Slow... covenants and associatons have good points and bad points, and it just depends on what is good for you. In my area they are havens for nicer houses and nicer barns and higher property values. But some people buy in a rural area thinking they can park their cars on the lawn, put up workshops that discharge sawdust onto their neighbors yard, etc. Those people end up getting smacked, and usually move out pretty quickly. I lived for too long in an area where anyone can do anything, and FOR ME having the covenants is a great thing because it prevents an idiot neighbor from destroying the value of my property by turning his property into a blighted eyesore.
In my case, I have 2 lots side by side with 650+ feet of frontage and my house is one of the big houses in the area, so I have more to lose than someone else. And I got myself onto the architectural control board, which is a permanent position until I resign, so I get to be a dick sometimes but it helps the overall group.
IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE but having covenants and associations can be good if you are looking for protection FROM your neighbors.
Most of the people who live in the area are great people who do everything they can to upgrade their property. But a few people have tried to get around covenants and rules and they end up pissed off because they can't build an eyesore on their flat treeless 2 acre lot. They are usually the same people who drive snowmobiles & 4 wheelers through the front and back yards of all their neighbors, and their kids are the ones who play music in their cars so loudly that it shakes you in your house when your windows are closed eventhough your house is so far back off the road that you can't even see the car driving by. And those are the people who I want protection from and that is why I am glad (MORE ME) that I moved into a neighborhood with covenants. But I certainly understand why others choose to avoid land that has covenants and/or associations.
