cardaddy
New member
- Nov 20, 2012
- 3,937
- 0
Sand... welcome to grain.
Truthfully... I didn't think anything of it when I read your flood light statement. I mean I'm going on 59, and (with the exception of the home we lived in till I was 4) I've never lived anywhere without flood lights. For all I know... we had them there too, (which was downtown Atlanta). I know the second home had them, which was also in Atlanta.
OTOH... don't get me started on yard Nazis er.... HOA's.
Which by and large are a 'clique' of individuals in your neighborhood/subdivision that take it on themselves to insert their rules on your life. (Rules... not *laws*.)I'm all for covenants, as they enforceable by law, and neighborhoods with properly drafted and enforced covenants generally retain property value better than those without.
But an HOA is (in my experience) generally nothing more than a few busybodies that, get off on butting in, and end up thinking they are the 'law'.
The oldest friend I have, (going back to high school), got himself elected VP, the President the next year (after he an another pulled of a coup) of the HOA where he used to live. He'd ramble on about how they went after these people or those people. Pffffftttt!!!
Then, at one point he asked me to look at the neighborhood website and see if I could help them with it. When I did... I noticed that hey had a discussion forum, which I thought was cool. I mean, what better way to promote 'community' than having an actual community discussion forum? After discussing the site with my friend, it was the forum that he, AND THE HOA wanted to do away with. Quote; "We don't WANT them talking to each other, we will TELL them what we want them to know".
The one thing he wanted me to check out, was if they could stop people from "putting up those "GD" satellite dishes!" I told him that not only could they NOT, but people could also put up an antenna OF ANY SIZE to receive a "digital high-definition television signal".
He went APE chit crazy! Then he proceeded to tell me that they'd stopped them from putting up those "GD" satellite dishes, and they'd continue to do so. That's when I told him, thanks... but no thanks. Not only was HE in the wrong, along with the entire HOA, but Federal Law prohibits ANYONE from stopping you receiving the new "digital off-air HDTV signal". I warned him, and told him that both the HOA, and the officers personally could have to answer to a law suit.
Then I sited him the law, (47 C.F.R. Section 1.4000, 1996) which basically says you can install an antenna (of any size) and a dish up to 1 meter (unlimited size in Alaska) on property you own.
The rule applies to viewers who place video antennas on property that they own and that is within their exclusive use or control, including condominium owners and cooperative owners who have an area where they have exclusive use, such as a balcony or patio, in which to install the antenna. The rule applies to townhomes and manufactured homes, as well as to single family homes.
(The only exceptions would be in attached housing like condos, apartment, multiplexes etc. with 'common areas' and restrictions needed for safety or historic preservation.)
Off topic... I'll concede to that, but just part of the ridiculousness of HOA's.
FWIW, our neighborhood is all custom homes, 1~3 acres lots (one 25 acre flag lot down on my end that backs up to our creek, and is still unsold, 16 years later), no HOA, but restrictive covenants filed with the county that have worked just fine thus far.
I'm more bugged out by my neighbor keeping his outside garage lights on 24/7 than anything else.... not that it's harmed me in any way.
I'm guilty however of trekking out the dual-head halogens on the driveway as well after dark. Sometimes you take a dinner break, and realize you just need a bit extra light to finish up after dark.
And for that... I'd like to see someone try and tell me I can't.