Serving on Homeowner's Board???

[Thomas]

I was out raking the remanants of Ike from my lawn yesterday, and a gent in a pick-up approached me. After a short conversation, he mentioned that he was the president of the Homeowner's Association and was looking for new members to serve on the board.

Background - we've lived in our 'hood for one year now, but my in-laws built their house a few blocks down maybe 35 years ago. It's a mature area, tall trees, etc. Many of the residents are retired or close to retirement and winding down, so to speak.

So, back to this solicitation. I know some boards are a PITA, this one collects very little in terms of dues, self-managed, no neglected properties in my area. Most of these people who still work have good jobs.

The question is: is serving on the board worth it in terms of making contacts? Anything as far as business, Good karma, that sort of thing? Will anything good come of it or am I asking for headaches with no upside?

 

[JayJay]

I served as vice president for one, and president for another. I'll never do it again.

Although I met a lot of people in the mayor's office, they were a pain to deal with because they didn't respect the fact that I had a day job. They would only schedule meetings at times convenient for them. Moreover, the connections were fruitless because everytime a new mayor was elected, the influence of the previous folks fizzled completely, and most were not very competent to start with.

I also got to know my neighbors very well, and this was not good. The more I got to know them, the less I liked the neighborhood.