I rented a condo with a HOA, Direct TV has just come out so I shelled out $840.00 for all the equipment I'd need to
receive Direct TV. I'd mount the antenna on a kitchen chair and put it out on the pouch when I wanted to watch TV. Then
at bed time I bring the chair back in side. After a few days the HOA told me that satellite receivers were not allowed. Now
this was back in the day where satellite receivers were at least 12 feet in diameter, mine was less than 2 feet in diameter
and mobile. I tried explaining that to them but they would not listen. So I ended up telling them to F off. Yup I just flat
out told them to go F themselves. Needless to say I was soon evicted.
When I went looking to buy a house I had two things I insisted on. Water Front and No Home Owners Association.
We decided to downsize and sold our home. We had considered moving into a condo with HOA. Hubby wanted something with a garage and can't do stairs so we moved into a house. But, cost wise, I still think we would have been better off in the long run with the condo. Yes, you pay an HOA fee, but it covers lawn care, upkeep of the building, and then depending on the community, they have other amenities like pools, club houses, gyms, hiking trails, golf courses, etc. More affordable I think really in the long run. As I age, I don't mind the close proximity to neighbors that most HOA's offer.