Houses...wtf?

The choices where I live are Charter for cable, Dish or Direct for satellite or an antenna up 30-40 foot in the air (free standing tower or roof mounted) for OTA.
 
Reba said:
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.
Click to expand...
Once people become a trustee at my condo they don't want to give it b/c they're able to get away with breaking the bylaws . When I first moved here I was asked to be a trustee b/c the one for my building never went to the meeting and he didn't live in his unit he rented it out. He didn't want to give up being a trustee. We have too many tenants here so we end having trustees that don't even live here . They are clueless to what needs to be taken care of until it fall apart . I have to made most of the phone calls to get things fixed in my building ..
 
Foxrac said:
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).
Click to expand...
My buddy lives in a really nice subdivision, I thought to buy a house there before. Recently this past year they all fought the HOA as they paid really high HOA FEES but nothing was ever done to the roads, pool...ect... other than they complain about color paint and siding you use to fix your house...wtf right? So they fought back, the HOA refused to do repairs to the pool and other stuff... so the home owners quit paying it, guess what the HOA did? Yep, they filled the pool in with dirt, took down the fence and made a half ass play ground, now since they didnt tear the concrete out, the pool still fills with water during rains and turns into a mud pit thats a hazard ( like quicksand or mud bog ) so the people are fighting with what used to be the HOA to fix the issues they didnt do right and found out they didnt pull proper permits to do what they did....big oopsie for someone showing their ass...lmao.
 
Reba said:
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.
Click to expand...

I noticed that when I lived in SC. For a long while I didn't recycle since partly because I lived in an apartment and there's no easy way for the recycling to be picked up anyway. What I ended up doing eventually was to take my cans, bottles, plastic bags to the Bi-Lo near where I lived- they had big barrels for recycling. Can't remember if there was one for paper though.
 
Foxrac said:
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).
Click to expand...
Wow! Our fee is $130 per year and some people complain about that.
 
DeafDucky said:
I noticed that when I lived in SC. For a long while I didn't recycle since partly because I lived in an apartment and there's no easy way for the recycling to be picked up anyway. What I ended up doing eventually was to take my cans, bottles, plastic bags to the Bi-Lo near where I lived- they had big barrels for recycling. Can't remember if there was one for paper though.
Click to expand...
Here its crazy to recycle... they recycle at the refuse division, telling everyone not to bother with sorting it because even the trucks that pick it up, people mix crap in it anyways. So still they manually go through it... I think its a hidden agenda, for........ job Security! If machines do everything then, a lot of people are going to be out of work.
 
sonocativo said:
My buddy lives in a really nice subdivision, I thought to buy a house there before. Recently this past year they all fought the HOA as they paid really high HOA FEES but nothing was ever done to the roads, pool...ect... other than they complain about color paint and siding you use to fix your house...wtf right? So they fought back, the HOA refused to do repairs to the pool and other stuff... so the home owners quit paying it, guess what the HOA did? Yep, they filled the pool in with dirt, took down the fence and made a half ass play ground, now since they didnt tear the concrete out, the pool still fills with water during rains and turns into a mud pit thats a hazard ( like quicksand or mud bog ) so the people are fighting with what used to be the HOA to fix the issues they didnt do right and found out they didnt pull proper permits to do what they did....big oopsie for someone showing their ass...lmao.
Click to expand...

Yike, I heard about neighborhood with most foreclosed homes had to rid of swimming pool and fill with dirts, also become Section 8 properties. Some of them threw HOA out.

I'm not fan of HOA and they can be very messy in some area, also in Alabama, if you refuse to pay HOA fee so they can foreclose your property, even if you have mortgage, it is allowed under 1990 law.
 
Reba said:
Wow! Our fee is $130 per year and some people complain about that.
Click to expand...

Yes but Alabama may be one of lowest property tax in the nation and that why cities don't generate enough revenues to repair the neighborhood roads, also if you are 65 so you will get complete exemption from property tax in some counties.

Birmingham used to patrol the neighborhood and fine homeowners for neglecting the properties, but they stopped in late 60s after massive lawsuits that where black families were targeted, similar to Freguson situation, so after that, urban decay started growing out of control and this city no longer to send contractors to demolish or renovate the properties anymore. My grandma told me that Birmingham used to had very beautiful neighborhood in 1950s.
 
:ty: Reba - we really like it. I was raised in a major urban area but went to college in a small hunting town up North of about 20-thousand people so that kinda prepared me for living here. Hub grew up in a VERY rural are in a house that his parents built from scratch, on a road that wasn't really much of a road then <late60's> and had no name...his parents actually named it. I think now it has maybe 3 stoplights.

Foxrac, didn't know that about where you live. We've visited in Tenn and the Carolinas but never iin AL. <about sidewalks>
 
AlleyCat said:
Have you considered buying some open land and building something brand new?
Click to expand...
Yes, actually one seller for a lot is a home builder and currently talking to them. If things can pan out, Id have them to build the shell ( finished exterior structure) with a kitchen and bath (open floor plan) and I will build the interior as I go... framing of non load bearing walls, partitioning off the open space is easy and cheap.
 
Good deal! Today, too many forecloursed on the houses where people can't afford to finish their house payments because of the interests and markets are bad lately. I brought my townhouse for $50K in Illinois and we fixed stuff up make it currently modern look. Once if you buy that house, fix up some need repairs, the more money you could earn if you use as rental to someone, or live for youself save lot money!

We will be looking for another house and put this townhouse up for rent at $1500 month, going to be our extra incomes..
 
But thn til I saw that pictures of founation, You need to get an inspector have it check before you decide to buy the house.
 
A neighbor had to take a $25,000 plus lost when he told his condo . He paid too much for it , and put a lot of work into it too. So he
 
Back
Top