Peggy S Baker

As I am unsure if you are looking to move in to the Riverwalk subdivision or not, all fencing must first be approved by the Association prior to installing. You must provide a basic plan showing where you want the fence to go is accordance with house and lot lines, etc.. As I live in Riverwalk (10 year resident) and have some fencing on the side of my house, many people in here have fencing, but NOT completely surrounding the yard unless you have a built-in pool. There are also limitations to the type of fencing allowed, and nothing above 4' (give or take) is allowed, unless possibly a privacy fence around your immediate patio or hot tub.

What the association is trying to avoid is by allowing 'blanket fence installations' SOME homeowners dont take care of fences as they age, causing eyesores to the surrounding neighbors. As a REALTOR and property manager, despite homeowners good intentions, subdivisions filled with fencing in every yard is somewhat of a dilema as well as eyesore, especially when homeowners let their damaged fences remain in poor condition.

If this is a matter of not knowing if you should make an offer on a home because you dont know if your fence plans can be approved, I personally know people on the board, however it is the Management Company that presents your plans to the Board and so on. Unless you are already working with an agent, I would be happy to help you try and find this out prior to buying in here, however this is something that could be determined during the 5-day attorney review period, and could put the burden on the sellers to find out if your plans for a fence would be approved. I know the Association is eager to get some of the forclosed homes in here sold so they can recoup long overdue condo assessments, so they might be more willing to allow one to fence the entire back yard. You certainly wont be able to fence the front under any circumstance.

Another thing that is crucial for any buyer moving in to a community where an HOA (Homeowners Association) is in existence, there are rules and regulations for each and every community, and there isnt a one that doesnt have some kind of qwirk, whether not allowing homeowners to rent out their homes, or making them present plans for any kind of exterior improvement.

I could go on and on with more HOA advice, but hopefully I answered the key part of your question on fencing. - Fri Sep 18 2009, 14:18