The simple answer is yes, but read on for more information. Those restrictions might be what keeps your neighbor from using pallets as fencing, or from having several non running vehicles in the front yard.
I recently had a discussion about covenants and HOAs with some out of state buyers. They didn't want a neighborhood with covenants or an HOA. I get that. Some people don't want to be told what they can do with their property.
In my rural area of Colorado you can have covenants, but no HOA, and an HOA, but no covenants. Often times the covenants, or HOA, are in place for some very simple reasons that will actually benefit the homeowners. Two common reasons are irrigation water and/or road maintenance.
Even neighborhoods in the middle of a town can have an HOA, or covenants, solely to handle how the irrigation water is distributed. These neighborhoods supply irrigation water the residents can use during the summer months. The yearly fee is less than what you would pay if you were using water from a domestic water company to keep your lawn and garden growing and green.
Road maintenance covenants are generally for our more rural areas where the county doesn't maintain the road.
Water and road maintenance are things that benefit all of the homeowners in a neighborhood. They are a great reason to have an HOA, or covenants, in place. Once most buyers realize this, they begin to lose their hesitation about seeing houses in these neighborhoods.
There aren't many neighborhoods in the Cedaredge, Delta and Montrose areas that don't at least have some covenants in place. Another term for covenants is CCRs. This stands for covenants, conditions and restrictions. This is also a term you might see being used when a neighborhood has restrictions.
The covenants can be as short as one sentence or they can be pages and pages long. It all depends on the developer's vision for the neighborhood. One common restriction in my area is...no manufactured houses. If that is the only restriction in place, do you really not want to live in that neighborhood because it has covenants?
Now we do have some newer developments (although not too many) that do have very restrictive covenants. When you have that type of situation, you need to review the CCRs carefully and decide if these are rules you can live with...and if not then that wouldn't be the neighborhood for you.
There are also deed restrictions that can limit what you can do. You can read more about deed restrictions here.
My buyers have decided that having some covenants, or an HOA, in place might not be a bad idea...as long as they aren't too restrictive. They have changed their negative way of thinking and have decided to take each situation on a case by case basis.
If you are thinking of buying, or selling, a house in the Delta, Cedaredge or Montrose area...let me help guide you through the process. Call me for more local and real estate information. I look forward to hearing from you.
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