[claireh10]

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I just bought my first home and during the process, my realtor told me that there is NO HOA in this neighborhood. That was a huge selling point for me. Now, after moving in, I’ve had a couple of neighbors come up to me and say there actually is an HOA and I need to be aware of their rules. But I don’t see any paperwork or anything about this?? Do I have to listen to them or what’s going on? Super confused. Anyone experienced this before?

[nattacked385]

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Usually, if there’s an HOA, it’s clearly stated in the paperwork you signed at closing. Did you check your deed? Sometimes there are covenants or restrictions attached to the property that are recorded, even if an HOA isn’t active. You could have one of those old inactive HOAs. Or maybe the neighbors are mistaken. I’d look into the county records just to be sure. You don’t want to get blindsided later.

[wazzackrind]

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This happened to me too! Realtor said no HOA but then after a few months, a “board member” came knocking on my door telling me I needed to cut my grass more often?? I was like, excuse me, what HOA? Apparently, some of these older neighborhoods have informal HOAs where the neighbors just act like there’s one. But legally, they have NO authority unless you signed something agreeing to it. I’d be cautious but don’t let them scare you. Ask for proof!

[lemoncircular]

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Before freaking out, check to see if there’s something like a “Civic Association” instead of a full-blown HOA. These aren’t the same thing but people confuse them a lot. Civic Associations are more like volunteer groups that try to keep the neighborhood looking nice but they usually don’t have any actual legal powers like HOAs do. If that’s the case, you can choose to ignore them if you want. 🙂

[anthony_s2]

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I think yall should be careful with this one… My friend thought there wasn’t an HOA in her area too, but turns out it was just “dormant” (like someone mentioned). They hadn’t been collecting fees for years, but they still had legal rights to enforce rules. Eventually, they started sending out fines for stuff like fence height and house color. You might not see anything now but the rules could still be on record somewhere. I say talk to a lawyer just in case before you assume anything.

[claireh10]

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One of my neighbors said something about my garage door being “the wrong shade of white” lol, but I’m not gonna change it without proof. I’ll definitely check the county records

[nattacked385]

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Keep us updated on what you find. And yeah, don’t let them push you around without something official in writing. If there really is an HOA, they would need to provide you with governing documents like the CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions). If no one can show you anything, they can’t make you do anything.

[wazzackrind]

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Ugh, garage door drama! I swear some people just LOVE to play neighborhood police. Definitely don’t let them tell you what to do without proof. Also, just because someone says they’re on the “board” doesn’t mean they have any real authority. Stay strong!

[anthony_s2]

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Good luck! Keep your eyes peeled for any mail from the county too. Sometimes if there’s an active or dormant HOA, they’ll send you notices through the mail you might’ve missed. Better to be safe than sorry. Let us know how it goes!

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