Inflation has already come down quite a bit from it's peak. Yes, it's still much too high but things are going to take time. We can't unravel 15 years of easy money overnight. The market & economy has also cooled quite a bit, we'll have a very low growth year and that's if things go well and we avoid a recession. I don't think intentionally jacking the rates to break the economy is the best solution, although it is a scenario. Keep in mind next year is a presidential election year as well... people may not be paying attention now but they will be.

I don't know why anyone believes the BS inflation numbers put out by the government. Inflation for the basic needs of day to day living has not come down at all. One trip to the grocery store, paying monthly utility bills. Eating out in restaurants, transportation costs, car/home insurance, clothing, the things people spend money on for every day living has not gone down at all and continues to go up monthly.

I don't know why anyone believes the BS inflation numbers put out by the government. Inflation for the basic needs of day to day living has not come down at all. One trip to the grocery store, paying monthly utility bills. Eating out in restaurants, transportation costs, car/home insurance, clothing, the things people spend money on for every day living has not gone down at all and continues to go up monthly.

...which is exactly what those "BS inflation number put out by the government" consistently say

Inflation comes down to this.

The cost of raw materials increased because of SCARCITY during the pandemic. That increase cost was reflected down stream in manufacturing, transportation of goods and services.

SCARCITY drove the price of eggs to $5-$6 doz. Increased production has egg prices falling. Many bakeries in my area ALMOST closed because of increased egg prices.

Workers were scarce during the pandemic and those who where available cannot live on $7.25 hour so Employers are forced to raise wagers to get the number of workers needed or the quality of skilled workers needed.

Retailers are forced to RAISE the cost of goods and/or services because of the increase in salaries and the increase in wholesale products due to the reasons stated above or go out of business.

This (rising prices) applies to ALL levels of the supply chain raw materials , manufacturing, wholesale and retail

BOTTOM LINE: SCARCITY AND INCREASED LABOR COSTS DRIVE INFLATION\\MAKE MORE MONEY THINGS COST MORE

E.G WE DON'T EARN 15 CENTS AN HOUR TODAY NOR DOES A MC DONALDS HB COST 15 CENTS. Remember ARAB oil embargo?Gas lines (high demand, low supply means higher costs)

Rising costs (inflation) is NORMAL in the context of economics, the desire is that it does not far surpass salaries to make things unaffordable. Even if that happens consumers will adjust to the higher costs by foregoing unnecessary discretionary spending

Downtown Real Estate Partners LLC paid Reno Lee Real Estate Partners $1,287,500 for 38,500 square feet of land at 626 W Reno Ave. Allison Barta Bailey handled the transaction.

https://www.loopnet.co.uk/Listing/626-W-Reno-Ave-Oklahoma-City-OK/24286846/

Downtown Real Estate Partners LLC paid Reno Lee Real Estate Partners $1,287,500 for 38,500 square feet of land at 626 W Reno Ave. Allison Barta Bailey handled the transaction.

https://www.loopnet.co.uk/Listing/626-W-Reno-Ave-Oklahoma-City-OK/24286846/

Lol. That's my truck sitting catty corner on the top left corner of the lot. I wonder what their plans are for the site or are they just going to sit on it?

Downtown Real Estate Partners LLC paid Reno Lee Real Estate Partners $1,287,500 for 38,500 square feet of land at 626 W Reno Ave. Allison Barta Bailey handled the transaction.

https://www.loopnet.co.uk/Listing/626-W-Reno-Ave-Oklahoma-City-OK/24286846/

That entity looks to be tied to Johnson & Associates

Quick market update you may find interesting. Average sale price in the MLS increased $15,000 in March over February!! Median days on market trended down to 18. Interest rates have come way off their highs and been trending lower for several weeks now. Inventory has remained flat the last 2 months and still low overall. We are seeing some very aggressive multiple offer situations again ala 2021. I was in a multiple offer in Edmond yesterday on a house that got 15 offers!! As long as rates hold/trend lower prices look to shoot back up quickly with the demand.

^

Thanks for the information.

Now that rates have stabilized, that is probably spurring buyers to pull the trigger rather than waiting for rates and prices to go down.

