Where do you live ? I am out in the country with no visible neighbors. When in the city- gotta live by the city rules . Even certain developements have their community rules such as what kind of fence you can have and what color you can paint your shutters. Live and learn . One solution is to make friends with your neighbors and then they won't complain .

gatormom,
I like your setting - out in the country, surrounded by all the land that you have. I want to be in such a setting one day.
I live in Coconut Creek. Have to live close to my work. I have been to some developments (while house-hunting) that said "no fruit trees". So, after that I made it a point to ask whether I can plant everything. "Live and learn" - you are right, that is the only option I have now, until I get to know my neighbors and make friends with them.

First of all, you need to go to the code enforcement office and ask for a copy of any and all rules that govern what you can and cannot plant or have on your property. Then have them tell you who complained. In Pasco, you can go to the office and they have to show you the name of the complainant. I know this because we had a rental property on our block that was a slum and several of us called and were told they would not take the complaint unless we gave our name, address and phone #. They also said the person we were complaining about could only find out who made the complaint if they came into the office and requested it.

You need to know who is making the complaints. Maybe it's only one person or maybe it's the home owner's association, if there is one. Then you can go to the association and ask them what the rules are in your development. That way, you can stay on the good side of the neighbors and also protect yourself.

Maybe they were just afraid that someone moved in that was going to be an eyesore to their community. Or maybe you have a busybody with nothing else to do. Either way, find out what the restrictions are so you'll know what you can and cannot do.

We really have no deed restrictions here in our subdivision, other than the county's rules. When we first moved in, over 3 years ago, the handful of people that belong to the homeowner's assoc. decided to drive around and make a list of every violation they could find. I came outside one day to find the code enforcement officer leaving me a notice that my house #'s weren't on the house. She explained that having them on the mailbox wasn't enough. I explained that we had just moved in and took the old rusty #'s off the house and were buying new ones. She said I had 10 days to do it. Nice welcome to the neighborhood. No wonder no one joins. They didn't take into consideration that we had just paid a lot of money to have old shrubs and plants removed and we were painting and cleaning up the property.

They did help to get rid of some junk cars people had, so that was a good thing. But they did nothing to instill goodwill in the community. A neighbor had a rough time trying to use the clubhouse for a local girl scout meeting! This clubhouse sits unused 95% of the time! So watch your back, but try to get along at the same time.

arrgh. My sympathies. I don't have much to add, except to say that 95 pots in the front yard might have left an "untidy" impression on the neighbors. If you can find out who complained and leave a sweet note apologizing, it could do two things:

1) let them know that you're a nice person who wants to comply with neighborhood standards (not a deadbeat who needs to be reported at every violation)and who is concerned about being friendly to her neighbors
2) let them know that you know how to find out who's making complaints.

Unfortunately, a lot of neighbors love to grouse anonymously. Cut out the anonymity, and perhaps the grousing will stop.

You've probably got a great neighborhood, Chippi. We once parked on the sidewalk overnight while moving to our new home, and got a ticket the next morning (neighbor complaint). It was an unpleasant welcome, but once our neighbors got to know us, we never had another problem.

Congratulations on the new home!

gatormom,
I like your setting - out in the country, surrounded by all the land that you have. I want to be in such a setting one day.
I live in Coconut Creek. Have to live close to my work. I have been to some developments (while house-hunting) that said "no fruit trees". So, after that I made it a point to ask whether I can plant everything. "Live and learn" - you are right, that is the only option I have now, until I get to know my neighbors and make friends with them.

Thank you fuzzy and julieyankfan for the suggestions.

I don't know how my post in reply to gatormom got in there again. I did a "reload" of some page on the browser, and I think that could be it.

I thought I heard my name being called- and twice at that ! I feel honored . Good luck with your neighbors chippi .

We used to have what I called the "little old lady brigade", who walked around writing up violations, in the neighborhood where I rented before I moved here. It was definitely going to be temporary, a 2 br. apt. with not enough room for everything, so I had a few things out on the carport. It wasn't unsightly, but I guess the neighborhood association rules didn't allow anything on your carport but outdoor furniture and your car, so I got a "friendly notice" from the little old ladies. I called and invited them to visit. They did, and I told them that this was a very temporary living situation, and invited them in to see the boxes piled ceiling high in the LR, and both BR's. I had to many boxes in my BR that I only had a path to the door and the dresser. I asked them where they wanted me to put the things on the carport?

