I live in an older section of the city and there are no HOA's and we all seem to get along just fine. Not to say that there are no nosy neighbors around but they are not a bother.
Art
There's certainly nothing wrong with older neighborhoods...well kept, friendly neighbors, and for hams (or people who hate any restrictions), no HOA. The problem arises if one of your priorities is a new, or very recently built home with all the modern, updated construction techniques like digital wiring, insulation, brand new roof, HVAC, your choice of flooring, cabinets, exterior design, and other available upgrades offered by the builder. Basically, new, never lived-in everything. I know, there's also such a thing as remodeling

. But some people just like "brand new". Unfortunately, along with the package comes HOA's/CC&R's. And for hams, the likelihood of antenna restrictions. As I've posted before, it's all a matter of priorities and compromise. No one can comment on or make those decisions for you.
73, Bob K7JQ