^

Thanks for the information.

Now that rates have stabilized, that is probably spurring buyers to pull the trigger rather than waiting for rates and prices to go down.

Yep, we need inventory to catch up and level things out. For those waiting on prices to fall and buy the dip it appears it has already happened so you may have missed if you were waiting. Time will tell & rates will dictate the story to some degree but this may still be a good time before prices shoot even higher.

Yep, we need inventory to catch up and level things out. For those waiting on prices to fall and buy the dip it appears it has already happened so you may have missed if you were waiting. Time will tell & rates will dictate the story to some degree but this may still be a good time before prices shoot even higher.

as a realtor have you ever told a client that this is not the time to buy??

as a realtor have you ever told a client that this is not the time to buy??

Yes of course it all depends on the individual situation. It's not always a great time to sell/buy for everyone but it is always a good time for someone.

Quick market update you may find interesting. Average sale price in the MLS increased $15,000 in March over February!! Median days on market trended down to 18. Interest rates have come way off their highs and been trending lower for several weeks now. Inventory has remained flat the last 2 months and still low overall. We are seeing some very aggressive multiple offer situations again ala 2021. I was in a multiple offer in Edmond yesterday on a house that got 15 offers!! As long as rates hold/trend lower prices look to shoot back up quickly with the demand.

Just accepted offer my home in deer creek. It is the middle of a hot price range 250-300. It had 10 showing within 12 hours of listing Friday evening. By noon had multiple offers over asking price. Just nothing on market at all in the area it seems.

Just accepted offer my home in deer creek. It is the middle of a hot price range 250-300. It had 10 showing within 12 hours of listing Friday evening. By noon had multiple offers over asking price. Just nothing on market at all in the area it seems.

Yea anything in Edmond/Deer Creek at that price point is super hot. I have one in Deer Creek listing this weekend about $300k mark and I'm sure it will get multiple offers if I don't sell it off market first.

There are plots of land all over far NW OKC near Deer Creek that are being developed for Housing. Seems like there will be major supply injection over the next year or so.

I read an interesting article in the Oklahoman on line this morning about the Oakdale area. And it reminded me that I had a friend growing up that lived in Oakdale Farms off of Coltrane and they were in that school district (although they didn't use those schools). The crux of the article was that a developer was trying to build a high-density subdivision in that area and the nearby neighbors were against it partially because they felt it would overwhelm the schools and partially because it was so out of character for the rest of the area. They were trying to do something different with their little area partially because of what has happened in Deer Creek. I was kind of surprised to read in the article that the average home prices in that district were $500K-1 million. Of course it raises a NIMBY debate but reminds me that the avenues to "growth" and what "growth" looks like are different based on where you stand.

I would argue that by and large NIMBYs make me sort of crazy when applied to something like a grocery store smack in the middle of Edmond. But I understand the points of these homeowners and wonder if there isn't a happy middle that can be applied.

I read an interesting article in the Oklahoman on line this morning about the Oakdale area. And it reminded me that I had a friend growing up that lived in Oakdale Farms off of Coltrane and they were in that school district (although they didn't use those schools). The crux of the article was that a developer was trying to build a high-density subdivision in that area and the nearby neighbors were against it partially because they felt it would overwhelm the schools and partially because it was so out of character for the rest of the area. They were trying to do something different with their little area partially because of what has happened in Deer Creek. I was kind of surprised to read in the article that the average home prices in that district were $500K-1 million. Of course it raises a NIMBY debate but reminds me that the avenues to "growth" and what "growth" looks like are different based on where you stand.

Oakdale is pretty much the best school district in the entire state .. (K-8 students go to Edmond memorial for high school under an agreement) they are right to be very very protective of that .. because with that comes the very very high property values that the area has ..

It also strikes me that there is not a great deal of "middle ground" in newer OKC-area development. Either you have a very dense development where the houses are rightupnext to each other or you have these magnificent gated communities with fifteen houses behind a wall.

Oakdale is pretty much the best school district in the entire state .. (K-8 students go to Edmond memorial for high school under an agreement) they are right to be very very protective of that .. because with that comes the very very high property values that the area has ..

