We lived in an HOA in CO and for the most part, it was good. But every once in a while, they'd flex their muscle over something really lame and I'd hate 'em.

Now I live in a neighborhood that is not part of an HOA and most people take care of their yards, don't get crazy with sheds, or fences etc...

But there a few families that just don't do yard work. Grass gets long, or brown, or weed-ridden...

One guy was obsessed with his yard looking nice. It was really beautiful. He sold his house a few years ago for $1 mil+ and the people who bought it are negligent when it comes to yard work. The place looks so bad now... It baffles me that someone would spend that much on a house and not take care of it, or not hire someone to take care of it. (One would assume they can afford gardeners if they can afford the house.)

I wish we had some kind of system in place that would gently remind them to keep their place looking nice.