Having to pay a relatively minimal amount to have access to a pool and clubhouse has put us in HOA communities twice--first down in the Lowcountry (8 years), and now in GSO (approaching 3). In both cases, we did our homework and found the HOAs to be pretty laid back and {knocks on wood} have yet to run into any real issues at all. We got a "please clean up your yard" letter when for several weeks we left a kiddie pool leaning against the side of the house that we never see, and once got a "you need to cut your lawn" letter when I had 2 straight weeks of work travel during a time in the summer when we were getting thunderstorms almost every afternoon. That's it. No big deal. We've had an irrigation system installed, added gutters different from everyone else's (both houses), put up a fence, changed the color of our house completely with new siding, and added a storage shed with no hassle whatsoever.
That said, one of my favorite moments of "OMG this guy is a NUTJOB" hilarity (I mean, outside of some of the wackos I've banned from FOFC over the years
,) involved a guy in our SC neighborhood who RAN for the HOA and was, thankfully, defeated.
It was a great neighborhood. New homes. Good people. Huge pool and very nice clubhouse, quiet, sidewalks, etc. One thing that kept it quiet, as you will note on the map below, is that behind us was a large reservoir.
West of us, on the other side of the reservoir, was a significant-sized commercial area with tons of shopping and restaurants. Northwoods Mall (circled) was pretty much due west of us, and the geographic center of said commercial area. However, because of the water, you had to drive up to Snake Road to the north or Yeaman's Hall to the South (both circled). So, yeah, the mall was less than 2 miles away as the crow flies, but it was a 7ish mile drive to get there. All the other benefits of the location greatly outweighed that minor inconvenience for most people...
...except this one dude running for the HOA Board.
Yes, at the yearly meeting where the prospective board members were introducing themselves and saying what they would do for the community, they were talking about stuff like neighborhood watch, adding flowers to the entrance, hiring pool monitors to help keep outsiders from getting into the pool area during peak times, getting the subdivision sign a fresh coat of paint, etc. Standard stuff. Then this dude stands up and says, "If you elect me, my first priority is going to be working with the City, County, State, and whoever else it takes, to (and he got loud at this point) GET US A BRIDGE BUILT OVER GOOSE CREEK RESERVOIR!!! I'M TIRED OF US GETTING TREATED LIKE SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS AND HAVING TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY AROUND THAT DAMNED WATER TO GO OUT TO EAT!!!"
Fortunately, I wasn't the only person who laughed out loud because I thought he was joking.
Turns out he was serious. He lost that time, and ran again on the same platform the next time there was a board election. (Lost again.) I need to ask some of my old neighbors if that dude is still running every time. I wouldn't be surprised in the least. Or maybe he moved to the other side of the reservoir.