Yes, Oakdale is unique. There is an agreement between Oakdale and Edmond Memorial, but because Oakdale is a dependent (not independent) school district, kids after 8th grade can actually choose to transfer to any public high school in Oklahoma County regardless of district. It's just that the vast majority of kids who don't go to private schools choose EMHS. I live in the Oakdale district, and my kid will go to EMHS, but there have been several Oakdale kids choose to attend Jones High School because it is a small school like Oakdale and just a few minutes away.

The main issue people are having with the new subdivision is about overwhelming an already maxed out school that is completely landlocked. There are some other neighborhoods in the district with similar or even lower home values than the proposed neighborhood. While some may complain about the home values being lowered by the new neighborhood, that's a secondary issue. The school dates back to 1907 as Witcher School, and people are worried that their historically very small school will change with the influx of new students.

Yes, Oakdale is unique. There is an agreement between Oakdale and Edmond Memorial, but because Oakdale is a dependent (not independent) school district, kids after 8th grade can actually choose to transfer to any public high school in Oklahoma County regardless of district. It's just that the vast majority of kids who don't go to private schools choose EMHS. I live in the Oakdale district, and my kid will go to EMHS, but there have been several Oakdale kids choose to attend Jones High School because it is a small school like Oakdale and just a few minutes away.

The main issue people are having with the new subdivision is about overwhelming an already maxed out school that is completely landlocked. There are some other neighborhoods in the district with similar or even lower home values than the proposed neighborhood. While some may complain about the home values being lowered by the new neighborhood, that's a secondary issue. The school dates back to 1907 as Witcher School, and people are worried that their historically very small school will change with the influx of new students.

Of course they're worried, now that they're IN Oakdale. However, Im sure they didnt have that worry when they themselves were trying to buy a house in the Oakdale district. Everyone in the suburbs wants development to stop as soon as they move there.

The fact that this development is donating several acres to the school district seems like a very big positive and more reason for this development to be approved.

I glanced at that area on Google Earth just now. I was kind of amazed at how many high-quality neighborhoods had blossomed in that area. I can imagine that the high-density nature of certain types of building is another turnoff, that it will really change the character of the area.

This is one reason why towns incorporate. I wonder if anybody in Oakdale has explored that idea.

^

It's called the Drawbridge Syndrome: once someone crosses, they want to stop access to anyone that wants to do the same.

Many people on my social media feeds have indicated difficulty finding a good home under $250k in OKC right now. Apparently the $200-250k market is scorching and very competitive. Speaking of the drawbridge, my wife and I remark almost daily how grateful we are to have bought the home we have when we did: 2017.

Without getting into too many details, we got a great deal, put about $50-$75k into it over the years (not including the solar panels), and can easily cover mortgage and taxes. What many people don't realize though is how expensive it is to keep up a home. Not as in making it glisten like something on HGTV, but just to keep the exterior and interior paint up, deal with occasional plumbing and electrical issues, replace garage door openers, fix sprinklers, the list is seemingly endless.

WE would do it again given the deal we got on our home, but we wonder about people stretching to pay a high mortgage and not having the expendable income required to properly maintain their home.

^

It's called the Drawbridge Syndrome: once someone crosses, they want to stop access to anyone that wants to do the same.


I certainly agree that there is a lot of that. And that's generally not activity to be encouraged. But I do think one's motives can be more nuanced than that. Part of why people live where they do is they find something appealing about the character of the place. I don't know a soul in Oakdale, but setting aside the issue of the schools, I could imagine, for example, someone out there saying "I don't really care how many warm bodies move out here as long as the homesites and neighborhoods are built to certain standards" (size of lots, numbers of trees, building materials etc). It doesn't always have to be about "keeping people out."

WE would do it again given the deal we got on our home, but we wonder about people stretching to pay a high mortgage and not having the expendable income required to properly maintain their home.

There are a ton of flip houses in my neighborhood, most going in the $275,000 - $350,000 range.

