General Discussion

For example, the maximum fine for a single violation of HOA rules was limited to $100.

This means no more huge fines for petty issues used to harass people until they conformed or moved away, sometimes under threat of foreclosure.

There's no way I could live in an HOA. I am a non-conformist.

One of the first things my wife and I did when we moved into our current home was to remove the lawn and replace it with plants adapted to the local climate. We painted our front door a bright color, we don't park our cars in the garage, we put up a basketball hoop for our children and their friends (for anyone who wanted to use it, actually), etc.

All our neighbors do their own thing too, especially regarding house colors. We have multi-generational families living under one roof. We have people decorating their gardens with gnomes, fairies, and mushrooms. People come by with hand carts selling ice cream, tamales, and fruit. It's pretty obvious we are a "multi-ethnic" neighborhood.

These seem to be the sorts of things many people living in HOA neighborhoods are trying to avoid.

I like living in neighborhoods that are messy, noisy, and exuberantly alive, not in neighborhoods that my favorite botanist calls "graveyards for the still living."