Well... I think there are two sides fo the story... most of the US Citizens that have come to live in Mexico the first thing that they do is paint their houses of a very bright colors, they decorate the inside with Rustic mexican furniture and are so happy!!

I always wondered what was up with them until I learned how mean and picky home owners associations can get...
I think is wrong for someone to say to you what color paint your house, how hich your houses are, which kind of plants to get, what items can be outside, and that always leave your car inside the garage!!

I have a friend that buys a lot of artcrafts from Mexico and keeps them all in the Garage on her house in New Port beach , where she kept them all in shelves.... so one day she had a lot of things to get into her house and forgot like for 10 minutes to close her garage door.... A little bit later authority came with a TICKET and ask her to close her door and she had to sell or get rid of most of the art she kept in there!

!!What ever happened to privacy!!

Also another friend one night hosted a party and invited ALL NEIGHBOORS so these people came, ate and drank, party a bit and talk and being all nice.. and like 20 min after they left they call the police to quite down THE SAME PARTY THEY WHERE JUST IN!!! what in the world??

And apparently you cant fix your car by yourself, even if you can you have to pay for it as one of my uncles once got a ticket for fixing his car INSIDE his garage just with the door open because it was too hot!


I know many neighborhoods in Mexico don't look too pretty with houses of many heights and shapes, but this is the total opposite extreme! To me is just wacky...


Do you also think is wacky or is it just very common over there??

Not exactly, Mariana_X.

Here in Florida, before you buy a home or condo in an association, you must be given a copy of the association documents and you must sign that you've read and understand them. Don't know about other areas.

If you don't like the rules, it's simple - don't buy the home or condo.

Otherwise, you've signed and agreed to a contract to abide by them, so an owner really shouldn't be complaining.

I'll agree that some rules seem dumb, but in those cases, one can work within the rules to have it changed.

BTW - many municipalities (towns, cities, etc.) also have rules regarding parking cars on one's lawn, parking boats or motor homes in driveways, etc.

Just an observation.

Ohh I think I get it...

So it is not mostly Everywhere where they have these rules, so only if you sign the Association contract you have to follow the rules? So if you want to rent or buy a home that isnt in any association you only follow the regular city or state rules?

To me it gives me the impression neighbors are just waiting for you to make a mistake so they call the police on you.. since all the incidents I described where brought to authorities attention within 10 minutes! Wish cops over here where so vigilant

Not exactly Mariana - the owner of the property is responsible for the renter following the appropriate rules otherwise, yes, that's the way I understand it - If you aren't in a Home Owners Association or Condo Association, the municipality rules will still be in effect. The Local, State, and Federal laws, of course, override the Association's rules and regulations.

Most HOAs have over stepped the bounds.

To keep the neighborhood looking clean & pleasing to the eye is okay. However, when these associations start dictating what you can and can not do with or on your own property is another story. For example there are HOAs that state, the color of window blinds, the type of grass, the number and type of cars you have have parked in your driveway, even what type of garbage can you can place in front of your house on pick-up day. Many have even tried to disallow flying of the American flag. I have read in the paper where a home owner was fined for having an improper FOR SALE sign displayed.

There are some HOAs with good intent, but a large majority are run by a bunch of holy than thou bigots that most likely got their ideas from watching the Stepford Wives.

My experience shows the exact opposite - most HOA's have good intent and good people, but a very small minority are run by a bunch of "holier than thou bigots".

Our media highlights the negative, so guess which one gets the most media attention.

You won't get an argument from me on this one.

There was an episode on the X-files where Mulder and Scully were pretending to be married and living in a planned community and Mulder intentionally braking their rules.

Couldn't agree more.
Associations usaully get worse when the residents themselves are in charge rather then the builder, which is typical for new subs. First thing I look for on the listing when buying a home is an association fee. If it's on there, I don't even want to view it.