October 12, 2018 – If you’re like me, I’m sure occasionally you hear something about the world we live in today that just drives you nuts. I’ve always been a proponent of live and let live, but it seems a lot of people are just not happy unless they try to assert some kind of mandate or restriction on those around them.

If you’re a hot tub lover and have either owned one, grown up with one, or been told by a medical professional it will help you, keep this in mind when you go to buy a new home.

I’m on a Facebook group with a number of other dealers from around the country who also sell Hot Spring Spas. One of them recently shared a story about a couple in North Carolina in a fight with the homeowners’ association over their hot tub. In this particular case, whomever is “interpreting” whether their hot tub is allowed is treating their portable hot tub like it’s an above-ground pool. (I won’t go into how idiotic that logic is.)

As I continued to read the account, it was pretty clear to me that either someone in the association has a dislike for this couple, are unable to have a hot tub themselves and therefore projecting their circumstances on them, or maybe they’re just unhappy. (A hot tub could help with that last one!)

If you are someone who loves hot tubbing and what it does for you, I would strongly urge you to make sure you are getting copies of any covenants or governing documents for the neighboorhood/complex/subdivision before making an offer.

In 1998 I became a homeowner for the very first time. I purchased a townhome in Seattle’s Central District. I had already been working at Olympic for three years at this point, and my realtor was a customer of mine who had bought a Hot Spring Sovereign from me. During the buying process, I specifically looked at the covenants for the complex. I wanted to be sure there was nothing preventing me from having a hot tub. When I finally had one delivered, it took six months before anyone even realized I had one, thanks to how quiet Hot Spring Spas are. One of the board members for our townhomes mentioned in passing one day, “I’m surprised you didn’t ask for approval to have a hot tub here.” My reply: “I specifically checked the covenants regarding a hot tub before I bought a townhome here and there’s nothing stating I was required to do so.” It closed the conversation down pretty quick!

If you’re using a hot tub for therapeutic/medical reasons, I would find any organization hard pressed to deny you the right to have a hot tub. Bear that in mind as well when searching for your home.

We live in a different world today. Some folks seem to think their opinions and circumstances are more important than yours and—worse—makes them entitled to insert themselves into your circumstances. Be proactive and arm yourself when you buy a home if you plan your hot tub soaks as part of your life there!