What strikes me the most is how people buy a home that has been completely remodeled, then fail to maintain it at all. I think a lot of these people are first-time home buyers that get seduced by the Instagram appearance. Before long, the yard isn't cut, the flower beds are overgrown and the outside isn't maintained. It doesn't help that most flippers just cut the weedy lawn low and throw mulch on top of weeds in the beds. Looks okay for about a month and then without maintenance a lot of these places look terrible.

It's amazing to me that someone would pay $300K and then not bother to get a simple lawn service or at the very least, buy a freaking lawn mower and weed the beds.

Pete, your post seems piercingly directed at me haha. This is my first year having to maintain a yard and the grass grew faster than I expected, so tomorrow is dedicated to cutting the lawn and putting down new mulch.

^

It's called the Drawbridge Syndrome: once someone crosses, they want to stop access to anyone that wants to do the same.

Drawbridge Syndrome is virtually all BS.

If people invest $ hundreds of thousands and much of their lives in a home in which to live and raise their families, they want to protect and enhance their investments. I am certain there are jerks but most people don't care who moves in as long as they maintain or enhance the neighborhood standards.

What IS a problem is overbearing and controlling government, like in Colorado, where they are likely to pass laws that will essentially outlaw zoning so multi-family housing can be built anywhere. It totally eliminates local control over our lives.

Drawbridge Syndrome is virtually all BS.

If people invest $ hundreds of thousands and much of their lives in a home in which to live and raise their families, they want to protect and enhance their investments. I am certain there are jerks but most people don't care who moves in as long as they maintain or enhance the neighborhood standards.

What IS a problem is overbearing and controlling government, like in Colorado, where they are likely to pass laws that will essentially outlaw zoning so multi-family housing can be built anywhere. It totally eliminates local control over our lives.

I know first hand that you are wrong about that. I moved to Mustang in the late 60's before it really started to grow. My family opened a grocery store there and we were very happy to see it grow rapidly. That was not true of most people and I heard it from them myself. They just wanted it to stay a small sparsely populated city after they moved in. My father was on the planning commission and heard it often also.

There are a ton of flip houses in my neighborhood, most going in the $275,000 - $350,000 range.

What strikes me the most is how people buy a home that has been completely remodeled, then fail to maintain it at all. I think a lot of these people are first-time home buyers that get seduced by the Instagram appearance. Before long, the yard isn't cut, the flower beds are overgrown and the outside isn't maintained. It doesn't help that most flippers just cut the weedy lawn low and throw mulch on top of weeds in the beds. Looks okay for about a month and then without maintenance a lot of these places look terrible.

It's amazing to me that someone would pay $300K and then not bother to get a simple lawn service or at the very least, buy a freaking lawn mower and weed the beds.

this is what stunned me living in Mesta park for 8 years. With the money people were cranking out to buy houses, especially the last few years I lived there, I was always shocked (and super pissed) by how people let there yards go to complete crap. If you can’t at minimum keep your yard mowed and somewhat alive, you aren’t responsible enough to own a home. It isn’t that hard…especially if you’re someone who can fork out that kind of money to buy it in the first place. There are zero legitimate excuses for it other than laziness. I had to mow my neighbors yard in addition to mine a few times while I had my house on the market…they finally took a hint and started doing it regularly there self but no one should have to be shamed into doing it.

People that don't take care of their yards are everywhere. And I'll add trees to that too.

People that don't take care of their yards are everywhere. And I'll add trees to that too.

True, but it's particularly shocking someone would pay $300K+ for a home and then not even make the slightest effort to maintain the yard.

Why spend all that money on something that looks great and then not bother to pay someone to cut the grass?

On my next walk, I'm going to take photos and post them. Beautifully remodeled (and expensive) homes where the new owners let things go as soon as they moved in. It's like it never occurred to them the grass would ever have to be mowed.

^^^^ some people just couldn’t care less. I know some people like that and I’ll never understand it. They’d look at you crazy for think they should maintain their lawn.

^^^^ some people just couldn’t care less. I know some people like that and I’ll never understand it. They’d look at you crazy for think they should maintain their lawn.

