You've heard all the horror stories, "My condominium association told me what color I could paint my door, after I painted it a color I liked but it didn't." "I was only parked in the wrong space for a few minutes so I could unload my groceries, but my owners' association had my car towed anyway."

And my personal favorites: "I had to sell my pickup because I wasn't allowed to park it in my driveway," and "We can't leave toys out overnight, otherwise the 'Neighborhood Nazis' will confiscate them because they say it is unsightly."

Yes, living in a community where your fellow owners set the rules by which everyone must live by -- whether you like them or not -- is, indeed, a bundle of laughs. But according to a new research, the majority of people who live in such places are overwhelmingly pleased with their communities, expressing strong satisfaction with the board members who govern their associations and the community managers who provide professional support.

Some 54 million Americans live in roughly 274,000 homeowner associations, condominium communities, cooperatives and other planned developments, up from 45 million residents in 223,000 communities in 2000. Most new home properties being built today are turned over to an owners' group of one kind or another when their builder or developer moves on.

More than seven in 10 community association residents say they are satisfied with their community experience, according to the survey that was conducted by Zogby International, a leading public opinion research firm. Almost 40 percent of community association residents say they are "very pleased."

Only 10 percent expressed some level of dissatisfaction. They must be the ones doing all the griping.

Utopia? Hardly. But the findings are consistent with similar research conducted by the Gallup Organization in 1999, when 75 percent of community association homeowners said they were satisfied with their communities.

Howard Goldkang, the president of the Foundation for Community Research, called the findings "a positive sign" and said it is "reassuring" to know that community associations are "working from a solid base of support." The foundation, which sponsored the study, is a nonprofit organization created by the Community Association Institute to keep it in the know when it comes to association management and governance.

The Zogby study found that nine in 10 owners are on friendly terms with their association board members, with just 4 percent indicating a negative relationship. By comparison, a smaller number, 86 percent, say they get along well with their immediate neighbors and a larger number, 5 percent, report a negative relationship.

For what it's worth, of those who reported issues with neighbors, the most common problems were pets, general lifestyle, noise and parking.

Community associations operate under rules that are put in place to meet the established expectations of residents. Often called Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs), rules in community associations typically address issues such as architectural guidelines, pets, parking, fences, parking and structures.

While some owners chafe when confronted by rules they don't like, the study found that 78 percent believe community association rules "protect and enhance" property values. Only 1 percent said rules harm property values, while about 20 percent see no difference.

Although rules enforcement, discontent and anecdotal evidence can generate calls for more stringent regulation of community associations, only 15 percent of those surveyed want additional government control of association-governed communities. Almost 80 percent oppose more government involvement.

Another oft reported complaint is the amount of money residents must fork over in assessments to pay for services and amenities, such as landscaping maintenance, trash removal, street lighting, pools and other recreational features.

But eight in 10 owners surveyed said they get a good return for their assessments. Only 19 percent expressed some level of dissatisfaction.

When asked what community leaders should do when a resident neglects to pay the monthly or quarterly fee, three out of four said associations should take whatever means necessary to collect, including involving attorneys.

Published: December 7, 2005

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.