Imagine living in a neighborhood that has an amazing community feeling with amenities that bring people together, like a playground, swimming pool and BBQ area.

Would you be upset if the HOA got ride of these amenities to increase the size of the parking lot, or would you be excited to have more parking spaces?

In this story, one homeowner is trying to sell her house because the HOA has destroyed the community feeling of the neighborhood. To make it worse, the HOA fees are the same even though the amenities are gone.

Selling her home isn’t easy because potential buyers don’t seem to like the lack of HOA amenities either.

It’s an awful situation.

Keep reading to hear what the neighborhood used to be like and how it got so bad.

HOA promised upgrades. We got less community areas and more parking spots

To start with… I loved my neighborhood.

It was a quiet suburban community where kids rode bikes around, people cooked something together on weekends, and everyone kind of knew each other

We had a small playground, a swimming pool, an outdoor workout area, and this big shared BBQ spot where neighbors would throw cookouts and invite the whole community.

Notice that all of that was past tense. Things have changed.

Then the HOA board changed, and ever since then it feels like they’ve been sucking every ounce of personality out of this place.

At first, people were actually optimistic.

They announced they were going to renovate the playground add a new jungle gym, new swings, more trees, and even a shaded tent area for parents.

Everyone was like, wow… okay, that actually sounds great.

It wasn’t great.

Well… plot twist.

Apparently playgrounds are now considered “unsafe for children,” so instead of renovating it, they ripped the whole thing out and turned it into extra parking spots.

Then the pool closed because nobody maintained it properly. We still pay HOA fees for it, by the way.

The BBQ area? Gone. More parking spots. Outdoor workout zone? Also gone. You guessed it: parking spots.

It gets even crazier.

Now the rules are getting more ridiculous…

I got a warning for working out in my own backyard because it was making neighbors uncomfortable. One person literally complained that it was intimidating.

I wish I was joking…

This is ridiculous!

The crazy part is almost every house here already has a two car garage. But a lot of families have teenagers, and so some houses have 4 or even 5 cars.

The new HOA rules say you can’t park outside because it “makes the neighborhood look bad.” Even it’s a Ferrari… according to them, all outdoor parking is ugly.

So now we’ve basically got houses surrounded by mini parking lots like we’re living behind a shopping center.

This homeowner wants out.

Some neighbors tried fighting the HOA over all this, and sold their homes to get out

The problem is, selling here has become a nightmare. I already dropped my asking price more than I wanted to, but once buyers see the endless parking lots and hear about the HOA rules, they disappear

Maybe just taking a cash offer and leave before the fines and HOA fees completely bury me is not such a bad idea.

I know JDub buys houses and lately that’s sounding more appealing than trying to convince another buyer that living in a suburban parking complex is somehow luxury community living

Nobody wants to live in a neighborhood that’s basically one big parking lot!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an apartment tenant who is being called petty for blocking her parking space with trash cans.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

One person offers a suggestion about how to handle the complaint about working out in the backyard.

Someone has to stand up for change if they want anything to change.

Another person refuses to live in an HOA.

This is a good question.

Why are they building parking lots if nobody is allowed to park in them? That’s the most insane part. Maybe the parking lots are the exception to the rule?

I’d be upset too. The HOA fees should at least be cut in half if they got rid of so many community amenities. Instead of just eliminating a playground and swimming pool, they should’ve at least added an equivalent perk like a tennis court or game/community room. Eliminating amenities in favor of more parking is pretty stupid.

I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to move into that neighborhood, and I also don’t blame the homeowners for wanting to move out. It seems that OP has two options. Either move out or run for HOA president.