[BrianC9379]

My wife and I moved to a somewhat upscale gated community in VA last year. House prices range from $500,000 to $1,500,000+, with some quite higher. We are located in the “cheap seats” section of the development as my wife puts it. It’s a large scale community with 3 golf courses and the common areas are very well maintained by an active HOA. There are HOA guidelines for what building materials, paint colors, fencing, trees, etc. can be used. I’m ok with all of this, as the community is attractive and shows well. The HOA would have a problem if property owner’s lawns were uncut or unkempt, but otherwise owners are free to landscape to their heart’s content. I, however, do not have green thumb, nor do I want to spend time or money on bushes, flowers, weeding, etc. Our immediate neighbors have the opposite mindset and spend a lot of their time personally working on their yard. While our property is not quite “Sanford & Son” in comparison to our neighbors, we clearly have differences in what is important to us. I would rather spend my outdoor time cleaning one of our cars or enjoying a beer on the deck instead of sweating over weed pulling. Should I feel guilty?