They were very polite, said they understood, but if I wasn't out of the apartment, or didn't store the things within 30 days, I would be in violation of fire codes, and that they could have me arrested.

I had already found a house, so I moved as soon as possible, and I left them a note saying "get a life!"

You go bruggirl ! Imagine if people ( like the little ol' lady brigade ) put that much energy into something that really mattered...

Ouch, Chippi! Some welcome that is. You've gotten some good advice here, and I guess I don't really have much to add... but you have my sympathies. I know it's rough to move and get things settled. I had tons of potted plants, too, when I moved into my house. I was lucky no one complained. I do have a neighbor now that likes to make it her hobby to file petty complaints. She's been on good behavior lately. I guess that's because she didn't like hearing from the police and animal control every time her dogs woke me up. I think she's finally learned something...

I hope you find out that you have nice neighbors, and that maybe they were just jumping the gun. You never know, they may have had to deal with a real nightmare before you moved in - and maybe they're jumpy. Maybe you could bake cookies and take them to the neighbors closest to you, and introduce yourself to the neighborhood. Cookies are the best way to a person's heart.

Once they see how gorgeous your garden is, they'll be asking for cuttings, I'm sure.

;)

Nicki

Oooooo, cookies! Sounds good to me!

Today, the code compliance officer called up and left a message saying I have two options - either sell/give away the plants or plant them in the ground. I have already moved all the pots to the backyard, so that it is not going to be unsightly/eye-sore for the neighbors. That part being solved, the officer is after me saying those pots are hazards - flying missiles in case a bad storm breaks out. I know that, and I am not going to keep any pots outside if there is going to be a storm - I was here for all the hurricanes last year. And he has given me 2 weeks to do that.

According to him, I have price tags on my plants/pots - actually those are name tags that came with the plants when I mail ordered those. His presumption of the price tags led him to give me the choice to sell my plants.

So, this weekend all the pots are going underground. A solution I found to have them in the ground before I decide on the location. When I am ready to plant them, I can pull them out and plant them without the pots.

What's frustrating about this is that you hardly have a choice in where you live anymore that doesn't have some form of a neighborhood alliance thing. I come from Texas where there aren't so many of them and here in Florida they seem to be over run with them! It's frustrating especially since I am a container gardener and I know that I won't be able to afford a house anytime soon but if any place I rent from has a conniption about my plants, well they can bite me!

Lordy! And I thought my town had gestapo code enforcement! I asked the man who heads code enforcement if I had to put up a privacy fence to have a backyard nursery. He asked me what it was going to look like. I explained to him, black cloth, pots neatly in rows. He said "sounds like my wife's garden."

That's a good idea putting them in the ground, pots and all. Does your back yard have a fence? I would save every penny for a privacy fence to go around my entire back yard - if, of course, that's allowed. I would then keep my gorgeous garden to myself. For birthday and Christmas, I would tell everyone who wanted to buy something to just go and buy me some privacy fence panels. And the gate would be pad-locked and no trespassing signs and Bad Dog signs would be posted. Of course, you'll need a permit for the fence... I just cannot handle someone else telling me what to do with my property and personal belongings. Don't sell your plants like the code enforcement "officer" suggested. Because then they'll probably fine you for not having a business license! And permitting! And signage! And handicapped parking! And who knows what else...

I feel bad for you. I'd have a real problem with that code enforcement guy. I'd make his life miserable. Boy, I'm not all about chocolate chip cookies today am I? ;)

Nicki

As of today, I have less than 20 pots to go in the ground. I digged all of Saturday and half of Sunday. And I am digging everyday morning before coming to work.

Last week, we called up the enforcement officer saying we want to talk to him, but he never responded to our message. This Tuesday, we went to the city office to meet him or anyone in the division in person. We were told we need an appointment. We gave all the numbers to call us back with the appt. time. Nothing happened yet.

Yesterday I called up the city again for a copy of the code of ordinances. While talikng to the City Clerk, she said she will inform the manager of this code enforcement officer. She said she will have a copy of the section I am concerned about and let me know. Haven't heard back from her yet, but, yesterday evening the enforcement officer left a message for me asking to call him. I did not call.

Today morning I called the city again and asked for an appointment. And they connected me to the supervisor. I asked him why is it that only in my case the potted plants are hazards and how is it possible everybody else keeps potted plants, even the city recreation complex. He said it is the number that makes it a hazard. I asked him how does the number matter if I am capable of moving them to safety in case needed. He still maintains that it is a hazard. I got an appointment with him for next week.

