Whirlwind Home Owner's Association - Be Careful What You Wish For

I live in a neighborhood protected by covenants, codes and restrictions. My Home Owner's Association takes care of: the exterior of my home; all exterior painting; repairs; roofing; my landscaping; my driveway, sidewalk and, when necessary, my snow removal - basically, all the things I don't want to mess with. I pay $250 a month for that. And it's been great.

Great, that is, until my sister moved in across the street. Because my sister moved in with all 17 of her children (I'm exaggerating here, but only by a little), all the rules set forth by the HOA quickly changed. No more roller skating, no skateboards, no basketball in the street, no scooters, no dogs off leash, no dogs barking after 9 pm, no garage doors open unless you're physically standing there, no feeding the ducks, no skating on the pond, no toys in the yard, no sidewalk chalk. No issues, no problems, no noise, no nuisance whatsoever. Or, you will be fined. A lot.

Do all the rule changes bother me? Not really. My kids are older, the rules don't really apply to me. But I can see where it makes my sister a nervous wreck. A month or so ago she was fined $150 for a nugget of poo found on the outskirts of her yard. She took the poo to the board meeting and asked them to prove the poo was in fact dog poo and further, that if it were dog poo that the poo in question came from her dog. The board members weren't prepared for this line of questioning and the fine was removed. But my sister was pretty pissed off and she hasn't settled down much since. And now, for sport, she looks for ways to push the envelope. And unfortunately, we look enough alike that people mistake me for her.

Thanks, Amy.

When Whirlwind's previous owner, Charlie Hicks, and his partners subdivided the former Butcher estate and created a Home Owner's Association, they seriously diminished the resale value of the property. Specifically...