We were not really looking for a home in a planned community, but the house kind of chose me anyway. I saw so much potential in the place, that I was willing to overlook some stuff. Now that we are living in a planned community again, there are definitely pros and cons to it. {In case you are not familiar, a planned community is one of those suburban communities on crack. It’s suburbia intensified. It is basically a dense group of houses with schools, shopping, hospitals, etc. grouped strategically around it so that they can serve YOUR basic little community.}
First off, the pros: The amenities are awesome. It’s a quick drive to basically anything I could possibly need. Seriously, everything is within about a 1 mile radius. In a pinch, I could literally “walk” all my errands. Another bonus is that there are oodles of common green spaces for the everyone to use. It makes the whole neighborhood seem more spread out and not so boxed in, one house after another. Even better, all of the common areas are professionally landscaped and maintained, so it makes the whole neighborhood feel nicer. The neighborhood has a very communal feel yet is still feels secluded because of all the mature landscape.
Now, the cons: I have to pay extra dues to an association so that they can maintain all of the green spaces. Along with those dues come rules about how I can and can’t use my property {no chickens allowed}. So, if I wanted to put up a giant dream catcher on my roof, it would probably be a no-go {though, there is nothing specifically about dream catchers in the covenants, so maybe I should just give it a try and see how it goes?}. Another thing I am still getting used to is the sheer amount of people around. There are always people walking by in front of our house…and since the lots are much smaller than our last place, the houses are packed in a little tighter. People are not bad, I just totally got used to complete privacy. No more walking around the house in my pajamas…at least not with the blinds open. 😉
Overall, though, it has been a pretty easy transition. Do you live in a planned community? What do you like about it? What could you do without?
~Mavis
Oregon mom says
Our little country town is only 5,000 people and it doesn’t even have any neighborhoods like that. But even if it did I couldn’t live in one, we love our chickens too much to give them up. Plus if I want to paint my house hot pink I don’t want some HOA telling me no and keeping me in boring brown!!
Donna in VA says
Yes, I live in a planned community, have been since my marriage in 1984. Our lot size is just under 1/2 acre, mostly wooded. There are miles of maintained walking paths (they even snowplow them), Olympic size swimming pool about a block away, several shopping centers I can walk or bike to. My doctors are all nearby, say within 3 miles. I take exercise classes at the community center, again within walk/bike distance, which is also where the farmer’s market meets May-November on Saturday mornings. I rented a garden plot that is within walking or biking distance (usually drive though due to needing shovels and stuff.) There is bus service and subway service is being extended out to us within the next 5 years. It is completely awesome. Yes, it is compact, but so often I am out walking the dog and see NOBODY (if the weather is not perfect.) On perfect days, everyone is out.
My parents live way out in the middle of nowhere and are now housebound and dependent on hired help to do everything for them. Nightmare!
sharon says
I want to get more acreage and I’m not as young as you are. And our children are trying to discourage us. I don’t know how much help your parents really need, but I wonder if where they are will allow them to live happier, longer llives.
Villebilly says
So Mavis doesn’t have the nice garden anymore?
Leanna says
I am a country girl 100%. I drive an hour to get to a mall, 1/2 hour for places like Wal-mart, Staples, BJ’s and Wegmans (my favorite grocery store). And I am very willing to keep it that way! In the winter time we can see the neighbors about 1/2 mile down the road because the trees lose their leaves. Otherwise, we do not see the neighboring properties from our house. We live along a country road that has minimal traffic in the winter time, but a bit more in the summertime because Keuka Lake is just down the hill and the population increases because of people spending the summer at their lake cottage. A campfire in the backyard in the summertime is awesome – especially on a clear night when the only light is the flickering flames of the fire – and the countless stars in the sky. I am very content to stay right here where I am.
Leanna T. says
Oh Mavis you gained another Leanna. I’ll have to go by Leanna T. Now. Good to see another Leanna. Welcome!!
Leanna says
Leanna definately is not a common name so I notice when another one appears. Nice meeting you Leanna T. And Mavis, thanks for keeping life interesting by giving us ‘100 dollars a month’.
sandra says
I can’t believe someone who seems as independent as you will last very long in this type of community. My sister lived about 1 mile from me and she didn’t stay many years. She kept getting letters from the association – things like she had so many days to remove tags from bushes she had planted, she had to remove a fence that was already around her pool as it was the wrong kind. I thought it was hilarious when I drove by a neighbor washing his driveway with soap no less. Even a type A person should have something better to do. I feel sorry for you.
Sara says
We are currently selling our home in a planned community. After 8 years we’ve decided that we want a little more freedom and room. I agree there are definitely pros, but after a while you can only take so many rules.
