbs, there are no sidewalks, all nothing.
 
Reba said:
Could be. Our city is over 46,000; our neighborhood (subdivision) is 500 single-family houses. Our city population was 22,000 when we moved here in 1990. Yikes! Too much growth too soon.


We have weekly curbside pick-up recycling of paper and cardboard. They used to also pick up plastic and cans but they quit a few months ago. There was no profit in those materials anymore, so plastic and cans now go in the regular trash. We have a recycling center/trash dump if we want to take big loads of stuff like remodeling debris or appliances. It's open six days a week and is free to residents of the county.


Our trash pick up is covered by city taxes.


Looks like nice facilities and programs.

Our Family-Y has similar facilities for the public. Most HOA-managed neighborhoods (subdivisions) also have their own outdoor swimming pools for residents only and for a seasonal fee. Some also have playgrounds, ball and soccer fields, tennis courts, hike and trails, and clubhouses.
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Our HOA fee skyrocketed after city refused to cover the cost for pave the road, also we have no swimming pools, no clubhouse, no playground but we have to pay $1,000 annual for HOA fee that cover on road cost.

I know that Birmingham city limit has tax cover on trash pick-up so no bill for residents in city limit, but in almost all suburbs and unincorporated, we have to pay garbage bill ($15 per one bin).
 
sonocativo said:
Charter was the big thing here, but now they rank #2 with ATT Uverse taking the lead. Charter is trying hard to compete but failing hard.
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Yes, Charter is big in central Alabama but Comcast control most of North Alabama (Madison and Huntsville).

There is Charter cable over the power lines but they don't bother to expand to our neighborhood because builders threw cable out in 2002.
 
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