You never think the worst case scenario could happen to you, until it does…

If you've ever wondered what you could do to make a pizza parlor blacklist you, check out this story. I know what you're thinking: what do you mean you can get blacklisted by a pizza place? Aren't they supposed to deliver to wherever you tell them to when you place your order? I was surprised to learn that they can and will ban people from ever ordering again. I thought that was something managers reserved for teenagers who prank call them with giant pizza orders sent to addresses that don't ex…

Isn't it great when karma gives you a front seat?

First-time home buyers have over-inflated confidence in their DIY skills

Having an HOA board member as your next-door neighbor can definitely make you feel like you're constantly being watched. It seems like the kind of thing a homeowner should be made aware of prior to signing anything. Think of it as feeling like your boss is hovering over you all day every day, waiting for you to make a mistake. However, instead of this being in your office, it's in your home. This Reddit thread was posted by a homeowner who received an aggressive email from their HOA Karen neigh…

Living in an HOA neighborhood means you should not be surprised to find a nosy Karen or three. So what can you do when one decides that you are going to be the target of their explosive wrath and rage? If she's got the HOA laws on her side, fighting this would be an expensive mess. If you give in, sure, the Karen is going to win, but it's better to take the target off your back than submit to months of war. In short, it's just not worth it. Now, there are a few ways that you can give in while s…

This HOA was so out of line that they tried to get money out of homeowners who were completely outside of their jurisdiction. Usually with these kinds of stories, we take the opportunity to warn our readers to avoid buying any home in an HOA if they can help it, but since these homeowners were given no mention of an HOA in their initial contract, it seems like nowhere is safe anymore. It's one thing when you elect to have to deal with annoying, invasive HOA board members; it's quite another whe…

This resident of an HOA neighborhood decided that the injustice he needed to fight was his right to plant sunflowers. We all have a purpose in life, and sometimes that purpose announces itself in the most unexpected ways. You might think your purpose is to fight for world peace, until your HOA demands that you get rid of the sunflowers you planted and then your true life goals come into focus. The HOA in question insisted that according to the resident's contract, he was forbidden to plant sunf…

Generally, when someone is willing to lend their advice to help you with a problem it's best to listen. Still, no one likes unsolicited advice and that's an important thing to remember when you consider offering it—regardless of whether or not someone is in dire need of hearing it. Those who have elected to proceed without the proper knowledge and precautions are most likely to be the least receptive to listening to other people. Then, if they decide to arrogantly proceed with something that is…

DEFUND HOA. This is a mantra that many homeowners and condo-dwellers have chanted in the streets of their prospective neighborhoods with great fervor for many generations. While the concept of an HOA probably means well–keeping landscaping alive, houses looking pretty, and covering the costs of amenity upkeep–the uniformity of suburban Karens can maliciously overpower even the simplest HOA.

This entitled neighbor had some extreme plans for his landscaping, which included removing massive trees, constructing a 10-foot fence, and leveling the ground extensively. However, his actions did not sit well with his neighbors, the HOA, or even city officials. Despite receiving multiple warnings from his well-meaning next-door neighbors, he refused to consider their advice, believing that his entitlement gave him the right to do as he pleased. Little did he know that his next-door neighbor...

One would think that living in an HOA neighborhood would mean safety and protection, but in reality, it means pettiness and fines. Of course, it’s not easy to get on the good side of HOA board members because these are the folks with Tracy Flick sensibilities, years of under-explored resentment, and backward authority complexes. In short, you can’t make friends with the people who will go out of their way to put you in your place for silly reasons. It’s a waste of one’s time and energy. It’s be…

What would you do if you finally were able to afford a down payment on a new home, so you submitted an offer, but then got the home inspection back and some pretty pricey repairs need to be done? None of the repairs are dealbreakers, but they are annoying and costly. What should your next move be?

Constant proximity to other people—without any recourse or avenues for escape—is maddening. I guarantee, if you were locked in a room, even with your favorite person in the world, it wouldn't take long (and even less time than you'd think) before you'd grow sick of the sight of them and tired of the sound of their voice, wishing their mouth would stay shut every time they breathed. Say now, that you don't even like this person. Worse yet, you have your entire life savings and livelihood investe…

In rural areas, it's not uncommon to have long individual or shared driveways that aren't serviced by public services, instead being completely up to the owner/s to maintain. This can present some tricky situations for the unprepared in areas that regularly or irregularly receive heavy snowfall, where they might wake up one morning and find themselves unable to leave their home.

There are a lot of stressful moments in one's life, but buying a house has to make it close to the top of the list—especially nowadays! Buying a house is not cheap, you're investing more than just a portion of your paycheck, you're investing a lifetime agreement. So to put that ink to paper to make it official can be nerve-racking. It's only natural that you want everything to be perfect before you officially commit.