Category Archives: Foreclosures

Structural Engineers Wail Warnings About HOA And Condo Design Projects

      4 Comments on Structural Engineers Wail Warnings About HOA And Condo Design Projects

guest blog by Nila Ridings

In the same way homeowners are getting wiser and wiser to the nightmares of HOAs and condo associations so are the engineering professionals who get caught in the very early stages of this insanity. The HOA attorneys are wiping them out, too.

I love it when “insiders” open the can of worms on corruption.  This time it’s the structural engineers and their insurers sounding the alarm about working with architects and developers on condominium projects. And their insurance agents are giving them a “heads up” on how to protect themselves against the inevitable HOA lawsuit.

Reading between the lines it seems they’re saying, “Run from condo projects! HOAs and condos are a pain in the neck to deal with even in hard times when work is scarce! Don’t let the pockets of your engineering firm be the deepest ones in the courtroom” is the message I’m hearing.

It’s disgusting to see the vast numbers of people who are being harmed by this entire HOA and condo association mess. I think we should invite the structural engineers to join our activism. They can relate to the pain and suffering that homeowners are going through… and the fear of the inevitable legal battles with the HOA attorneys.

(the legal risk of working on a condo design)

(And another good link:)

 

HOAs And Electric Cars. Whew!

      No Comments on HOAs And Electric Cars. Whew!

You just never know what to expect when you start writing about the outrages of HOA Amerika. But I suppose I could have predicted this one.

It happened in Venice, Florida. The owners of a brand new Chevy Volt discovered one of their neighbors was cutting the cord of their plug-in vehicle.

Now I’m no fan of the Volt. I actually think it’s a little stupid-looking and wouldn’t hold the boxes from any of my recent trips to Costco. But not in a million years would I think of intentionally damaging someone else’s plug-in car. Let them live in peace. It saves more carbon-based gasoline for me.

But intentionally wrecking someone else’s car?

Beyond idiotic. And I hope some Florida cop can figure out a way of sending this creep to jail.

(link to Venice, Florida story)

 

Which Has The Greatest Risks? Owning In An HOA or Casino Gambling?

      1 Comment on Which Has The Greatest Risks? Owning In An HOA or Casino Gambling?

guest blog by Nila Ridings

I’ve heard it so many times.  “I don’t gamble.”  “I’m too tight with my money to gamble.” “I wouldn’t know how to gamble.” “The thought of gambling scares me because I’ve worked hard for my money.”  All spoken by people who own property in a homeowners association.

Personally, I’ve gambled one time in my life at a Reno casino.  I dropped $20 in a nickel slot machine and won.  I collected my winnings and walked straight out the front door.  I don’t gamble.  Or so I thought I didn’t.

I’ve come to the realization that I’m an insane gambler.  Why?  I bought a townhouse in an HOA!  I took a far greater risk than if I’d flown to Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or back to Reno and just threw down three hundred thousand dollars on the craps table and rolled the dice.  Goodness, with a stroke of luck I could have walked out a millionaire…or maybe a multi-millionaire, but for sure I would have come out in no worse shape than I am in my HOA.

Are you scratching your head and asking how I arrived at this conclusion? 

Here’s how:

If one of the casino owners was embezzling, it wouldn’t be my responsibility to rebuild the bank account with my money.  In an HOA, there is no avoiding it.  They steal, you lose and get hit with covering the financial loss from the bad actors, liars and thieves. 

If the casino management refuses to allow a blind person with a seeing-eye dog into the casino and they sue for a violation of the ADA, I won’t be paying for the legal bills.  But, in an HOA I will be.

If the casino needs a new roof or resurfacing on the parking lot, I’m not going to receive a bill.  You can bet the HOA will slap a stamp on a special assessment and drop it in my mailbox.  Or if one of the casino managers has his Uncle Billy Bob with his shiny new hammer building decks without a contractor’s license, I won’t be hit with any liability if it falls down.

When I sign for my room at the front desk, I’m not going to become business partners with every intoxicated stranger in the 1,500 room hotel, but I sure am with my 1,500 HOA neighbors. (some sober and some not) 

And, last but not least, there is massive government oversight over the casino operations.  There is no oversight to speak of over HOAs or property managers.

And I won’t have signed away my US Constitutional Rights when I walked through the door of the casino.

Granted, the assumed operators of the casinos might very well be related to those in power over the HOAs.  But I could walk right out the door and choose not to do business with them in a matter of seconds.  I wouldn’t be locked inside the building while they are telling all the other gamblers I’m a liar and dumber than a box of rocks, and if I don’t like it I need to leave!  Similar to screaming “IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, THEN MOVE!” which is always heard at HOA board meetings!

Yep!  I should have driven right past this dilapidated disaster of an HOA and headed north to the airport!

Yet Another Clueless Columnist

      2 Comments on Yet Another Clueless Columnist

The link below is to a story in the Chicago area’s Daily Herald. The question it poses is innocent enough. “Should condo owners press their boards to seek FHA approval?” But the writer misses some terribly important points.

1. 70% of all HOAs in the country have underfunded reserves.

2. With all the fines, lawsuits, liens and foreclosures across the country, any kind of HOA is an investor’s worst nightmare.

3. People are getting educated about HOA Amerika, and Realtors everywhere are hearing, “Only show me listings that are NOT in HOAs.”

4. Fifteen to thirty year old neighborhoods are falling apart, making disaster properties impossible to sell at any price.

5. Financial experts say there’s a housing bubble coming that will look more like a nuclear bomb than a bubble. This one will be a doozie.

It would be very interesting to see if the FHA has approved any Homeowners Associations in the past decade. My guess is that you’d be hard-pressed to find a single one. Freddie and Fanny have financed some recent HOA projects but these two federal agencies are already on life support.

If anyone knows this Illinois journalist, drop him a line. Tell him to do some real reporting.

“The times, they are a-changin’.” -Bob Dylan

(link to column on FHA approval)

 

Deck Collapses At Wolf Lake Homeowners Association In Indiana

      No Comments on Deck Collapses At Wolf Lake Homeowners Association In Indiana
guest blog by Nila Ridings


Homeowners Associations, beware! The Wilt Family Christmas gathering, on December 22nd suddenly ended with the family photo gathering on the clubhouse deck.  Their lives were changed forever in a matter of seconds when the deck collapsed out from under them.  3 of the family members are still not able to walk.  

The deck had no center supports.  No bolts.  Just nails to support it and the weight of all who walked out onto it.  A family member has taken the time to post a video on YouTube revealing these undeniable facts.  The builder of the deck says it’s been ten years since it was constructed and he has no liability.  The president of the HOA, John Karaffa has not returned calls to the television reporter…don’t hold your breath, he never will.  But, very soon everybody will be talking under oath in the courtroom! 

If you live in an HOA with a clubhouse and balcony, I strongly encourage you to watch the video.  And then watch the videos included in the context of the article.  Insist on an inspection of your clubhouse deck.  As a homeowner in an HOA you hold liability for injuries or deaths.  The risks are too great not to demand an inspection by a professional.