Decisions will be made with or without participation, Shayne. An aging HOA Board tried to change the subdivision to a 55+ community by counting on the fact that few members would vote. Thank goodness, they showed up in force to prevent that from happening or it would have been to the detriment of the younger residents!

The Board no longer enjoyed the children's laughter or squeals of joy while playing in the pool and on the playground.

Apathy. 

Many boards are closed political circuits.  The same board members for YEARS who lost sight, assuming they ever had it, of the fact that they are supposed to be serving the community AND enforcing the governing documents. 

Many homeowners stop attending meetings because they have experienced firsthand that the Board is not helping or solving the issues.  They just give up! 

If the wrong set of HOA members get in, its a nightmare for all involved

Totally agree as one who used to go to HOA meetings. Too much complaining & cat fights. The same 'miserable' people showed up month after month.

I haven't had to deal with an HOA in 23 years thankfully! But you're right, nothing improves till something moves . . . and SADLY the people who attend are usually not there for the right reasons . . .
I think the reason more folks don't involve themselves is that they don't want to deal with the politics . . . there was a woman I went to RE school with and she felt it was her God given birthright to cause trouble in her HOA in CA, and then she acted with that same entitlement in our RE board . . . I cheered when she left town! LOL

Lots of reasons. People are busy, exhausted in the evenings when the meetings are held, or they've been to the meetings and realized they weren't run well and/or productive. I was on the board of a co-op HOA but regretted getting involved. The meetings were poorly run, lasted forever (11pm-12am), the same people came and complained about the same things every time and the board had the same response every time. I worked on a project that took quite a bit of time and didn't feel it was valued at all. Being involved was a  waste of my time and energy.

That being said, if there had been a well-run committee, my feelings would have been totally different.

I did my time on the Board years ago for several years and when it took a different direction, I declined to be a Board member even though I was repeatedly asked. I rarely go to the meetings now, mainly because they are usually posted with the minimum notice time required and the days/times vary wildly which usually conflict with my schedule. Pride of ownership is a whole different topic and there is a blog post in that for you to write.

People, for the most part, just want to pay their dues and leave the work to someone else. Years ago, I moved into a new construction community 39 townhomes and was elected president. That happened at 5 sequential meetings. At the 6th annual meeting I announced if re-elected, I would put my unit up for sale and move. They called my bluff and I moved. Nobody wanted the job!

I have no time for neighborhood busybodies, that is why I will never buy a home in an hoa.

Maybe because those meeting are typically horrible.

Many are not interested unless they need approval for something.

@ShayneStone  I served my time to make a difference in the community as a Board Member and serving on two committees.  Many neighbors chose not to get involved.  All our work was for naught.  Nothing changed nor recommendations implemented. 

We finally have a Board that implemented the deferred maintenance projects that are now mandated by the State and municipalities.

The meetings conducted by previous Boards were uncivilized. Shameful behavior and language by these neighbors.  Even the police were called in to quell the situation.

I urged the Board to review the rules/regs and up the credit scores and size of the down payments for those moving into the community to possibly change the mindset of the neighbors moving in.

The new 55s are coming.  Many have been homeowners which is helpful to understanding how to run a non-profit organization.  They do not possess a renter's mentality.  The fiduciary is to maintain the value of the property not your personal interests.

Like Diana Zaccaro Broker Associate the 48-hour notice for meetings is not sufficient and conflicts with people's schedules.  Running a 3-hour meeting is also a drain.  Why listen to owner's suggestion without adjusting the Board's position on spending unit owner funds.  It appears to be a never-ending battle.

As I lament yesteryear when we were self-managed, and neighbors took pride in their home whether primary or secondary and happily served to preserve the community lifestyle. 😏

Good question, Our HOA is only 22 families and we never have all 22 represented since we've lived here (we moved in in 1985)

For a few years, I owned a condo that I inherited. I cannot recall ever going to an HOA meeting. It was a nice community. I had no interest in being a board member and had nothing to complain about. I suspect that describes lots of people who live in HOAs communities.

Scheduling, priorities, didn't know when the meeting was, don't think it's important, don't think there input is valued. 

There are a lot of reasons people don't attend.

If you want a job for life, get on an HOA board.  I know people who have been on theirs for 20+ years.  Only way they'll be able to leave is feet first.

If people want drama and petty bickering they will just stay home and do it.

Do not know why not, then they complaint about the rules.

I wouldn't live where I had an HOA because I have enough meetings already.

I was President of a POA for a rental neighborhood of 32 4-plexes, owned by 32 landlords.  Some landlords had crime problems that were affecting their own buildings and their neighbors. Police calls were increasing.

I completed a 40-hour training course and exam and became a Certified Crime Prevention Specialist. I applied and received a federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Funds were used to design and teach a crime prevention/property management program to all the landlords.

I submitted a proposal for a neighborhood beautification project to a competitive review board. My proposal won in our division. I got the landlords to cooperate and donate funds and we received thousands of dollars in matching funds to double the project money.

The landlords, tenants, and police officers volunteered their time and energy to plant trees, shrubs, and flowers on every property. This sent a signal to the neighborhood that the landlords cared about the appearance, crime prevention, and management of their properties.

Crime, vacancies, and rental turnover rate went down.  Landlords made more money with fewer problems.  Police calls were reduced.

I received an award from the police department for community crime prevention. I was elected president of the Apartment Association of Colorado Springs and became National Chairman of the Independent Rental Owners Council of the National Apartment Association (NAA).

The landlord property management class that I created and taught won a national award from the NAA.

I organized a statewide conference on Crime Free Rental Housing and got the Governor to attend as a keynote  speaker. I received a commendation from the Governor and was invited to attend his New Year's reception of VIPs at the Governor's mansion.

The neighborhood crime prevention project was recognized for successful Community Oriented Policing by the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.

So, people will attend and cooperate if there is a significant common problem to solve, an acceptable plan of action, and leadership, not dictatorship.

I am a graduate of Leadership Pikes Peak. They told us to go out and make the community better and stronger.  That is what I tried to do.

Great question.  Probably the same reason why they don't get involved in their school PTA, churches, etc, etc, etc.  And they're probably the ones with the loudest complaints too... !

I don't know but, I always encourage my homebuyers to get actively involved.

As with voting, you can't complain if you don't!! (<<My rule!!)