There are plenty of reasons to hate HOAs--the dues, the haphazard enforcement, the onerous regulation--but this story highlights the best reason to hate homeowners associations: the ability to foreclose on your home for lack of payment of HOA dues.
The Clauers' four-bedroom, 3,500-square-foot home had been sold on the courthouse steps for just $3,500 — enough to cover outstanding HOA dues and legal costs.
The new owner quickly sold it for $135,000 and netted a tidy profit.
I can't imagine the person who bought the house on the courthouse steps. Taking one look at the property must've told them there was something wrong with the situation, and I couldn't sleep at night if I'd kicked a family out of their house under these circumstances.
HOAs are a menace. In exchange for access to the community pool, you give up most of your rights to the peaceful enjoyment of your property. Some people argue that preventing your neighbor from painting his house purple or parking his car in the yard is worth it, but I frankly think HOAs are the work of the devil (and I live in a neighborhood with an HOA).
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