Tag Archives: Realtor

Sexual Harassment! And You Pay!

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This one is huge, and it’s developing right now in Colorado.

A Homeowners Association in Vail is being sued because one of the supervisors in the management company was a jerk who was mistreating female Mexican workers. The Feds are now suing both the management company and the condo association.

I’ve owned two ski condos in that same area and I never had a clue who the management company was. I did get dinged a couple of times when I tried to change the locks on my doors. The management company bored through the locks, changed the door handle and charged me for their work. Yes, I was p.o.’d about that and it was one of the reasons I finally dumped the condos when the market improved.

But what if a federal EEOC sexual harassment lawsuit/judgment happened while I was still an owner? I could have been hit with a 10 to 50 thousand dollar special assessment for something I had zero knowledge about. Most Vail condos are owned by average people in Denver who just want to ski a week or two a year and rent them out the rest of the year to make the mortgage payments.

Incredible that completely innocent homeowners or condo owners could be financially ruined by this kind of thing.

(link to legal news on EEOC sexual harassment lawsuit)

http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/condo-association-sued-for-sexual-70687/

North Miami Beach HOA Disaster

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Dear Reader,

You’re supposed to do your due-diligence before buying that first home. Sure, the place looks great. Yes, it’s a sexy North Miami Beach high rise condo.

But, good grief, take a look at what’s happening around you. One family in the building can’t access their six-story balcony because it’s hazardous. Walking onto the balcony could mean sudden death. There are dozens of others inaccessible balconies. The building is full of mold. There are allegations of the embezzlement of more than a million dollars worth of dues paid by homeowners to the management company for parking fees.

Big cracks are appearing in the Jade Winds high rise. The condo association has filed for bankruptcy. It’s not an uncommon phenomenon in North Miami Beach and around the country, for that matter.

This continues to be a national scandal, the biggest one that state and federal legislators are NOT looking at. “Please go away from my office. Please don’t talk about HOAs. It’s too confusing and my mental capacities are not functioning at full speed right now.”

I love the readers of this blog, I just want to protect them from financial disaster.

(link to news on condo catastrophe in North Miami Beach)

A Great Newspaper Column!

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Newspaper columnists who favor the Homeowners Association system are getting about as rare as hen’s teeth.

On the other hand, many many journalists are finally ‘getting it.’ Either they’ve been bitten themselves, or they’ve had a flood of complaints from bullied or cheated homeowners. The column linked below from the Capitol Gazette, in Maryland, is really, really good.

She uses the words, “no accountability.” Amen to that!

(link to column on HOAs in Capital Gazette)

They’re called HOA Nazis for a Reason!

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The word ‘Christmas’ must be anathema to some people. In fact, any word containing the letters that spell C-h-r-i-s-t makes people spit nails. Oh, they’ll use the word, but only while slinging cuss words around.

In Arizona, Roger Walklin of the Velda Rose Estates Homeowners Association, says a bunch of little old ladies who stitch Christmas stockings each year in the clubhouse are no longer allowed.

“You’re a religious group,” he said. “It’s against the covenants to allow religious groups in.”

Each year, Ferne Skidmore and her friends stitch about 3000 Christmas stockings, stuff them with goodies and hand them out to less fortunate kids.

“We’re not a religious group. We have no religious affiliation at all. We donate stockings to anybody who wants them. Besides, there’s nothing in the covenants that says religious groups can’t use the clubhouse.” Ferne is now taking the money out of her air conditioner repair fund to take Walklin to court.

I’ve got a much better and cheaper solution for Ferne. Don’t call it the ‘Christmas Stockings Project.’ Call it the ‘L’il Hitler Stockings Project.’ It’s an HOA for gosh sakes. That one might slide right by and nobody would catch it.

BTW, Arizona property manager Dave Russell is outraged and he’s already offered his community clubhouse to the ladies for free. No hassles!

(link to story on KPHO/KTVK TV, Phoenix)

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Mommy and Daddy Are Going To Jail!

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guest blog by Nila Ridings

Excuse my language, but WHAT THE HELL is going on at Raintree Lake in Lee’s Summit, Missouri?

This family project of building a playset is about to land the parents in JAIL. All because the stain they used on the wood is purple. And since when do HOAs have the legal right to put somebody in JAIL? Isn’t JAIL where criminals go? Tell me what is criminal about purple? Or a playset. Oh! That’s right we’re dealing with an HOA here. Now, this all makes sense.

I know people who live in this Raintree Lake HOA. I’m not sure how happy they will be to see their neighbors hauled off in handcuffs to JAIL over the color purple. And I know they will not be happy having their dues burned up in legal bills! I need to ask them if their HOA has built a jail for those who they think did not follow the CC&R’s? Perhaps this is the up and coming thing with HOAs? I’ve always felt like I was living in a JAIL since I moved into an HOA.

I can hear it now. “Hi Dad, it’s Marla. We’re in JAIL because we stained the girls’ playset purple! Can you come down with some bail money so we can get out of HOA JAIL?”

The internet discussions are about starting fundraiser websites to help this family fight to keep their playset. So sad. Good money being donated and spent to fill the pockets of HOA attorneys…again!

Folks, in the big picture of life would somebody please clue these Raintree Lake HOA board members in on how insanely ridiculous they are conducting themselves. When I think of the massive issues we are facing in America and worldwide, it really irks me that bullies on HOA boards are relishing the idea of destroying lives and bank accounts over nonsense. And purple paint is total nonsense!

When will the legislators wake up and see what damage is being done to homeowners by people with evil intentions?

Thanks to Scott McDonnell at KMBC for covering this story. I have tried for years to get this television station to help us educate homeowners about HOAs. Finally, I see progress is being made!

(link to KMBC story on the purpose swing set)

guest blog by Nila Ridings

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