I agree with Mike, HOA docs are contracts of adhesion. They CAN'T change them, because they are filed with the subdivision plat. So, you either want to move to the neighborhood, or you don't, but you can't negotiate the terms, and you can't know in advance what the HOA or architectural control committee (ACC) is going to want to allow you to do. The CC&Rs and rules normally require advance approval for just about anything, and they may be reasonable about it or they may not. The point is, when you enter into a normal contract, it is usually clear what constitutes performance by either party. With CC&Rs, it isn't. You take the risk of having an HOA that wears swastikas to meetings. The point of the article that Tom sent, which I thought excellent, was that the HOAs have the latitude to be unreasonable. And there is not often an alternative in metro areas unless you want a 2 hour commute to work each way. Chris