When the pots were in the front, it was going to look like a nursery ( this is from the voicemail of the code enforcement officer ) - I was telling him I bought the house to have a place for my plants in the ground, he didn't want to listen. And when the pots are in the back, those are still hazards. They must not have any nurseries in the city boundary then, the nurseries have more pots than I have!!

Fence was my first priority and then some clearing up of the property and then putting all my plants in the designated locations. When I dig now, it is just plain sand. I can't just plant those in that sand. When I was in California I overwintered my plants under flourescent/plant lights in my bedroom. My plants, bare-rooted, (not all of them, I had to leave my bigger ones back there) travelled as luggage accompanied with phytosanitary certificate to get here. I took one extra trip back to California just to get all of them. I lost many of those since the growing conditions were different from that of California (I didn't take care of a pest infestation in time, since back in California it will just go away with a soap spray and they won't multiple as fast as here, and it went out of hand). Now, this!! Sometimes I feel, I should not have gotten into gardening without having a place to plant them, but.... I just can't control myself.

They must be pretty bored around there to keep pestering you about this. I'd explain to them all the trouble you went through, right down to getting the phytosanitary certificate, to bring your plants here so you can garden. I'd even tell them how bad they are making you feel - that this is not a very good "welcome" to a new person just starting a new life in a new state... Show them photos from magazines, or from gardenweb, that give an idea of what all the plants are going to do for your yard. Explain how you won't need all the pesticides and water that it takes to have a lawn, and that a garden like yours is better for the environment...

It figures that something like this has to happen to a person who knows what they're doing, and the code violations that really need to be dealt with go unnoticed. It's all about who makes the complaint....

Chippi,

Sorry for the late reply. do you live in a community? if that is not the case, you only have coconut creek city to deal with. may be you can find out if he /she is following the rule book all the time. and the names of the ones who complain like the above poster suggested. Or saying that you will go to their supervisor etc.

Why don't you meet with or contact your City Commissioner and let him/her know what is going on? Especially right now, while Coconut Creek is trying to get their entire city certified as a wildlife habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. They are encouraging homeowners to get their yards certified and will even reimburse you for the certification fee. I'm sure the City must have potted plants around since they are giving away trees and shrubs as part of this program. It sounds as if the code enforcement officer needs to be brought down a rung or two. Enforcement is one thing, harassment is another. I can understand wanting to get the things moved out of the front yard, but if they are in the back, who is going to see them? Out of spite, I would be tempted to put all of the pots in the ground in the front yard and plant them in the ugliest configuration I could possibly think of, just to comply and still show a form of protest.

Please give us an update on how all of this has turned out. I just found this post and felt compelled to comment.

What a sad situation. I hate to say not to make friends. But I will say try not to make enimies. Or antagonize your complaintants. People like these are usually unhappy about themselves or are jealous of anyone who has something that makes them happy. They are probably NOT the kind of people you want to get close to. THE MORE THEY KNOW ABOUT YOU THE MORE THEY WILL FIND TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. Be nice, really, but this is the one and only time I would ever say be nice to thier face, but guarded behind. They have already shown you thier potential.
I live in county lines, we all have at least one acre and everyone keeps to themselves for the most part. We do have an association, but they are nice and mostly keep the atv riders off the streets, and junk cars as mentioned before.

If you want pots, find out if there is a size wieght that is acceptable. The city often has them in shopping areas don't they? For example heavy cement or wiskey barrels, something that when filled isn't going to fly away any quicker than that neighbors tree in the ground. (They break off and fly in peoples yards every season)
Things like wisteria will NOT bloom in my area because of the salt in the ground. They get nice and green, and huge, but no blooms unless they are raised up and watered with city water.
There must be some compromise. We all live on a planet together. We have to learn not to be selfish, or burst someone elses ballon. You have to force that lesson on some.
Best wishes, your garden sounds like it will be a miniture paradise.
Martha

Chippi,

I know it was overwhelming having to rush and get everything moved and in the ground without time to think about it or breathe.

I just hope that your neighbors settle down and realize that you are an assest to the neighborhood and open up to you so you have many, many happy years in your new house.

Congratulations, by the way! :)

I am trying to get my husband to move to Florida but hearing your story about your home owners association realy scares me. I hope that you and your plants are doing better. I do think that some times these hoa people need real jobs. Good luck.
Mickey

How is it going, Chippi? Have your neighbors relaxed a little yet? I bet your garden is starting to look good!

