Suggest that if the neighborhood you're interested in has a HOA you ask for a copy of the CC&R before you jump. If the realtor can't locate one, there is usually a copy filed in the registrar's office along with all the property information.
We bought a townhouse in the Cleveland suburbs and the builders had put partial privacy fences between the yard areas for each unit - each sat on 1/2 acre. We noticed several had extended those with various materials and even a couple of chain link, but they all looked nice. Of course, you had to fill out a zillion forms to submit to the HOA, which we did. We were going to simply extend the original fence out and back around to the corner of the house for our dogs. They denied it and even though we pointed out the others, their lame excuse was that "they didn't file a request and just put the fence up, so it's alright". Some HOA can be a real PITA, so if you have lingering questions, go directly to the source with a copy of the CC&R in hand. It really is wonderful being able to store just a few feet out the door. Good luck.
