Robert I thought of you when I saw this!

[launderess]

Much of this stems from the fact for the most part many people do not buy homes with the intention of remaining in 10 years if that. Thus they are consumed with property values because god forbid they should decide to sell and not get three or more times back what they paid. One can't get away from these people, they wake each morning and check the houses for sale adverts/property listings to see what homes/apartments in their area/building are selling/sold for. If property values drop, someone is slacking off and bringing the area down, and a witch hunt is launched to find the offender(s), and bring them to justice.

Then there are of course the "White Man's Burden" sort who feel it is their God given duty to preserve the area and save those not so blessed from slipping slowly down the social and economic ladder. Clothes lines are for "poor people", who cannot afford to own much less use a dryer, or so goes the rationale.

Those condesending Hyacinth Bucket types get right up my nose. One would just like to turn the hose on them or set the dogs upon them the minute they show up at the door. Don't bother answering nor inquiring why they have come, it is never good news and always an occasion for dressing you down for yet another infraction of the endless stupid rules.

 

[frigilux]

There are actually clothesline bans? Never heard of such a thing. Must be a 'city' issue. Except for my college years, I've lived in very, very small towns (2,000 and 4,500); No one would dream of trying to ban clotheslines.

I'm a recent convert to outdoor line-drying. I love it---and the savings on my electric bill.

 

[whirlcool]

Watch Out For "Undercover Agents"

we live on a cul-de-sac. The first two years we lived here, just about everyone on our block would get bombarded with "nasty-grams" from our HOA. It could be:

Your house paint color is not becoming to the neighborhood.
You are putting your garbage bags out too early.
You have been caught taking garbage down to the end of your driveway in your "morning clothes".
Your grass is too tall/your grass is too short.
Your automobile is not "of the level of condition that one would expect to see in a neighborhood such as ours". I actually got that one for having my 1970 VW Squareback on the driveway!

Then our little 80 year old granny that lived at the end of the street moved. All of a sudden all of these nasty-grams stopped.
It didn't take too much for us to conclude who was at the bottom of all that mess with the HOA.

Most HOA people are little Hitler's that are also major league control freaks. I would say the women on the board are much worse than the men. At least with a guy, he'll understand the mechanics of your property.

 

[rinso]

I think our HOA consists of 2 Schnauzers, a Lab, several mutts, 16 cats, 4 horses, 2 cows, about a dozen ducks, a goat, and other assorted barnyard critters. At least that's what I can see from our back yard.

They haven't complained too much about our clothes lines. Good thing, too, as we have a standing rule in our house. We never put in the dryer, what can be hung outside. This should help Mr. Fisher's and Mr. Paykel's (I heard they were lovers) dryer last a long time.

 

[frigilux]

Wow, HOA's sound like a pain in the ass! We have no such thing in my little burg. I can't imagine someone telling me what I can or cannot do with my own home and property. Bitching about putting garbage cans out too early or guests parking their cars on the street overnight? Lordy!

 

[badata]

WOW!!!!

Terry............hang your damn clothes on the line!!!!!

what i'm hearing from you guys is just unbelievable!!! WHO GIVES THESE PEOPLE THE RIGHT TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS?? NEVER NEVER NEVER !!!! I would do the opposite of these stupid "rules" just to CAUSE a problem!!!! WHAT is wrong with hanging your clothes on the line? and taking your garbage out too early??? WHAT???????? are you serious?? i would tell these people to ---- off!!!! none of this affects me but i can tell you i'm getting pissed!! the more i think about it the madder i get!!!! who do these people think they are?? unless they are paying MY mortgage and MY taxes.....they don't have a say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! maybe i'm seeing things too narrowly? i don't know but WOW!!!! incredible

 

[hoover1060]

Well I never...

Intended this thread to go off in this direction!

For the most part my HOA is ok, and I have done some stuff to the house that I did not seek approval from the HOA for(just wait til I paint my front doors harvest gold or pumpkin orange like I saw on another house in the neighborhood)
I also know that the HOA people have jobs to do too, but they have to be responsible and courteous as well.
I am pretty lucky though, my monthly HOA fee is only $140, that pasy for all outside maintenance(Lawn, weeds, leaves, snow removal) garbage pickup, and allows me use of a 9 hole golf course(literally steps from my front door) and a clubhouse with two outdoor and one indoor pool. They keep pretty good care of everything, so I have no real gripe about the money every month.
Some people I know pay twice that every month for much less service!

 

[re563]

First of all I have to say, Being a Realestate appraiser, Clotheslines DO NOT effect property value. This falls under "Personal Preference". As does the choice over carpet or tile, Rocker lightswitches over conventional lightswitches, Blue painted interior walls over yellow. All personal preference and does not effect the value of a home. All of these things can be changed/removed when a new owner takes the home.