Mickey, don't worry - when you come down here, before you buy your home, just make sure the neighborhood doesn't have a hoa. I live in a neat old neighborhood with no hoa, and thank goodness, because I have a crazy garden.

Give us an update, chippi!

Nicki

Nicki,were do you live? We're looking for a nice quiet place. I just can't deal with any HOA'a. I know this will limite out choices.
Mickey

Mickey, I live in Leesburg - it's just North West of Orlando and South of Ocala. It's right near the Florida Turnpike and Hwy 75, so it's easy to get anywhere you want from here. It's still a nice, quiet place. But we're getting a lot of sprawl from Orlando.

Nicki

Nicki, interesting! I was recently in tiny, delightful, Mackintosh, north of Orlando, for the first time. I kept expecting to see YOUR house and gardens on the lake side of the highway - it would have fit right in - but couldn't remember what town you're in. You do have the best online documentary collection of your digs (pun)!

Nicky, Is there much land left? Were looking for an acre or so,a house around 2500 sq ft or so and no HOA's to bug us, Do you think I could find something for $300,ooo or am I asking to much.
Mickey

Thanks, Irma :) I haven't checked Mackintosh out - I think it's on the way to Gainesville. I've heard it's just a beautiful little town with good antique shopping.

Mickey, if you hurry up, you should be able to get a place for around $300,000! It's a seller's market, and houses are appreciating at an alarming rate. People are in bidding wars. It's crazy. I tried to get a little rental house that needed a lot of work a few months ago. I offered the asking price, then someone came behind me and offered 10,000 more. And paid cash. I was a bit peeved to say the least. Check out homesandland.com to see what's available in the central part of Florida. That should give you an idea. You could also get in touch with an agent down here and they could help you out. A good firm seems to be Breese-Craft-Hensley. You should be able to find them on the homes and land site.

Good luck to you!

Nicki

Another interesting site is fla4sale.com

When I just now checked there is a listing for a log home on 1.72 acres for just under $300,000 .

Nicki, Thanks for the tip on the web site for real estate, I had the company send me some books but there is so much more on the web site. I hope that you made it through the hurricane. It is a very hard choice to move. Weather had been great here. We just lived through the Cave Creek fire here in Arizona. We could see the flames but it was about 7 miles from the house. I think it has been Arizonas' worse fire in the history.
Real estate values have gone nuts here too. We live out in the country here,no one will give me a clear answer what our house is worth so we are geting a bank apraiser after my dh does a few projects to the house.
He workes for Honeywell,they just had a huge lay off and he took voluntary lay off. It works out very good for him as he was going to retire in October. Now he'll have more time to read all the florida house stuff I pull off the internet. I want flowers ...but my friend here keep teling me about all of the Florida bugs.
Thanks for all the help with Florida real estate sites too.
Mickey

Mickey - you can have flowers here in Florida :) Here's a picture for ya...

{{gwi:752160}}

Yes we have the bugs. Big bugs. But when you have a variety of plants, you also encourage the good bugs and they eat up the bad bugs. At least that's my experience. I don't spray for bugs. Not even inside the house. We get enormous 'palmetto bugs' (cockroaches 2 to 3 inches long) that come in the house this time of year looking for a dry place. The cats love them. They're great cat toys. :) I rarely see a live palmetto bug inside the house.

Florida is completely different from Arizona as I'm sure you can imagine. It is very, very humid. I think Arizona is just amazing. I was completely unprepared for the beauty and I was overwhelmed when we visited Tucson a few years back.

Nicki

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking of updating on my plants and the neighborhood, but got caught up with so many things. These days, most of the weekends I will be out in the yard trying to decide where to put each of my plants (I've added so many more ). Many of the plants that went in the ground with pots have found their new place, along with the new ones. When I am out there (before the weather got this hot), some people passing by commented that they like my garden. There is one neighbor lady who shows interest in my plants.

But, I think many of them may not agree with my practices - I don't water the lawn until it becomes utmost necessity. I got a shock when I got the water bill the first two months when I had the sprinklers on ( it was around $200 each month). It hasn't rained for almost 10 days now, and it was so hot that the grass has started to dry up. I haven't waterd it, it will come back up with the first rain it gets and I expect it to be any time. One of my neighbors had the sprinklers on for the last 3-4 days almost half of the day! (their sprinklers are on a well, I believe). And I know they might be thinking that if I can spent money on plants and water those, why can't I just have the lawn watered too. But I don't want to spend any resources on the grass that I am not intending to keep in the long run. Everything is in the startup stage, they are going to take time to grow up. If they expect me to be perfect all the time, I can't live up to that. I can't have a landscaping done with all those common plants and then rest for the rest of life (that is how it can be perfect, isn't it?).

