Category Archives: Fraud

Community Associations Institute (CAI) presents the “Verdict:

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guest blog by Deborah Goonan

Community Associations Institute (CAI) presents the “Verdict: Americans Grade their Associations, Board Members, and Community Managers,” a 2014 survey of CIC residents, as evidence of “overwhelming” CIC resident satisfaction. CIC is an acronym for Common Interest Communities, industry-speak for homeowners’ and condominium associations, cooperatives, and variations such as planned communities, property owners’ associations, and other marketing catch-all phrases. I have blogged before about the results of this biannual survey, but, honestly, one has to take any market “research” conducted by an organization for its own benefit with more than a grain of salt. There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about the validity and reliability of the statistics CAI presents to the media, and good reason to doubt the ability to generalize conclusions drawn by CAI to over 64 million people.

In today’s blog, I merely play along with the assumption that CAI is the authority when it comes to CICs, because I know these survey summaries are presented as “authoritative” research to legislatures across the nation. The brief CAI summary presented in their surveys and statistical summaries gives disinterested legislators a seemingly valid reason to ignore constituent bill proposals for state level regulation of CICs. “Look how satisfied most residents are, ignore those few ‘unfair’ attacks upon our well-meaning volunteer Board members and well-trained community association managers, because residents do not want more government control.”

So the industry says to validate its own existence.

Let’s look again at the industry’s own research, for what it’s worth.

When we look at the real estate industry’s OWN market research, we discover that there is little demand for HOA governance. There IS demand for newer homes with modern features such as extra bathrooms, efficient heating and cooling systems, and upgraded finishes. It just so happens that, due to political cooperation and/or demands from local governments, CICs are the only type of new construction or urban redevelopment permitted. If we as buyers want a newer home, we get a CIC by default. Increasingly, tenants end up in CICs, too, due to a shortage of rental properties in some markets.

When we compare 2012 and 2014 “Verdict” data on supposed overall satisfaction, we note that positive ratings dropped by nearly 9% (from 70%to 64%).  At the same time, respondents rating their overall CIC experience as Negative increased by 25% (from 8% to 10%). Neutrals increased by 15% (from 22% to 26%).  If we combine neutrals with negatives, and compare to 2012, there has been a 20% increase (from 30% to 36%)  in the number of residents who cannot rate their overall experience as positive.

Note that these surveys only included a sample of current residents – one can assume that a significant proportion of dissatisfied or neutral residents that did not care for the CIC moved and then became FORMER residents. Was there an exit interview or poll taken for these folks?  How many unhappy people just got out of Dodge?

The 2014 survey also compares data from previous surveys as far back as 2005. In 2005, 22% of respondents said that the Rules in their communities had NO impact upon or were harmful for property values. That figure jumped to 30% in 2014! That represents a whopping 36% increase in the number of CURRENT RESIDENTS who see no real value in the rules and architectural standards. At the same time, the percentage of residents who said rules and restrictions protect property values dropped from 78% in 2005,  to 70% in 2014. That represents an 11.4% drop in confidence of the value of all those rules and restrictions.

Now let’s look at the National Asssociation of Home Builders report of What Home Buyers Really Want.

The 2013 NAHB survey indicated the following percentages of buyers that DO NOT WANT the following features in a new home, all of them synonymous with CICs:

70% – elevator (in condos)

66% – golf community

56% – high density community

48% – gated community

44% – mixed use community

Under current development policies throughout the US, none of these community housing features can exist without the establishment of an Association to cover costs of construction and ongoing maintenance.

When you combine NAHB data with the 36% of respondents whose overall CIC experience is either negative or neutral, there is a pattern that emerges: at LEAST one third of current residents are prone to make a change by moving out, or would be open to options and/or improvements in their communities. And more than half of buyers are not interested in a CIC with closely spaced housing, multifamily housing, a security gate or expensive common amenities. (The bulk of what has been constructed and continues to be constructed)

So, if market demand were driving the housing market then at least one third of new construction would be in non-CIC developments – i.e. in new public communities such as municipalities or special districts, or within existing municipalities. In fact, the data points to a pent up demand for such free communities, since almost nothing without CCRs and deed restrictions has been constructed in the last 20+ years – especially in the states with the highest population growth. Why not put a moratorium on CIC construction, to give the housing market time to self-correct?

Our elected officials should seriously reconsider their laissez faire approach when it comes to CIC legislation, because a significant portion of their voters are not as satisfied as CAI claims in its self-promotion campaign.  More importantly, our state and local leaders need to put an end to continued creation of privately governed corporate communities – that’s what CICs are – and return property rights to homeowners. It is high time to end land use policies favoring deed-restricted HOAs in planned developments and condominiums.

(link to CAI 2014 Verdict survey summary)

(link to National Association of Home Builder’s survey of what buyers want)

 

 

 

Lemonade & Garage Doors

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Property values in Western Florida are in the gutter. So it’s not unsurprising that some low testosterone creep would complain that West Dunedin neighborhood values were down because a little boy was operating a little lemonade stand. Lots of neighbors support this kid, to no avail. He’s been ordered to take it down

(lemonade stand story)

Here’s another weird one. A friend of mine sells my book, Neighbors At War, from his packaging store. His last one sold just yesterday. Seems an angry customer was sending off a $1000 certified check to his HOA to pay for a garage door that was inadvertently left open.

