[NavyNJ]

Originally Posted by MDLNB

And then, some folks violate the deed restrictions and make a neighborhood better than it was. Of course, I can understand how that would upset some folks also. After all, who wants someone INCREASING the home value in the neighborhoods, right? In our neighborhood, we can't install pavers on our driveway. If someone broke that rule and put pavers in and it looked good, then everyone else would want them. Just an example. Everyone has different tastes. You know what they say about opinions right? But, this was not about deed restrictions, was it? It was about one person going around a neighborhood, writing 30 or more complaints. Someone with nothing better to do. Some very unhappy person with an agenda. Of course, there are probably many on here that would not need deed restrictions to make their home conform to community standards. Then also, there are those on here that NEED a sense of regime. You WILL conform or be assimilated... I don't "condone" one's breaking some of the rules, but I do "tolerate" it in most cases. I have yet to see a bad neighborhood, so apparently most violations are subtle in nature. Since I have not yet endured a complaint I can't really empathize with the poster, but I can sympathize with her. She obviously should have known better than to look for that by sounding off with her frustration on here. But, I bet she does know now, that "rules are rules."

Wow! There's actually a CDD in TV that does not allow driveway pavers as part of their deed restrictions?? Would never have guessed that from just randomly driving around. Seems to be a common practice almost everywhere I've seen. Could you share which CDD has that restriction??

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by NavyNJ

Wow! There's actually a CDD in TV that does not allow driveway pavers as part of their deed restrictions?? Would never have guessed that from just randomly driving around. Seems to be a common practice almost everywhere I've seen. Could you share which CDD has that restriction??

The patio villas used to not be able to put in pavers. Now they can because my girlfriend got them.

[MDLNB]

Sure, the courtyard villas up North do not allow pavers. Not that I particularly care, but I do think they look nice. We even have restrictions, which were just recently modified to allow us to paint our driveways....but only a certain color. That will probably be amended once they take into consideration that the color palette for the homes was changed from one color to four. I understand but cannot confirm that they are going to allow different colors for roof tile also. Wow, I sure hope these changes don't lower the value of my property...

[NavyNJ]

Originally Posted by MDLNB

Sure, the courtyard villas up North do not allow pavers. Not that I particularly care, but I do think they look nice. We even have restrictions, which were just recently modified to allow us to paint our driveways....but only a certain color. That will probably be amended once they take into consideration that the color palette for the homes was changed from one color to four. I understand but cannot confirm that they are going to allow different colors for roof tile also. Wow, I sure hope these changes don't lower the value of my property...

Oh, that's the reason I may not have noticed the difference. Don't spend enough time travelling thru the Villas neighborhoods I guess. You're probably right about the colors for driveways, though. Now that the palette for the homes has changed, it makes sense that the other palettes for drives and roofs will as well. Thanks for the explanation, too!

[MDLNB]

Originally Posted by NavyNJ

Oh, that's the reason I may not have noticed the difference. Don't spend enough time travelling thru the Villas neighborhoods I guess. You're probably right about the colors for driveways, though. Now that the palette for the homes has changed, it makes sense that the other palettes for drives and roofs will as well. Thanks for the explanation, too!

I know what you mean. It seems that CYV's are situated like mini forts. Some have only one way in and are like little islands with walls surrounding them. I enjoy riding through neighborhoods to see the differences in landscaping and whatnot, but usually avoid wandering through the courtyards. They're kind of boring anyway. Just my opinion, of course.

[Bavarian]

I would like to know if the complaint came from a Villager or a landscape contractor looking for business.

[HimandMe]

Originally Posted by MDLNB

Thank goodness for my neighborhood. I observe a lot of violations, but nothing that I would see that I would call offensive. Of course, it appears that we have more TOLERANCE than some of the posters above and residents in other neighborhoods. I had thought of buying a larger place with a larger garage, but now I see how nice our neighborhood is. Gotta love it when folks say "well, rules are rules" and then break traffic laws every day. Oh, that must be different, right? I don't cast labels of hypocrite because I have glass windows too. Gotta love this American "tolerance" that only seems to exist when it conveniently works for you. Like I said before and I reiterate, in this instance if the complainant has gone around the area making over 30 complaints, then that person most likely is not doing it to better her neighborhood, but to further an agenda or is being vindictive. So much for The Villages being "the friendliest hometown in America." But, this is just my opinion, and I do respect other opinions, even if I don't totally agree. Like the saying goes "good fences make good neighbors" or something like that. I like to modify that to say "high fences make good neighbors. That's why I live in a courtyard villa.
I'll close with two words: Tolerate and condone. There are things that many of us don't condone, but yet we tolerate. Some folks can't condone something and they refuse/won't tolerate it.