Yeah I was to the point of obsession that I replaced my front yard with zoysia and cut it like a fairway with a handpowered reel mower. I obviously don’t expect anyone to be that much of a perfectionist but I mean come on…with a power mower on a city lot…it takes 20-30 minutes to quickly mow and edge the front yard. Just can’t understand going through all the work to buy a house then letting the part that everyone sees go to crap.

I paid 91.5k for my house in 2018. Ever since then I've been very anal about taking care of my yard. I even have TruGreen come out and treat it. Every time I mow, I'll edge, weed eat, and then use my leaf blower to get rid of the clippings. Then, some of my neighbors around me just let their yards go to crap. A few houses down from me, there's a house where the grass/weeds have been over a foot tall. I even went to my next door neighbors house one day last year and asked if they would want me to mow their yard.

^^^^ some people just couldn’t care less. I know some people like that and I’ll never understand it. They’d look at you crazy for think they should maintain their lawn.

This is me. I am lowkey proud of how little time and effort I spend on my yard. I have a million little weed flowers right now and the bees are everywhere and it makes me so happy. My neighbors have strange alien green pre-emergent sprayed on their yards so it looks like ass all winter and god knows how much that costs. What a bunch of losers.

I know first hand that you are wrong about that. I moved to Mustang in the late 60's before it really started to grow. My family opened a grocery store there and we were very happy to see it grow rapidly. That was not true of most people and I heard it from them myself. They just wanted it to stay a small sparsely populated city after they moved in. My father was on the planning commission and heard it often also.

You're providing a 60 year old arguement? Sorry, that holds only a little water now in a big city.

True, but it's particularly shocking someone would pay $300K+ for a home and then not even make the slightest effort to maintain the yard.

Why spend all that money on something that looks great and then not bother to pay someone to cut the grass?

On my next walk, I'm going to take photos and post them. Beautifully remodeled (and expensive) homes where the new owners let things go as soon as they moved in. It's like it never occurred to them the grass would ever have to be mowed.

You just proved my point. It's not that people move to a neighborhood in and ofvitself, it's that they move in and let their house turn to trash which affects everyone's property values.

You just proved my point. It's not that people move to a neighborhood in and ofvitself, it's that they move in and let their house turn to trash which affects everyone's property values.

This doesn't remotely prove any point, but okay.

Some people just don't care, certain cultures also really don't like to maintain/yardscape. We've got a house caddy corner from us that sold cash and I've had to send my lawn people over it's gotten so excessive. Brand new BMW's, Mercedes, etc in & out of their car staple constantly and they could care less about the yard but I know they have a ton of cash.

This is me. I am lowkey proud of how little time and effort I spend on my yard. I have a million little weed flowers right now and the bees are everywhere and it makes me so happy. My neighbors have strange alien green pre-emergent sprayed on their yards so it looks like ass all winter and god knows how much that costs. What a bunch of losers.
You and my dad would get along. He borderline gets mad when I spend my own money to do stuff on his yard even though my mom approves lol

This is one of the big advantages of an HOA. They force people to maintain their property.

Some people just don't care, certain cultures also really don't like to maintain/yardscape. We've got a house caddy corner from us that sold cash and I've had to send my lawn people over it's gotten so excessive. Brand new BMW's, Mercedes, etc in & out of their car staple constantly and they could care less about the yard but I know they have a ton of cash.

Laziness, sloppiness, entitlement, and being completely inconsiderate of anyone/everyone around you. What culture is that because man that culture sucks.

This is one of the big advantages of an HOA. They force people to maintain their property.

That is the only good thing about them. Otherwise, ceding control of your property to your neighbors just sucks. Too many horror stories of power-thirsty HOA boards for me to be okay with them. I'm lucky I live in a neighborhood without an HOA. I specifically told my realtor I don't care what the price is, I am not interested in any house with an HOA. Personally, I feel they should be illegal. Current city ordinances regarding parking on unpaved surfaces and overgrown lawns should be enough.

A friend of mine had a lien placed on her house because she removed a tree that died and fell over on her driveway in a windstorm. She called a tree company out the next day to remove the blown-over tree. She received a fine for unapproved landscaping -- had to receive board approval to remove the tree. She refused to pay the fine and they placed a lien on her home. Absolute insanity to voluntarily subject yourself to such treatment in my opinion.

