I was president of an HOA for eight of the 35 years we lived in our house in Pennsylvania. We were in a college town and had lots of academics who, while perhaps brilliant in their field, knew nothing about maintaining their property. It was a constant battle to get them to perform the basic tasks that would keep up our homes' values. And, not to be controversial, most of them were not native-born Americans. The university would hire a diverse faculty, and we would pay the price. I now live in Florida where the governor is trying to eliminate property taxes. Quite a change, should it occur. Also, we have a very strict HOA here, but it's the price you pay for security and value (as Bamarider pointed out in his post).
And for those few who might wonder why I haven't been active here for a while, Florida is no place for motorcycles. At least in the Sarasota area where we settled. Flat, hot and crowded is no way to ride through life. Man, I miss my bike. Lots of good memories and great friends were made over the years while on the road.