I remember Gibran writing,
"You delight in laying down laws, yet delight more in breaking them.
Like children playing by the ocean who build sand towers with constancy and then destroy them with laughter. But while you build your sand towers the ocean brings more sand to the shore, And when you destroy them the ocean laughs with you. Verily the ocean laughs always with the innocent.
But what of those to whom life is not a ocean, and man made laws are not sand towers, But to whom life is a rock, and the law a chisel with which they would carve it in their own image? What of the cripple who hates dancers? What of the ocean who loves his yoke and deems the deer and elk of the forest stray and vagrant things? What of the serpent that cannot shed his skin, and calls all others naked and shameless? And what of him who comes early to the wedding feast, and when over fed and tired goes his way saying that all feasts are violation and all feasters lawbreakers?"
They stand in the sunlight but with their backs to the sun.

[HimandMe]

The Villages is not going to ruin with an empty flower pot or other minor offense but it is a major offense inSOME people's eyes. Rules and laws can be and are changed as needed and slights are just that little slights. Let's live and enjoy our retirement.

[Fred R]

I recently returned to my home here after a 3 month absence and learned that my sprinkler system had not been operating properly. I fixed the system and when the weather permits I will rake up the dead matter and throw some top soil down. I would hope some idiot doesn't try to make an issue since my front lawn looks bad. If so, I would really want to have a discussion with the person. Some folks just can't mind their own damn business.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Fred R

I recently returned to my home here after a 3 month absence and learned that my sprinkler system had not been operating properly. I fixed the system and when the weather permits I will rake up the dead matter and throw some top soil down. I would hope some idiot doesn't try to make an issue since my front lawn looks bad. If so, I would really want to have a discussion with the person. Some folks just can't mind their own damn business.

So your neighbors had to live with dead grass for three months because you had no one looking over your house, and you don't consider this anything to complain about?

It's not a case of minding your own damn business. It's a case of making sure your property doesn't drag the neighborhood down or the "idiots" don't have to put up with an ugly blight for however long you choose to be away. You signed up for that responsibility when you bought your house.

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by CFrance

So your neighbors had to live with dead grass for three months because you had no one looking over your house, and you don't consider this anything to complain about?

It's not a case of minding your own damn business. It's a case of making sure your property doesn't drag the neighborhood down or the "idiots" don't have to put up with an ugly blight for however long you choose to be away. You signed up for that responsibility when you bought your house.

On the nose.

[gap2415]

Originally Posted by CFrance

So your neighbors had to live with dead grass for three months because you had no one looking over your house, and you don't consider this anything to complain about?

It's not a case of minding your own damn business. It's a case of making sure your property doesn't drag the neighborhood down or the "idiots" don't have to put up with an ugly blight for however long you choose to be away. You signed up for that responsibility when you bought your house.

So much for tolerance and understanding. I love my village where it is friendly and helpful. We look after one another and forgiving when someone is unknowingly amiss. If it became intolerant and mean spirited, we would have to move. Life is short and how many years have we left? Even with someone watching our home, at times things happen and we don't know until we return a few weeks later. It's usually small but thank heaven, we don't have to return to harshness instead of eager helpfulness.

[Sandtrap328]

Originally Posted by Fred R

I recently returned to my home here after a 3 month absence and learned that my sprinkler system had not been operating properly. I fixed the system and when the weather permits I will rake up the dead matter and throw some top soil down. I would hope some idiot doesn't try to make an issue since my front lawn looks bad. If so, I would really want to have a discussion with the person. Some folks just can't mind their own damn business.

Yours is exactly why non-full timers should have a professional oversee their property when they are absent. You could have been emailed about the situation and given permission to fix the system - before your yard died off.

It is a neighbor's business when a yard on the block has died off or has been overgrown with tall weeds, etc.

We all signed our covenants when we moved in.

[graciegirl]

We have choices. We don't just leave and let our yards go to pot. We are adults and have lived long enough to know that if our yards aren't taken care of by somebody, they won't look nice very long.


To choose not to keep up our homes is not what most of us are about. If that person who let his lawn go when he was gone lived there full time, I am pretty sure he would be annoyed to see this neglect from others.


If we cannot afford to live here and see that our property is maintained by someone while we are gone, it is just selfish to buy here. We aren't living alone. We do have responsibility to the community. We signed that we would be compliant. Unknowingly is one thing and uncaringly is another. We all know that we must maintain our properties when we are gone.

Tolerance and understanding go hand in hand with responsibility and respect for others.

[lamplighter]

If I had read this thread before purchasing here, there is a good chance I would have said no way.