Category Archives: Foreclosures

LOL! God Bless Google!

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Homeowners across the country have wonderful ways to track the criminals who get themselves elected to positions of power on HOA boards. It’s heady power, indeed. And according to one of my regular searches on the web, they frequently arm themselves to take down enemies.

The greatest Google search is simply…. HOA president arrested.

That’s all! And it turns up a treasury.

The most recent incident happened last month in a Homeowners Association in the San Diego area. A 59 year old HOA president apparently didn’t like the work done by a man hired to do some work in the neighborhood. The HOA president pulled out a blade and stabbed the younger man. This gem of a neighborhood leader was arrested.

More to come.

(story from San Diego)

 

 

Common Sense in Arizona?

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Well, just a couple of weeks ago, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a family’s right to post a ‘for sale’ sign had more support from the law than an HOA’s right to pull them down.

Some tyrannical HOAs forbid sales signs altogether. Some say ‘for sale’ signs are OK, just as long as they’re brown and tan and are not easily seen by potential buyers. Egads, the warped minds of these control freaks! 

At least there’s hope for the future. A rogue HOA in Northern Virginia told a couple their Obama sign was four inches too big and the HOA thugs destroyed it for them. But the last laugh was with the couple. They sued the HOA, the judge ordered the HOA to pay the couples’ legal costs which forced the whole neighborhood to declare bankruptcy.

It’s so nice to stroll through a peaceful neighborhood where the lawns are all cared for and no pink, polka-dotted homes. I just came from visiting someone in such a nice and caring neighborhood, and not surprisingly, there was no HOA. They were just neighbors who respected each other and worked together to keep the place nice. 

And of course, no annual meeting where people are screaming at each other.

(click here for AZ Supreme Court Decision) 

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/state-and-regional/pine-canyon-hoa-must-allow-for-sale-signs/article_43f97a0a-1521-11e3-9975-0019bb2963f4.html

Immunity for HOA President!

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This story has been batted about for a few months but It’s a fascinating look at abuse of homeowners by their Associations. It took place in Celina, Texas.

Dozens of homeowners had to replace their roofs after last year’s big hailstorm. But four or five homeowners are being fined up to $500 per day because their roof tiles are a slightly different shade from the rest of the neighborhood. The Carter Ranch Homeowners Association demands that all roofs be “weathered wood.” But there’s no single shade that goes by such a name. There are multiple colors of weathered wood. So the HOA is threatening to lien and foreclose on the homes that the HOA board deemed were the wrong shade.

The kicker to the story, though, is video of a home whose owner painted his driveway and the sidewalks past his home bright white. It’s an obvious violation of the Carter Ranch covenants. But this homeowner doesn’t get fined, liened or foreclosed.

He’s the HOA president.

(click here for WFAA story)

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news?fId=223692861&fPath=/news/local/&fDomain=10247

 

 

How Can We React?

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It has dawned on me several times over the past few years that HOA outrages are most often reversed when a rogue HOA gets a ton of phone calls and email from angry people across the country. If you know that you, as a board officer or manager, are being watched by the whole country, you might be a little less rotten to your neighbor. In a well publicized case where an HOA official’s viciousness is widely publicized, would that official be more willing to step back and mull over the action he or she is planning to take? Certainly, when you lift up a big rock the vermin tend to scatter in the light of day.

We currently have more than 31,000 people regularly reading this blog. That means an army of folks in every state. Should we begin publicizing home phone numbers, HOA phone numbers, email addresses and management phone numbers whenever we hear of the actions of a rogue HOA board?

I’d like to hear your thoughts publicly or privately. And if we ever began such a policy it would require your help to look up and verify any numbers or addresses of those we publicize.

Your thoughts?

HOA Sticks It To Pet Lovers!

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guest blog by Nila Ridings
 
Sandra Thomas bought a condo at the Wyckford Mews in 1997 and agreed to the by-laws, which include a pet clause. Only two pets per unit. But this board is fining her, claiming she was given the wrong CC&Rs SIXTEEN years ago and only one pet is allowed! 
 
Sandra pleaded her case for grandfathering. Oh no! They don’t do that at Wyckford Mews. So, pick your favorite; dog or cat, and take the other to a shelter or wherever…Wyckford Mews could care less!  Until you comply, the fines are $100 each.
 
Forget about calling your board members, Gerald Rowan or Josh Quinn. They don’t return calls.  (Since every HOA story seems to have board members who don’t answer phone calls or knocks at the door, I am wondering if that instruction is written in the CAI HOA-101 class syllabus?).
 
Running to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office won’t do you much good. You’ll no doubt get the same response as homeowners get in the other 49 states.  Expect to hear, “This is a civil matter! Go hire a lawyer!”
 
Some Wyckford Mews condo owners are fearful, but think they have figured this HOA scam out.  Absurd fines for things like parking your bicycle over time, (Have I been out to lunch? Do they have meters for that now, too?) leaving your shoes in the hallway, or for no reason at all, place the condo owner into the “not in good standing” classification.  Therefore, they cannot run for the board or vote in the board election. 
 
Sandra, vote with your feet and paws!  Pack up your dog and cat, and GET OUT while you still can!  The torture by the rogue HOA board members has just begun!  And it won’t get better with time!
 
P.S. With Halloween just around the corner, DO NOT BUY A PUMPKIN to display.  You could end up with another $100 fine.  Of course, in the language of HOAs that would be considered a “treat.” Compliments of your HOA board goblins!