If I could get a place without an HOA I'd do it in a heartbeat. But finding a home is all about compromises. Our realtor when we met I gave him my requirements. so he showed me those homes I could afford without an HOA. And they were rough in some really rough places. My other option is to move to an unincorporated part of the city, >2hr commute.

I'm active on the board and didn't want to get into the fight over Airbnb. But once we saw how much we were paying in additional security, insurance claims, and police and fire calls enough was enough. We've had robberies, suicides, and overdoses. I've got a great flat, it's downtown, looks out onto the bay and South beach. I'd love to put it on Airbnb, from time to time. I also know the juice simply is not worth the squeeze. You only need to get 1 bad visitor who trashes your place or gets into a fight with the neighbors.

But I fight tooth and nail against new bylaws. We have a good board. Most of the resident owners are young professionals, we make it known we'd rather not have an HOA so the HOA tries not to be visible.