One of Illinois’ Finest
Ever wonder who helped write HOA and Condo law? Here’s one of them. Just a fine, fine man.
(link to Illinois condo king, Dr. Donnie Rudd)
(more on Rudd’s HOA background)
Category Archives: drought
Florida Reporter ‘Gets It’
Florida and Nevada are probably the worst states in the country for HOA abuse. There are a thousand ways to steal private homes from their rightful owners, and it happens many times each day, probably each hour. It’s a national tragedy that state and federal politicians are absolutely unwilling to examine. No, it’s much easier to turn your back in the direction of the proffered cash. A shame, for sure.
At least more and more members of the media are ‘getting it.’ The latest is Orlando Sentinel reporter Beth Kassab. Yes, if she Googles her own name, she’ll see this post!
(HOA abuses need reform: Orlando Sentinel and Beth Kassab)
Another Outrageous HOA Board
Don’t ever tell yourself the world of Homeowners Associations can’t get any wackier. The stories are sometimes too outrageous to believe. Here’s another.
The president of the Coronado Place Homeowners Association in Tucson is handing out speeding fines and then threatening to shut off the water if those fines aren’t paid. Under Arizona state law, that’s illegal. But it took public exposure by a great reporter at KVOA News to embarrass this women into backing down.
(link to the latest HOA outrage)
http://www.kvoa.com/story/30589956/n4t-investigators-hoa-hassle
I blogged about the Cobblestone Community Homeowners Association a few days ago, but the update linked below is worth reading. While I can refute this reporter’s claim that “Most homeowners’ associations work and work well….” Hmmm, this leads me to believe this reporter is a novice. In truth, every Homeowners Association is one vote away from disaster. They don’t protect property values, they don’t ensure personal security, they don’t protect you from embezzlers on the board or in the management company.
The lawyer quoted in the story says he’s frustrated. Of course he is. He knows how dangerous HOAs can be!
(link to Fox5-Atlanta story on Cobblestone HOA)
Boom Goes The Egg Money!
That’s Pennsylvania Dutch, and you can look it up if you’re interested.
But it basically means that a homeowner’s savings are all gone. And that’s exactly what’s happening as FEMA redraws its maps for flood zones. A couple of years ago 20,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in a devastating flood in Boulder, Colorado. I remember it well because a close friend and I spent 12 hours trying to find a way out of the flooded streets, the collapsing pavement and entire homes drifting down the middle of major boulevards. We survived, but we had to endure waves of water crashing over my 2001 Blazer. I can personally testify that Chevy Blazers actually float…at least for a little while.
The federal flood maps didn’t list any of those Boulder neighborhoods as flood zones and many homeowners discovered, to their horror, that as members of HOA corporations they didn’t qualify for federal emergency relief. If you own a home you get federal relief. If you’re in a Homeowners Association you are considered a stock holder, not a homeowner. Who knew?
Now, thousands of people around the country are discovering that their membership in Homeowners Associations won’t save them from future weather disasters as FEMA re-draws all the flood maps. What does that do to HOA property values? You get just one guess!
(link to the redrawing of flood maps by FEMA)
