Tag Archives: Homeonwers Association

Another Day, Another HOA Embezzlement

A Pensacola Homeowners Association is juggling its debts, after discovering their treasurer swiped more than $90,000. Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies agree and they’ve charged Hedi Dyer with fraud and larceny.

They say the treasurer of the Lillian Woods HOA wrote checks to herself and her husband over a five year period. Now the neighborhood is struggling to keep its bills paid.

Like thousands of other HOAs around the country, the Lillian Woods HOA had no way to make sure their treasurer was being honest with the neighborhood’s funds. It now joins thousands of other HOAs which are whining, “We got swindled!”

Tiny Mice Gang Up On Big Rats in California

Homeowners usually get the raw end of the deal when they try to fight the “Bigs” in the HOA industry. Some Homeowners in California are trying to turn that trend around. An HOA in Riverside County has sued three former property managers for “fraud, conspiracy to defraud, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.”  They had employed the management companies for eight years.

Canyon Lake Association then sued its own law firm, Fiore, Racobs & Powers, accusing them of “fraud and malpractice.” They say a lengthy investigation found “no cash management, no separation of accounting duties, credit card abuse by employees, employee salary increases that were not approved by the board.”

The Short Sale Trap

For those of you wanting to make a short sale on your house, you’d better keep an eagle eye on your good old Homeowners Association. They’re starting to get pretty crafty in keeping the neighborhood operating budget full.

For homeowners who are suffering through the housing mess and living with underwater mortgages, working out a short sale might help you save some of your retirement nest egg. The banks take a well-deserved loss, but you’re happy because you’ve found a buyer and you’ve escaped your nightmare of a mortgage.

On the 7th Day, God Didn’t Actually Rest: He Sent Mankind an Honest Lawyer

This blog credits honesty. And in the HOA quagmire that is North Carolina, one lawyer has raised his head and taken an extreme moral, social and safety risk by speaking his heart.  He says he’s seen the HOA mess from both sides and has strong opinions about the need for reforms.

If you’re a Christian, you’d better drop to your knees and thank God for this Jewish lawyer.  He speaks the Truth, and is certain to be crucified for it.

I’ll link his editorial right here. And if you know this guy, tell him you appreciate his honesty.

How D’ya Like Your HOA Re-sale Value Now, Bunky?

Washington State is such a pretty place to live. They call it “The Evergreen State.”

And a boat-load of Homeowners Associations were all going to help protect and preserve property values for all those new owners. Well, it’s not working out so well for folks in the Hazel Dell Townhomes, part of the Timbers at Town Center HOA in Vancouver. About six years ago, crowds of real estate agents dragged their clients in to buy some of those ritzy new townhomes. Now, HOA dues are going unpaid, a lot of personal wealth has been shredded, common areas are uncommonly unkempt. At this point, a townhouse owner probably couldn’t unload his property in a bad poker game.