guest blog by Nila Ridings
If you live in a townhouse or condo this story is a must read. It contains details you may not have thought of. It raises awareness of how board members are not qualified to hire contractors and oversee construction rebuilds.
What it does not mention, unless I missed it, is the fact while you are displaced from your HOA property you are still paying for the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and HOA dues. All while you are paying for a place to stay unless your insurance provides coverage for temporary housing. And do they consider a year or two temporary?
Some of our readers may recall I grew up in the construction industry. My father was a custom home-builder and developer so I spent a lot of time on construction sites and have a very clear understanding of the process from dirt to dishwashers. I’ve been the general contractor on several of the remodeling projects I’ve done on houses I’ve owned, including one where a fire destroyed the kitchen. Coordinating sub-contractors, negotiating pricing, and choosing materials is a full-time job that requires tremendous organizational skills and the ability to anticipate the next step in the process so the job can move forward toward completion.
I shudder to think about a disaster rebuild in my HOA or any HOA that would be coordinated by board members who do not know beadboard from chipboard or quarter round from crown moulding which would promise a full scale fail as the end result from day one. Imagine moving back to a nightmare like these folks in the article below! Put yourself in their shoes because it’s not all that unlikely you could be wearing them someday.
(link to story about disastrous rebuild attempt)
What about property managers? Do they really know what they are doing? My current property manager is a bully who dominates every meeting I’ve attended. Only one board member ever speaks, and it’s like the others are mindless puppets of the property manager. It scares me to think that these meek and likely clueless board members would be bullied into agreeing to whatever this property manager tells them. This property manager also brags about how well connected she is and how she is able to cut us great deals on contractors. Coming from her, that sends shivers down my spine. All I can think is that she and her contractor buddies are doing (or not doing) needless work on our buildings and charging us tons of money. I want to believe the best in people, but I just don’t trust my HOA.