That is the only good thing about them. Otherwise, ceding control of your property to your neighbors just sucks. Too many horror stories of power-thirsty HOA boards for me to be okay with them. I'm lucky I live in a neighborhood without an HOA. I specifically told my realtor I don't care what the price is, I am not interested in any house with an HOA. Personally, I feel they should be illegal. Current city ordinances regarding parking on unpaved surfaces and overgrown lawns should be enough.

A friend of mine had a lien placed on her house because she removed a tree that died and fell over on her driveway in a windstorm. She called a tree company out the next day to remove the blown-over tree. She received a fine for unapproved landscaping -- had to receive board approval to remove the tree. She refused to pay the fine and they placed a lien on her home. Absolute insanity to voluntarily subject yourself to such treatment in my opinion.

Most of them aren’t that bad. I’ve had the opposite problem in a couple HOAs - no one wants to be the bad guy so they don’t enforce much of anything.

In reality, most HOAs likely fall somewhere in the middle.

I'd love to have an HOA.

I love living centrally and being among a diverse population. But of the 8 other homes on my cul-de-sac, only 1 of them really keeps up their property. 2 are okay and 5 are report-them-to-the-city crappy with constant weeds and/or inoperable vehicles. And I'm the only one that parks in the garage.

I actually clean up trash and spray for weeds in the gutters and sidewalks. It would sure be nice if the city ran a street sweeper once or twice a year and actually maintained the new sidewalks being installed all over town.

Today, I walked all around the Wheeler District and I'm starting to see the appeal.

Some people just don't care, certain cultures also really don't like to maintain/yardscape. We've got a house caddy corner from us that sold cash and I've had to send my lawn people over it's gotten so excessive. Brand new BMW's, Mercedes, etc in & out of their car staple constantly and they could care less about the yard but I know they have a ton of cash.

What “culture” are you referring to here?

I'd love to have an HOA.

I love living centrally and being among a diverse population. But of the 8 other homes on my cul-de-sac, only 1 of them really keeps up their property. 2 are okay and 5 are report-them-to-the-city crappy with constant weeds and/or inoperable vehicles. And I'm the only one that parks in the garage.

I actually clean up trash and spray for weeds in the gutters and sidewalks. It would sure be nice if the city ran a street sweeper once or twice a year and actually maintained the new sidewalks being installed all over town.

Today, I walked all around the Wheeler District and I'm starting to see the appeal.

You have to be careful now days about weed control. You will be accused of being a bee killer. I see it all the time on Nextdoor. People purposely not doing any weed control and shaming people that do.

You have to be careful now days about weed control. You will be accused of being a bee killer. I see it all the time on Nextdoor. People purposely not doing any weed control and shaming people that do.

You'd be wise just to avoid Nextdoor.

As hateful as people can be on social media, that site seems to be the worst of the worst.

Regardless save the bees seems to be the new cause. And purposely not doing weed control and letting them grow tall is their method. I personally use Greener Grass spraying service so I have a completely weed and crabgrass free lawn.

Regardless save the bees seems to be the new cause. And purposely not doing weed control and letting them grow tall is their method. I personally use Greener Grass spraying service so I have a completely weed and crabgrass free lawn.
I actually support this it’s called native gardening and is very beneficial. I also love a nice lush green lawn as well. There are ways to have a well maintained yard that doesn’t look like complete sh!t and be bee friendly.

I actually support this it’s called native gardening and is very beneficial. I also love a nice lush green lawn as well. There are ways to have a well maintained yard that doesn’t look like complete sh!t and be bee friendly.

That’s the perspective I operate from as well. I love yard equipment and maintaining things, it’s essentially an art in itself so that can be really satisfying on the days my right brain is more active, but I also find it important to be mindful of how I contribute to the surrounding ecosystem and ways I can positively influence it without being an eyesore.

You're providing a 60 year old arguement? Sorry, that holds only a little water now in a big city.

LOL. People are still people and attitudes haven't changed at all no matter how much the population of the OKC metro has changed in that time. That area is basically rural in nature just like Mustang was then.

I'd love to have an HOA.