Joyce Tucker says
One plus of living in a subdivision with HOA (not a planned community), is that the neighbour isn’t going to start an oil change business out of his garage, or another neighbour isn’t going to rent out his back yard as boat and RV storage.. Or.. He’s not going to park on the street in front of your house, put his car up on blocks, and leave it there for a month..( We’ve experienced each of these scenarios.) We had a guy down the street at our first new home (in an area without an HOA), who left his nonoperational car on the street for so long that 2ft tall grass started growing under the tires. HOA’s protect you from that type of unpleasantness. If the HOA is properly run, it will help keep your property values up. Now, I don’t like that they can dictate what type of fence you erect around your property. I’m lucky to have never lived under an oppressive HOA. I guess we’ve been lucky…
Katie says
I totally agree! I grew up in a rural area in a western state. A lot of people had the mindset that they could do whatever they wanted on their property (and the lack of zoning and law supported it). It’s awful to see your neighbors start a junk car collection, pull up an old RV that will never move again, or decide to start running a dog kennel. All of these scenarios happened. An HOA can really protect your investment. When it was time to sell, I’m sure my parents could have asked for 20% more for their house and property, if it hadn’t been next to that pile o’ mess.
Susan says
We are in our 3rd home in 43 years – none have been in a planned community.
Taxes and utilities, etc. are high enough without adding association fees. I have known people who live in these communities and it would be waaaay too much drama for me!
I (like others have posted) enjoy my chickens, big garden and planting whatever I want on my property.
Cliff Hawley says
God, living in a planned community is my idea of a nightmare. I wouldn’t even buy a home in a community with an HOA. I want the absolute minimum amount of interference in my life from some board full of busybodies who get off on codes and rules. It makes me angry just thinking about someone whining that my grass is a little too long or I have the wrong species of bushes in my yard.
Cheryl says
I don’t know if this is a planned community or not. When I bought this house, I was told there was an HOA for the common areas and I had to pay minimal dues for the upkeep of the signage, fences, grass cutting, snow shoveling, etc. I don’t know how long after that that I found out it was a bit more involved than just the common areas…if I had known that, I never would have bought the house. Note to self, next time insist on the HOA bylaws before signing any paperwork!
I find it mind blowing that I can be told what color to paint the house, what color of shingles, what kind of landscaping, etc. I was especially blown away when I was told I could not change the grade in the back yard, especially when the flooding rain took up residence in my crawl space! I understand the concept of an HOA, but I think it goes too far when you cannot even be the individual you are with your own tastes. I like green…I am not thrilled to death with a oxidized blue siding house with a dark blue door. And I don’t like living in a cookie cutter house!
Practical Parsimony says
I live in a small town and in the first subdivision ever in this town. This subdivision is also a Historic District. I have chickens and am not supposed to have any at all. I have a clothes line, my yard needs mowing, and my house is falling down. There is talk of an HOA for Historic Districts. So far, no one has proscribed anything that is not a city ordinance–like mowing the grass regularly. I would move if a fight to keep my chickens failed.
jestjack says
Wow…what a BIG change for you guys! What happened to the chickens? In this neck of the woods we live not to far from one of the original if not the first “planned communities/cities” in Columbia Maryland which was the vision of the the Rouse Company. It gets mixed reviews but as I seem to recall home values take a hit because of the added costs and fees for living within the community. I may have missed it…but why such a drastic change in location? You put so much work in your landscaping and garden recently… I’d rather set my hair on fire than put up with a bunch of regs!
Pam says
I don’t feel quite as strongly about it as some others. Like you said – there are pros and cons to living in a planned community. I lived in a planned community prior to moving here. I faithfully paid my dues every quarter to support an HOA that did NOT keep it’s end of the bargain. My immediate neighbors included the “private used car lot” and the “mommy run day care”. When it was time to sell my home, these things did NOT help my property value and the HOA was not interested in enforcing it’s own rules. So an HOA did not endear itself to me. I did, however, appreciate a grocery store, drug store and Post Office in walking distance of my home. My kids never rode a school bus until high school. Now I’m on 10+ acres on a pot hole filled dirt road. My closest neighbor is 2 miles away and I can garden naked if I choose to. I can have any livestock I choose to, I can paint my house any color I choose to and it’s an hour drive to the closest anything. Personally, I’m a LOT happier now. But I do occasionally miss having everything close by and having neighbors keep an eye on the place when I have to be gone all day. Everything has it’s price……….:)
Deborah P says
My closest neighbor is a half mile away and I am 5 miles from the heart of the village. I am able to free range my 9 chickens and 2 guinea fowl, have a mega 3 tiered clothes line and my son even drives his go-cart all over the place! While the solitude is nice, driving close to 20 miles to the nearest grocery store is a downside. Our village has 2 dollar stores which are okay in a pinch but not always the best for the pocketbook!