On the code vilation part, after the visit to the city, months passed by without any incident. So, I thought everyone has gone back to mind their own business. But, I had another visit from the city code enforcement - this time I was home (was about to leave for work), and the complaint is - "the grass is overgrown". I had mowed the lawn a week before (actually on memorial day while I was out planting). The officer started to explain me the code that city allows a height of 6" and she looked at the grass and could not find it to be 6" (and it was raining all that week). So, we talked about the plants and she said "we have to keep our neighbors happy to live here, so just mow it in between the rains". I don't think on the spot, I didn't ask who the complainant is, and I was banging my head for not doing so after that.

I don't have a fence yet, I started with the process, everybody told me that the fence contractors will know the perimeter where the fence is allowed. But I found out that is not the case. If it is a regular 4-sided lot everybody knows (even I know where the fence can be, in that case). Finally I called up the city, they said on a corner lot, on the side yard, it is 5' within the property line. But, mine is not a real corner lot, it is a 5 sided lot. I faxed in the survey for him to mark the allowed fence line, what I got back didn't seem like real - only very little of the sideyard could be fenced). The city doesn't allow fencing the front yard.

I got the trimming of the trees/shrubs done and also got 2 carrotwoods removed. After the $$$ spent on that I thought I'll wait on the fence (anyway there isn't much I could fence (both my neighbors have fences up). Then I decided to remove another big carrotwood (initially I thought I might need a permit, but then I when I measured the trunk diameter, I found out that I could do it without a permit if I do it right now. So, I went ahead and got it removed. This time I got a few quotes and I realised that the first trimming guys did overcharge me (for removing this one they gave me a price of $525 whereas I got it done for $300). Now I am back thinking about the fence.

Now I have a notice from the HOA asking me to "trim & thin shrubbery and replace dead vegetation" - Can it get more generic than that? When I got it, whatever I could find and categorize as shrubbery I just flattened it - there was a ficus hedge (which will be gone once I have a fence) in the back and then some surinam cherry bushes as foundation plants (will get replaced with some flowering plants as time progresses) on one side of the house. Then I called up the HOA asking for details on what they meant. He said he will come down and show it to me. I waited for him 3 days in the morning, he didn't show up and I have given up.

Last week, I was so alarmed to see two of my plants destroyed by some lunatic (I don't know who it is/was). One day they made part of the damage and after 2 days they finished it - all branches on my white mussaenda was either broken or pulled apart (still attached barely to the main stem). It was planted parallel to the driveway. There was a jasmine in front of it closer to the sidewalk, that was left alone. And the firebush which is behind the mussaenda lost the biggest two branches. Both those were not big plants, I bought those 3 gal plants (mussaaenda may be little over a month back and firebush 2-3 months) and planted it and they were establishng quite nicely. Could be the work of a bored kid, but why those two plants and why did this person come back to finish it off. I just hate that person whover it is.

On a pleasnat note, most of my plants are growing without any problems. Unlike last year, my plants are getting to see the sun and experince the rain and they are growing not affected by many pests/insects (though my vegetables -long beans and bittergourd- are getting more and more stink bugs on them). And I am getting to add many more plants that I wanted all the time.

Nicki, you have a great garden. I want mine to be like that one day.

Mickey, when you buy the house, check out for the city regulations too. I think old cities are much more relaxed and humane than the new ones. I heard Coconut Creek is going to remove one of the mobile home parks to put up townhouses and condos since that is visually more appropraite. How can a city be so rude? One day they might even decide to ask all those who don't seem visually appropriate for them to leave (there is the new law that allows them to take over the private properties!!)

wanna_run_faster, thanks.

Martha, I agree with you. These days I feel that I can't trust anyone, even those who acts nice to me when I talk to them. Being "socially impaired" - that is one of my attributes - I don't make friends fast, but most of the time the friends I find are real good freinds. I am hoping I'll find a real friend in the neighborhood.

zeldapug, that was a good idea to talk to the city commisioner. But that never crossed my mind.

Wow!

