If you dislike the policy, don’t buy the property
Libby Thompson’s response (letter, July 31) to Mary Fontaine’s “brown yard” (“Turf war erupts over High Point yard,” July 26) shows the lack of understanding of the purpose of homeowners’ associations.
People who move into homes included in an association have the responsibility to know the covenants of the association as determined by the state of North Carolina before they buy their homes. If they don’t agree with the statutes, no one is forcing them to move there.
One main purpose of the board of directors of a homeowners’ association’s board is to enhance the property values of the homes and, hence, the entire neighborhood. Another, of course, is to provide maintenance and upkeep of homes for those residents who cannot or prefer not to provide their own.
Our board tries to work within the statutes while working diligently with individual home owners’ requests.
Finally, board members are elected with specific terms, and members serve without compensation and can be voted off by the resident owners.
Ed Travis
Greensboro
The writer is president, Cardinal Manor Homeowners’ Association.
Comments (1)
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What you are implying is that if you don't like an interpretation of the rules, vote in new board members who can change the interpretation of the rules. So, what you are really saying is that before someone buys a house controlled by a homeowner's association, the buyer should anticipate the whims of future board members before buying. Wow, that makes much more sense than board members making reasonable decisions that balance the property rights of the individual home owner with the property rights of the other home owners.
Neighborhood association governing boards are nothing more than petty political entities that impose their own tastes onto others. The bad part is that they can turn those taste preferences into a lien on someone else’s property. (I've been subject to those association rules and served on the board of directors for a neighborhood association.)
My advice for those looking to buy a home is the same as Mr. Travis'. Don't buy their homes!
Posted on August 7, 2008 12:05 PM