The entire reason I agreed to move into a condo with an HOA was because of my parents' experience with condo living in Florida... and it was the only property available in this particular area.

My parents lived in a luxurious high-rise that had two year-round heated swimming pools, shuffleboard courts, book clubs, Jimmy Buffett happy hours, and days spent playing bridge and mahjong. And it was located on beautiful Clearwater Bay. The only thing missing was a golf course. After moving to the West Coast, I spent my long vacations with my parents every year until my dad passed away and my mother moved. Years...

It was the Florida lifestyle I was addicted to. Everyone was happy, the sun was (mostly always) shining, everyone said hello, and over the years, even I made friends with the old folks.

It was an anomaly. Or maybe it wasn’t for Florida.

Things changed dramatically over the years. I haven’t been down there in a long time, but I hear rumblings of bigger personality conflicts, high dues, rebar faltering, and hurricane damages, causing assessments to skyrocket."

I will never live in another HOA again. But as my mother always used to say, "Never say never. Darn it.