I love living centrally and being among a diverse population. But of the 8 other homes on my cul-de-sac, only 1 of them really keeps up their property. 2 are okay and 5 are report-them-to-the-city crappy with constant weeds and/or inoperable vehicles. And I'm the only one that parks in the garage.

I actually clean up trash and spray for weeds in the gutters and sidewalks. It would sure be nice if the city ran a street sweeper once or twice a year and actually maintained the new sidewalks being installed all over town.

Today, I walked all around the Wheeler District and I'm starting to see the appeal.

I have lived in HOA subdivisions for the better part of the past 25 years and have had exactly 1 issue, which turned out to be nothing more than a misunderstanding about low voltage yard lights. If someone is a slacker or prefers to live in proximity to other slackers then an HOA probably isn't for them.

I get that some people don't like to be told what to do, but if you are properly maintaining your property you don't need to be told - you already know what needs to be done, and I think that is the crux of the problem.

Home ownership is held up as some great feat we should all aspire to but the reality is most homeowners lack the time, physical ability, skill, money, and/or desire to maintain their property. They would better off in a condo.

My problem with HOAs isn't the maintenance aspect but that they can make a place feel sterile. When I was looking for a home, a seller's agent told us the neighborhood was under an HOA to protect property values by "keeping your neighbor from painting their house pink." I wanted to live in a community with a little more character than that.

My problem with HOAs isn't the maintenance aspect but that they can make a place feel sterile. When I was looking for a home, a seller's agent told us the neighborhood was under an HOA to protect property values by "keeping your neighbor from painting their house pink." I wanted to live in a community with a little more character than that.

It's also to keep people from doing something that affects more than just themselves. Selfishness can run rampant. "Ah, I want to paint my house pink. It will look so cute!" That has ramifications on other homes. There is a reason for them. Then if they try to sell it, they can't. It is a vicious circle. And that could easily hinder someone nearby from selling (buyers look at everything). But yeah, that is an extreme example. But seeing a neighbor who doesn't give a rats behind about their property says a lot, and definitely can scare away potential buyers. It isn't character to not mow your grass or trim hedges. It's laziness.

Lots of people think like that, right up until someone actually paints their house bright pink. It never ceased to amaze me how many people complain about their HOA and then don't show up to a single HOA meeting. I guess they think the HOA is some Illuminati organization operating in dark recesses of society with the sole purpose of measuring the height of their grass in the middle of the night.

Drawbridge Syndrome is virtually all BS.

If people invest $ hundreds of thousands and much of their lives in a home in which to live and raise their families, they want to protect and enhance their investments. I am certain there are jerks but most people don't care who moves in as long as they maintain or enhance the neighborhood standards.

What IS a problem is overbearing and controlling government, like in Colorado, where they are likely to pass laws that will essentially outlaw zoning so multi-family housing can be built anywhere. It totally eliminates local control over our lives.

But they use this "protect our investment" line as a blanket ban on anything new to be built. A neighborhood with slightly smaller lots and homes isnt going to harm their investment.

Im beginning to be more of a fan in no zoning laws like you mention in Colorado. Hasnt seemed to have hurt Houston. In the end it makes developing cheaper and more reactive to the market.

But they use this "protect our investment" line as a blanket ban on anything new to be built. A neighborhood with slightly smaller lots and homes isnt going to harm their investment.

Im beginning to be more of a fan in no zoning laws like you mention in Colorado. Hasnt seemed to have hurt Houston. In the end it makes developing cheaper and more reactive to the market.

Same, single family zoning has a stranglehold over our country and prevents the construction of a great deal of housing that is desperately needed. At this point I'm pretty close to the opinion that it should be banned everywhere.

You have to be careful now days about weed control. You will be accused of being a bee killer. I see it all the time on Nextdoor. People purposely not doing any weed control and shaming people that do.

Which is why I participate and advise everyone to drown their lawns in Roundup and insecticide on the regular.

Suburbia is not going to make or break bee populations and my yard was not managed for years, so we're still trying to get the weed program under control so that we can have a nice stand of bermuda.

You can easily plant flower beds that are friendly to bees and other pollinators.