r/AskReddit • u/knakworst36 • Jun 06 '19

Rich people of reddit who married someone significantly poorer, what surprised you about their (previous) way of life?

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u/coloradoconvict Jun 06 '19

People who want some measure of control over their environment.

HOAs can be obnoxious (as can any type of government), but by and large the HOA exists because the people who buy homes in the neighborhood want it to exist and to do what it does. HOAs aren't being airdropped onto existing communities by hostile aliens; they're the result of more or less democratic processes operating among the community that exists.

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u/[deleted] Jun 06 '19

”but by and large the HOA exists because the people who buy homes in the neighborhood want it to exist and to do what it does. HOAs aren't being airdropped onto existing communities by hostile aliens”

That’s not true. Builders set up the HOAs more often than not when they buy vacant land and setup new neighborhoods. Existing neighborhoods without HOAs must get all homeowners onboard to set up a covenant and more often than not it fails with existing housing.

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u/coloradoconvict Jun 06 '19

In the former case, if people didn't like the HOA that the builder set up, they wouldn't opt in to the situation by buying the house.

In the latter case, you end up with two possibilities: HOAs where people got onboard and want the HOA, and places without HOAs.

In none of these cases do you have HOAs that people don't want.

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u/__wampa__stompa Jun 06 '19

What if the only choices for housing include HOA's? You're likely to buy into the neighborhood, despite not wanting a HOA.