HOA threatens American flag-flying homeowners as they fight for Old Glory before nation’s 250th birthday

What a show of assholery that was, Kevin.  If the guy was up and about at midnight he certainly could have knocked and inquired.  Could you have taken him to small claims?  Ah, maybe, but that would be more trouble and maybe even cost more.  Many traffic and other tickets are dismissed in court when the accused has a chance to plead his side.  I'm thinking a clear headed judge would accept your account of this situation rule in your favor.  But, that was then, and I'm no lawyer.

Candy

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be twenty stars, white in a blue field.

After a nine-month delay, the Trump Mobile "T1" smartphone was sent out this week to pre-order customers and some members of the media. There was just a slight problem.

The gold-plated $499 phone is no longer marketed as "Made in the USA," and the American flag design on the back of the handset appears to have 11 stripes instead of 13.

Oh, I definitely considered that. Moreover, since this was Vegas, I researched how much it would have cost to have him whacked. Turns out it was surprisingly affordable, and several local casinos offered that service to Platinum members or above. But when I checked, darn it, I was only Gold or Silver.

I would probably have lost in small claims court, because technically, I did indeed violate the HOA rules, and after scrutinizing them carefully, I realized that the HOAhole was under no obligation to inform me before towing away the "eyesore"--or to exert any effort to find out who it belonged to, for that matter.

Still, this incident was a major motivator for me to sell and get to some other house in the area that wouldn't be under the thumb of an HOA. Given the market at the time, we were practically leapt upon when we listed the house; we had installed a swimming pool, redone all the flooring, and made other major upgrades. A swingin' bachelor bought the place: he lived alone, so I asked him why he had bought a five-bedroom house, and he say it was going to be his party venue, and the (pretty awesome) pool and hot tub had sealed the deal. I decided not to tell him what might happen if fifteen cars were parked in front of the house on a Saturday night.

Given this guy's goals and cheerful demeanor, I wonder if the house is still standing, or one of his parties finally reduced it to rubble. Vegas, baby!

Come, now, Mark, you really expect MAGA to be able to count that high? They'll never know the difference.

It's definitely made in the USA, if by "made in the USA" you mean "made in China."

What I don't understand:  Aren't HOA documents presented to a home owner AFTER they move it?  Which would make it an non-escapable trap?  Like, I just bought this place and now the rules say I can't park my car in the driveway?

Candy

You sign them at closing.  You can ask for them prior to that.  At first glance they look ok, but it is how the dictators interpret them.  When I was president it was live and let live; current group are dictators.

I also have better things to do than prowl the property; they don't

Generally there is a deed restriction in the actual deed that you sign for your house stating that HOA membership is required. 

Many states require HOAs to give all bylaws and other documents to prospective buyers before the sale closes. 

However I believe there are some states where that is not required. 

Regardless of whatever laws may or may not apply, it would be a dereliction for the realtor to not ensure that the buyer knew what they were getting into--not just HOA regulations, but local ordinances, community guidelines, etc. etc.--anything that might affect a buyer's decision and restrict what an owner of the property can or cannot do.

A detailed accounting of the current HOA regulations should be part of the mountain of documents presented at closing. I'm sure that very often, they get glossed over or don't get read at all, which is the source of many surprises, like when the new owner gets told that his garden hose is against HOA regulations and he has to replace it immediately or be fined $2,500.

At the property I bought in Vegas, we did indeed get a pretty thorough briefing on the HOA, but the entire community had just been built--in fact, we bought one of the last houses to be completed--and the HOA command structure hadn't been formed. If I had met the guy who was going to be El Presidente, I would have rung the alarm bell, and maybe had him assassinated. He was a jerkface and a petty tyrant.

All that is not to say that I disagreed with the HOA in principle. It was a gated community with a deliberate cookie-cutter vibe. It was supposed to be a suburbia haven from the mad world outside. So yeah, everybody had to maintain their lawns, clean the gutters, polish their mailboxes, Sieg Heil!, and all that. I tolerated all that because it was such a nice, roomy house on a big lot for absolute peanuts compared to what a similar house would have cost in California.