The debate over clotheslines goes right along with many, many laws that are getting passed everyday that everyone has no idea how they effect them. I would be willing to bet that all of us here are breaking some sort of law everyday that is on the books that we don't even know about. Slowly "they" are trying to take away rights of everyone. People of America need to stand up and take back the control of our governments. I quote both from the Constitution and the movie "American President"--"It is not only the right of the American public to question our leaders, but our responsibilty"

 

[tlee618]

Thanks everyone for the information about the clotheslines. Not sure what would happen here because as Leslie mentioned I signed a contract of such when I moved in stating I would follow the rules. This has become a very interesting thread!!

 

[63getelevision]

RE563, Have You Met

Mr. Councelor? That is his name. In 2005, I was reeling from abuse at work, three major hurricanes that had damaged my house, a depression from personal problems, and at the time, the grass was not high, but there were some daisies growing in clumps, maybe four, and the planter was a mess. There were much worse around here, (River Park) and I get this detailed property assessment and old picture of the house, from this twisty-assed Naziesque little queen, which in turn caused me no end of anguish. My brother, one of the owners of this property, gave no sympathy or support. After having complied, I never heard a word out of the little weasel, and had to call him, but he did show in person the day my next door neighbor got busted for animal abuse. Bottom line, neighbor was not charged with abuse, because animals were fed and well cared for, but the inside of the house was another story. Situation was corrected to the best of my poor friends ability, and her eldery dog was put to sleep as a result of her interfering "friend" that had to take posession of the house because of a forclosure. Long story, but anyhow, I have a clothesline, that I use for airing out bedding and rugs.

 

[magic clean]

Here is an overview into

the world of Florida HOA's. Really, they are not bad. They can be somewhat onerous depending on whom you have for neighbors as Whirlcool mentioned earlier.

HOA - Deed restrictions now the norm

 

[63getelevision]

My property needs to be neater than it is, but it has not reached critical mass, yet. The tip top neighbors are few, but the "worst" as far as what's visible, are within reason. There's definately a limit as to what HOAs should expect.

 

[re563]

I'm not sure what you were driving at there 63getelevision--The point that I was making here is that HOA's have there place but there are alot of things that go way beyond a HOA and I was widing the scope of what is going on in this country

 

[63getelevision]

sorry

I was referring to Code Enforcement, but never mind.

 

[andrewinorlando]

It's very simple....if you buy a home where a HOA exists, then you agree to abide by the deed restrictions and covenants set by the HOA. Make sure you know what they are before you sign on the dotted line. Don't assume you can just live with them. That does not mean that any HOA anywhere in the USA is permitted to make rules which violate local, state or federal laws. And trust me, some will unknowingly try. HOA's like any other governing body, have a purpose. If you don't want to be a part of that, then don't. It's not for everyone. But the bottom line is that no HOA can create rules or enforce rules that violate the laws of the state in which they reside. Those rules are considered by any court to be unenforceable, or null and void, just as signing a contract (lease) which contains clauses that violate the law are null and void. It's no different than a HOA making a rule that says we don't allow our homeowners to sell to black people. Violates Title IV and would be illegal. And the HOA can find itself smack dab in the middle of a lawsuit. Rules vary by state as to the culpability of the individual members of the board in any suit, but this is all simple private law.

So, if you want a clothesline, make sure they're allowed and/or protected by environmental law....then hang away!!

 

[mattywashboy]

I'm pretty sure there is nowhere in australia that does not allow you to line dry your clothes, i could be wrong maybe but certainly not in WA i believe.
Line drying is awesome, i love the freshness of line dried clothes with the scent of the detergent or softner and the natural smell of the outdoors, it provides really nice laundry. Especially bedsheets, love sleeping on fresh line dried bedlinen. Clothes dryers are good for softening things and drying in wet weather, plus towels come out real nice but i still prefer line drying

 

[toggleswitch]

Wrinkle reduction? Do I fit in there?

Twenty minutes in the dryer (out of a normal 60) before line- drying does a great job of fluffing, softening, wrnkle reducttion and energy conservation as well as a fresh-scented load.

The best of both worlds.

 

[westyslantfront]

The only thing I have against hanging the clothes outside is that they are usually softer when machine dried, especially terry towels.

Ross

 

[polkanut]

Line dried bath towels are great for exfoliation of the skin.

 

[neptunebob]

Problem and a question...

We used to have a clotheline and liked it. It ran from the deck to a tree. This year we had a problem with carpenter ants and the exterminator said that the clothesline was like a bridge for the ants to go from the tree to the house. I think I will get a clotheline that is inside a reel and will have a metal pole at the end but will that keep the ants away? Perhaps I could spray a lot of Raid on the pole?

If you violate a HOA rule, what are the sanctions? Could they evict you like a landlord? But if they were like a landlord, would they not fix, at least, the gutter that was dented?

Makes me wonder what people can do on their property. In our neighborhood we have a man who is going through depression, is Not a Chippendale model, and inherited a house. When he does yard work in hot weather, he wears nothing but a red Speedo. It's really hard to miss when driving down the street. Do I have the right to tell him to choose more fashionable swimwear? It would be OK if he had a clothesline, but he would probably have the Speedos on it too!