We have large lots (2 acres or more) with very substantial set back requirements both from side and rear boundary lines…and the road (it’s a public road). And we all have septic systems with large fields that can’t be built near as well.
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Invisible fence. Works well! 
A bigger problem would be a swimming pool. Most require a 5-ft or taller fence with self-latching gates.
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Lots of dogs. No fences. I have no idea what people do other than walk their dogs on the street. Invisible fence, I assume.
One of the new neighbors put a huge wooden fence with a huge gate, they were asked not to put up the fence but did anyways. It’s not even a nice fence.
Nothing can be done because it’s a suggestion and all that can be done is for the board to sue the property owner. That’s expensive and the board won’t.
I’d like to put up a shed but since we are rule followers, we won’t.
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Our HOA also has a no-fence rule (unless you have a pool - and pools must be in-ground, no above ground pools). The other “big” rule is no trailers unless they’re in the garage. We had a no-shed rule, but the covenants can be changed every 35 years & sheds were approved (with restrictions such as size, foundation, material). A lot of newer residents complain about the no-fence rule, but the next window for changes is many years away. We don’t really have additional restrictions - there are construction restrictions, and we do enforce them when a vacant lot is developed (only a handful of undeveloped lots). Our annual dues are pretty nominal, and they include plowing of the subdivision streets - they are technically county streets, but cutbacks at the county years ago meant that we would be snowed in if we didn’t plow it ourselves. We have a beach/fishing area/kayak launch with a pavilion and playground, so we have upkeep & insurance costs.
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Our community is composed of one acre lots with the right to keep up to two horses per lot so fences & outbuildings are a necessity for most homeowners.
We have considered moving to a community of 3 acre lots which has at least a 100 foot setback for all sides (front, back, & side yards). But, truthfully speaking, the only real move that I want to make is one with a 100 foot setback from the ocean.
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A reevaluation only every 35 years sounds crazy to me!
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That’s of the protective covenants, not the land values. Where I am, these protective covenants are defined by the original writer (usually the developer) and they define the term length. IIRC! Ours was 20 years, and when that 20 years came, we voted unanimously to ditch the covenants…most were either obsolete or not needed.
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From another rule follower, I can empathize, and thank you.
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That 35 year plan sounds more like the county Comprehensive Plan….ours is a 20 year plan but can have amendments between if they are of significant impact.
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I just looked it up - I was wrong, changes can be made every 15 years (after an initial 25 year period, which occurred in the 80’s). But … any changes require the signature of 2/3 of the property owners. We have a couple hundred homes, so getting 2/3 of the people to sign anything is difficult. And it has to be done within a specific timeframe, or it’s another 15 until anything can happen.
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There are a few cc threads I could post this in but I’m choosing this one.
This woman - 67 years old, recent widow, grandma is leaving 
this week to start a new life adventure in France - Mediterranean coast. Knows no one, not sure where she is going to stay beyond the temporary vrbo she has rented and doesn’t speak French beyond basic.
She belongs to another large FB group I’m part of. I think it will be fascinating to watch her journey. If you are interested, she is Kathy The Wandering Widow (but more importantly she is an older woman like many of us seeking a new life adventure)
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I admire her, but don’t think I’m quite as adventurous!
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Good for her. Sometimes you just need to follow your dreams.
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Same! I’d do something perhaps on a smaller scale - thought it would be fun to follow her adventure though!
How long has she been widowed, do you know? I wonder what her kids think?
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If I remember correctly, less than a year.
Not 100% sure if she has kids. But if she does and they were against her trying out a new lifestyle (a change doesn’t have to be forever) then I say phooey on them!
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I have two retired friends. The husband died, and immediately, the widow made plans to move 3000 miles away from here…to a place where she knew no one and had no relatives or friends. We all thought she should give it some time, but she didn’t.
She has been very happy with her decision.
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Since I don’t do instagram… does she have a visa? Otherwise, she only can stay 90 days, right? I would love to do something like this, but all of the red tape is just overwhelming to me. And H wouldn’t be keen on it… But once in my life, I would love to just go to Europe for 6 weeks to 3 months and rent a little airbnb or something in a little village (in the Alps) on a rail line, and hop around and just see stuff… I’d love to do it longer, but then you run into the visa thing.
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I’ve heard advice, or maybe just rule-of-thumb, that one should wait a year after being widowed before making any major changes. That seems prudent to me. (Assuming there aren’t financial or medical reasons to accelerate that timeline.)
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I sometimes think in situations like this that the person may have been thinking about something like this for a while, doing research, daydreaming, etc. and then when the spouse dies it becomes a realistic choice. Not all marriages are such where the spouse grieves for a year and can’t make any thoughtful decisions. Others also may become hyper aware how short life is and carpe diem.
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