Susan S. says
My husband and I live in a pre-planned suburban community, and I completely agree that there are pros and cons. I think that there’s a time and a place for everything, and we presently have two small children and both of us work full-time. As a result, the convenience and maintenance free living of a pre-planned community frees up the precious little time we have to spend as a family, and we have a really nice quality of life without a lot of inconvenience. Plus, the lower maintence means less money out the door, since we don’t have to invest in equipment or need to drive long distances spending a ton in gas. Another bonus is that we have community reclaimed water, so there are community opportunities to share resources and cut back on impact to the environmental footprint. Having neighboors so close means an opportunity to share and barter with one another, and our kids always have playmates that I know, and I know their parents and family rules. Now…. Once the kids are gone, my husband and I are going to move into a much different place, with more character. Probably a historic area of town where there are fewer rules, but we’ll have more time to devote to maintenance, etc… I see the value in both communities.
Constance Wheeler says
Like another gal has said, I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, WOULD CHOOSE TO LIVE WITH RULES, REGS, ETC. ABOUT HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE! Truly amazing that you can do it with the wonderful property and freedom you had. We lived in a sort of planned community when first married, over 45 years ago. My husbands job was with the Dept of Transportation and he was a civil engineer so we went wherever the highway jobs were til they were finished and then moved on to the next. We had a manufactured home so it was an easy move .. stick towels, pillows in the cupboards and tape them shut, then call the movers and go. Once in a while we had to move into a manufactured home park with it ‘s rules, etc. but we always looked for acreage to rent. Now I live on my grandparents property, having inherited it when they passed. 23 acres, some pasture, some wooded, year round creek. I do what suits me and have chickens, geese, ducks, pigeons, doves, pheasants, several garden areas, bee/butterfly/hummingbird gardens, water gardens, exotic hair sheep, one horse at the moment, dogs, cats .. wild animals. I can’t imagine leaving all this and going anywhere soon. My daughter will inherit and her daughter after her. My daughter moved closer to the “big city” for going to college and work but was back out here 3-4 times a week and moved back within 2 years. Nope, I don’t see anything I’d trade to live in a planned community .. Good luck to you Mavis .. I have a feeling like the other person, you won’t be able to last long where someone tells you you can even hang your socks on a line in the backyard.
Lisa says
I’m too much of a live and let live person to live in a neighborhood like that. I see the appeal of having things near, but I live in the city and stuff is pretty close here as well. I could easily ride a bike most places and walk to some if I were so inclined. We have a neighborhood association, and I know (and like) most of my neighbors. We did have a drug dealer living across the street. That caused some stress, but, I’m happy to say, pressure on the landlord got him out. I could even have chickens, but a kid, two dogs and a fish is quite enough for me to keep alive. I do have a yard that I have some raised beds in and there are lots of community gardens in the city if you want a bigger garden.
Vy says
I’m in my first owned home, and after renting for my entire adult life, I specifically looked for a place where I call all the shots. There’s no way I would pay money for someone to tell me how to live! Also, I’ve worked for attorneys before and the shiznit those HoA’s try to pull is insane. If you don’t abide by their citations, they can take your house. Yeah, not for me 🙂
That said, I can see that there is definitely a time and place for a nice, peaceful planned community. Wishing you all the best!
Nichole says
I bought a condo as an rental investment for the future which I am living in now. I like that there are some rules to preserve my property value. However, I don’t think all rules can be enforced. I think these “planned communities” are designed to maximize space and location which means they are usually by major roadways = traffic. Personally I do not think there is enough space for everyone and there is too much “sharing.” If this wasn’t a short-term plan for me I would not give up my rights to live anyway that I please…have privacy, a garden, animals, and etc.
Helen in Meridian says
I think you can adjust and enjoy your neighbors. We are in Meridian’s 1st (meaning old) subdivision before all the rules were imposed like newer subdivisions. My dh’s hobby is ham radio, and we can have his antennae on our roof or up a tree. They are not unsightly, but most HOAs don’t allow them. I know you have only one year or so until you will be free to travel all you want. This means that your area will be taken care of, just not your new garden. PS…wear your pajamas all day if you want. They really can’t see inside your house as much as you can see outside. Everyone loves your footie pjs.
Linda says
I used to work in the business office of a large HOA. They strictly enforced the even the most ridiculous rules – such as the color of tarps used in the back or side yard. Neighbors would call the business office and ask us to send someone out to tell their next door neighbor to move their car. They relied on the HOA instead of just walking over to the neighbors and having a conversation. Never, never, never would I live in such a place!!!
HollyG says
We’re out in the country and I don’t think I could ever go back into a development again. I love my chickens, my clothesline and my greenhouse. I can’t imagine having to clear my paint colors with a board of neighbors and, while I don’t agree with the folks up the road a piece that have painted their house the same color as the fire hydrants, I honor their freedom to choose it. I think planned communities are great for lots of folks, just not my cup of tea.
Milissa says
We are desperate to get out of our planned community. It is not in town, but on the outskirts, so we still have to drive 5 minutes to get to a store. When I bought the townhouse years ago, I thought I would like the rules to keep everything clean and neat. It is just not worth it for us. We want chickens and so many other things, most of all we want freedom.
Good Luck. I hope you love your new house and community.