This is why I refuse to live in a neighborhood with a HOA. I would write a complaint to the HOA about your property being destroyed and then I would get a camera to try and catch who the physcho is.

Boy, I wish a large group of gardenwebbers could descend on your place and really get these folks in an uproar! :) We could all donate plants, help with the fence, throw some dirt around... boy that would probably get you kicked out of the neighborhood! Yes, a rowdy garden party. We'll all get hopped up on sugary lemonade!

It sounds like people are calming down a bit, though. Lawn nazis are the worst. People who pamper their lawns are beyond my capability of understanding.

We had a teenage boy that took a liking to breaking my rose stems on my Antique Roses. I hope he got thorns in his fingers. I've seen him doing it. He does't do it anymore... :)

Good luck, Chippi. I hope you can have the garden of your dreams some day.

Chippi, I'm so sorry tho hear of your misforture with your neighbors. I can't belive the hard time they are giving you. Some of them need to get a life. I'm so spoild here our neighbors never say anything. However my water bill can get over $100.- a month and I hardlty water.
In September we're going to be looking for an area in Florida to move to. 2 things I want is a well and no HOA's.
I hope things get better with the neighbors. Mickey

I'm thinking that surrounding your entire property with wild lime would be appropriate- you know, the kind with the nasty curved SPEARS all over it.

Shortly after we moved to our neighborhood we had a note on my car saying "Please manicure the lawn" Manicure?????? What the hell do they think I'm going to do it? Moisturize, massage, file, polish???

Also, we have rules about parking on the street in our neighborhood- residents aren't allowed to do it, guests are allowed to be parked on the street for no more than 6 hours. My neighbor parks on the street EVERY DAY but when my mother in law came over to visit for an HOUR she had a ticket on her car saying that her license plate was recorded and if the car was parked in the street then a lein would be placed on my property. GEEESH!!!!

Course, our HOA *is* responsible for getting me into gardening since it was a note from them saying that my water softener had to be hidden that got me started.

Oh well, look for something good in everything bad, eh? Anyone else in the neighborhood have the eye candy you've got in your yard? Didn't think so... so anyone that comes around with a real appreciation for plants will be admiring your place.

Lori

I am sorry that all of you have had problems with HOAs. While I do not stick up for them, you cannot lump them all into one basket.

The only way to change an HOA is to get involved, serve and actually see what is involved in running the community.

As a President of an HOA, I see both sides everyday. This resident say that, that resident says this. There is no way to please everybody, but there is always room for reason. And it is my job to protect the Association, which includes everybody, equally.

I know we will always try to work with all residents, however attitudes of non-compromise or constant complaining do not help anybody. Some people just want it their way, period. This is not helpful when trying to balance the ideas and needs of all residents.

So it is with HOAs. It is not the HOA, nor the idea of it that is bad. It is the APATHY of residents not being involved that allows them to run amok. When we have monthly meetings, besides the 5 owners on the board, there may be at most 3 other owners present. That means 8 owners are running a community with 200 owners. WHh's fault is that? It certainly is not the Board of Directors, nor those owners who are involved. It is the fault of those owners who never attend annual election meetings or monthly director meetings.

So... if you live in a community with an HOA, attend the meetings. Write letters of concern to the Board of Directors. Attend the annual meeting. And, God forbid, actually volunteer to work on committees or even the Board. Complaining about what the Board does and doesn't do helps noone, let alone yourself.

Get involved and change it as I am trying to do!

A/A

I think it is best to just consider HOA and Deed Restrictions when you buy. When I decided to buy I wanted a farm. I grew up o a farm. I like to be alone. I wanted the peace. I just couldnt find anything I could afford that was a decent investment. I decided to buy in a neighborhood with a high resell value and then sell in 5-7 years and move to a farm.

One of my most important qualifications was that it not have deed restrictions or home owners associations that tell you how to do things. I understand 100% why people like that. If they want that then IÂm glad for them. Personally, I want my house to express my personality. If I want a bottle tree in my front yard I would hate to be told I canÂt have it. The thing is, I knew that when I bought. I checked to be sure that there were minimal restrictions in my neighborhood. If you donÂt want a restriction, donÂt move to that kind of place.

I got lucky. My neighborhood may not be the most high-end place in the world but itÂs safe and quiet and has good neighbors. When I turned my Pear tree into a "junk tree" complete with an absurdly ugly glass chicken wind chime, not only did no one complain but a couple of people also contributed. Apparently I am not the only one with an odd sense of humor.