another friend of ours almost lost their house for making changes to the front of their house.

A third friend almost lost his house for not paying dues

another coworker was renting and said the HOA sent her a threatening letter to put a lien on the house due to unpaid dues. It's not her house so she didn't care but still, that shit sounds frightening

but with all that said, I can see how they can help your house appreciate due to clean looking neighborhood.

I would never live in an area with one.