Who or What is The Community Association Institute? (CAI)

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guest blog by Stan Hrincevich, (www.coloradohoaforum.com)

Homeowners Associations (HOAs) are comprised of three entities: home owners, HOA Boards and their legal counsel, and the property management company (PMC). Problems can arise from any of these but for those who follow HOA issues the involvement of PMCs can be most problematic. PMCs affect HOA governance with their direct involvement in operational and financial matters and through their trade organization, the Community Association Institute (CAI), which has undue influence in HOA legislative activities that craft HOA law. For decades the sole source for Homeowners Association (HOA) information for the media and the State Legislature has been the CAI. Why not? Their name implies they represent the concerns of community associations and home owners: aka HOAs. Legislators “trust” this organization to represent home owners and citizen interests but most have no idea who or what they represent.

Legislators actually think their membership and funding comes from HOA home owners and HOAs: WRONG. They have trusted this organization for decades and have allowed them to set the rules in HOA governance and financial management. Yes, they craft the legislation that sets the rules for their industry and interests and ensure through their actions that HOA State law and HOA governing documents are highly enforceable from the HOA Board’s and PMC perspective and very weak for home owners. Due to this close relationship between the CAI and legislators across the country, HOA legislative reform has been very difficult and the few Bills that have passed have been watered, are more cosmetic than effective, and in no way help with enforcing home owner’s right

If you visit CAI or their legal affiliate web sites and read their literature you would think they represent HOA home owner interests. Wrong! Their membership is mostly comprised of PMCs and lawyers. The CAI is an organization that derives most of its’ income from selling their educational classes. Nothing wrong with this but read below on how they commingle this business with legislation. Then there is CAI “the trade organization” for PMCs. Nothing wrong with this either except that they have ensured all State HOA laws aren’t written to hold PMCs accountable for their actions.

Then there is the connection between the CAI and HOA lawyers who have ensured through their legislative influence that no binding, affordable, and accessible out of court dispute resolution process is available to resolve HOA home owner complaints. This of course ensures HOA legal enforcement from the home owners perspective against abusive HOA Boards and PMCs remains in our litigious, time consuming, pay-to-play court system making HOA law mostly ineffective.

The CAI and the entities they represent and work with in State legislatures have thwarted HOA legislative reform for decades. Recent examples:

*killing an HOA Transfer Fee Bill that would have limited the fee and required explanation and justification of the fee (this costs home owners in Colorado $10 million a year);

*opposition to a Bill that would have required HOA home owners to approve the use of HOA funds prior to entering into expensive legal actions;

* opposing an out of court binding dispute resolution process for home owner complaints (leaving home owners with only our pay to play court system for the most minor dispute resolution);

*their involvement in writing Colorado legislation to license property managers resulted in using such legislation to promote their sales of educational courses and hence drive up the cost of such required educational courses for property managers;

*opposing the limiting of HOA fees, fines, and administrative and legal fees on HOA debt; opposing term limits on Board members when others are available to serve;

*obstructing legislation on protections of home owners against liens and foreclosure for HOA debt; attempts to promote legislation that would expand the independent authority of Boards in governing HOA operations (without home owner approval); and the list goes on and all anti-home owner.

You can blame the CAI for the lack of HOA reform with their legislative intervention but much blame also goes to our political process that makes money the name of the legislative game and places unfunded citizen groups at a disadvantage.

The CAI and its constituents are the most anti HOA home owner group in the nation and in Colorado they most certainly are a wolf in sheep’s clothing and our legislators and the media are only beginning to realize their role. The beginning of HOA legislative reform and improved governance thus begins with dispelling the belief that the CAI represents home owners; revealing their history and actions in HOA legislative reform; curtailing the CAI’s influence with our Government agencies, media, and legislators; and having HOA home owner groups recognized in our legislature and in the media to offer a home owner centric perspective to improving HOA governance.

California Veteran Wins!

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There aren’t many victories in HOAs run by the likes of Nero and Caligula. But a California man who built furniture in his garage for needy military families has won his fight with the Lake of the Pines Homeowners Association.

There’s no question that public pressure convinced board members to crawl back into their snake hole. Former Vietnam War vet Dennis Kocher’s hobby was building furniture for families at the nearby Beale Air Force Base. Until a neighbor complained.

It wasn’t a complete victory. No apologies. No promises to get off this guy’s back. But the board ruled he can continue his hobby as long as he keeps his garage door closed.

(link to The Union story on war vet carpenter)

 

Fireworks in Carson City, Nevada

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This is shameful.

No state in the union has suffered more from HOA abuse than homeowners in Nevada. No homeowners have been financially stripped and laid bare more than people in Nevada. Organized crime in so entrenched in Homeowners Associations in that state that many people in HOAs have lost up to 90 per in value in their homes. But when Organized Crime sees a chance to put OPM (other peoples money) into their pockets, there’s not much that will hold them back.

But ripped-off homeowners in that state were finally able to convince the U.S. Attorney and the FBI to do an investigation, and 39 people including police officials, attorneys, businessmen, political figures, a well-known TV star were indicted and now face felony trials for theft and official corruption. Well, I’ll modify that, a bit. In typical Nevada fashion, certain key suspects began killing themselves in strangely concocted ‘suicides’, and others began to rat out the bigwigs, eight or nine of whom still face trial for their crimes.

Nevada citizens were even able to get a couple of homeowners advocates placed in key positions on the eminently corrupt Nevada Real Estate Division. These homeowners rights advocates tried to get NRED to respect such Constitutional ‘novelties’ as Due Process, a well-recognized Constitutional Right which protects all the people from government abuse.

Tomorrow and Thursday day is when well-reimbursed stooges on the Division of Real Estate tries to crush that right forever. It’s happening in Carson City. And the largest CAI vultures ever spotted by bird watchers are flying the skies over the state capitol right now making sure their paid minions succeed at stifling any sort of free speech or respect for law and order. Nevada is well known for its deep layers of official corruption. By the end of this week you’ll know whether it’ll be business as usual, or whether those struggling under the weight of oppression can reserve for the people a tiny hope for fairness.