Category Archives: Fraud

A Potpourri of HOA Meanness

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I just finished a three day seminar with an authors’ group in Denver. This is the group, in fact, which pushed me to take a manuscript in its rough form and turn it into a controversial book called, “Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association,” and actually get the thing into print. For your future reference the group is called AuthorU, run by taskmaster Judith Briles. The past few days we probably had about 170 authors being trained in the use of social media, editing, publishing, and honing their upcoming book projects.

In any event, I am running late in getting my blog posts done. Many in my authors’ group know about my passion in trying to join the movement to straighten out the national HOA scam which is impoverishing tens of thousands, possibly even hundreds of thousands of innocent American homeowners.

I can’t count the number of authors who approached me over the past few days and told me about their own HOA miseries. One fellow who’s actually a lawyer is being fined for trying to rebuild a fence that his HOA should have repaired more than a month ago. His HOA president told him he was in violation of the covenants because he didn’t get permission to repair the fence. And his HOA president has been soaking the neighborhood by charging them for his costly vacations and the board’s wild off-site parties.

Another person told me her mother was being fined and threatened with a lawsuit over some incredibly minor infraction. Ah yes, her mom asked to see the HOA balance sheet because she was afraid a massive amount of money had been embezzled. That’s what kicked off all the harassment. How dare these stupid homeowners demand fiscal responsibility from their boards and HOA managers?

Another guy said he moved into a neighborhood where there was no HOA. But while he was building his house a fellow came by and said he was the president of the HOA. And he handed my friend a letter supposedly from the HOA attorney demanding that the man halt construction on his house. He claimed the garage was a foot too wide and was insisting the entire garage be torn down. Believe me, you just can’t make these things up.

There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t learn of new horrors committed.

It’s all so tragic.

Drones Over Your Neighborhood

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For several years, now, I’ve been predicting that the goons who run many of the nation’s Homeowners Associations would begin using drones to spy on neighbors to spot violations of the neighborhood covenants. If these people are capable of embezzling millions of dollars, would they not be capable of incredible invasions of privacy?

Now, with camera-bearing drones available for less than a thousand bucks, there’s no doubt they’ll soon be in the skies and peeking at activities in your backyard.

HOAs are private non-profit corporations and despite their apparent  presence as governmental agencies, they are not. They are private investment clubs. When you buy into an HOA you’re not buying a home. You’re buying shares of stock. You own a percentage of each of your neighbors’ homes. All your neighbors own a share of your home. That’s what gives an HOA the power to regulate and control your activities as a resident. It also puts the Homeowners Association outside the control of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

If you think you have a right to privacy, you’re wrong.

If you think you have a right to consider your home, your papers as your private belongings not under the control of ‘government,’ you’re wrong.

If you think you have a right to own a weapon under the protections of the Second Amendment, you’re wrong.

As funny as the story linked below seems, there’s a reason to be dismayed. Spy drones are being used for private purposes. And sooner or later there’ll be one over your house.

(link to drones used by pot thieves)

Footnote: I once spent a day in a DEA plane looking for marijuana crops in the Rocky Mountains. Believe me, pot plants are slightly warmer than most surrounding vegetation. Through an infra-red camera they stand out like a sore thumb. You can’t even hide a single pot plant in a 100 acre cornfield. 

Architect Lives Small With Baby, Dog & All

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guest blog by Nila Ridings
 
My fascination continues with the creativeness of those that seek shelter without a mortgage, living off grid, and most of all HOA-FREE.  
 
Macy Miller put her architectural skills to work and resourced recycled materials to build herself a very nice small home for $11,000.  There’s even room for her baby and Denver, the dog.  The gooseneck trailer makes the house mobile if she takes a notion to move.  
 
She’s living the “good life” HOA-FREE.
 
Macy, I so envy you and your generation because you guys wandered off the traditional path and found happiness in smaller ways.  Your “American Dream” doesn’t come with a mortgage, property taxes, utility bills for unused spaces, and the destroyer of health and happiness…the dreaded HOA!
 
 
 

Naked On The Roof In Vegas

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guest blog by Nila Ridings

“What happens in Vegas stays…” Nope, not this time.  
 
When you’re naked, throwing roof tiles at the cops, and breaking out windows in the Desert Shores Homeowners Association your story ain’t stayin’ in Vegas.  No secrets kept secret on Secret Harbour Court this time.
 
It’s unknown if this guy just couldn’t take the pressure of living in the HOA any longer. Or, if he was planning to announce his candidacy for the HOA board in a flashy way.  But he grabbed a knife and scaled a wall to a roof top.
 
Who knows what set him off?  Maybe they fined him and put a lien on his house for wearing the wrong color underwear?  
 
Causing his neighbors and business partners in the non-profit HOA to remain in lock-down for five hours will probably get him the notorious “MOVE” screams at the May board meeting!
 
Looks like just another day of HOA insanity to me!
 
Next.
 
 

Stupid, Stupid Legislators

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We’ve talked in this forum about some very stupid legislators, idiots in Arizona, California, Virginia and Florida who thought they were doing the right thing when their actions were absolutely against the interests of homeowners. But wait’ll you hear this one.

With all the emphasis on energy conservation and carbon output would you ever believe that an entire state would begin penalizing homeowners who install solar panels or rely on wind energy? Would you ever think such penalties would pass through a Legislature without debate?

Me, neither.

But welcome to Oklahoma.

I have friends in Oklahoma. I respect the intelligence of Oklahomans. It’s really a sophisticated state with great schools and doctors, businessmen, inventors and developers. But hold your breath as I spring this one on you.

The Oklahoma Legislature, without discussion, has passed a measure to assess (read that “fine”) any homeowner in the future who installs solar panels on his house!  And it most likely will be signed into law by the Governor. We’ve certainly heard of the idiocy of Homeowners Associations which sink their fangs into homeowners who install solar. But the State of Oklahoma?

Give me a frickin’ break!

Solar companies are dismayed. Wind energy companies are dismayed. Environmentalists are stunned. Save the world and pay a fine. What are these numbskulls thinking?

(link to Outside The Beltway)

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/oklahoma-to-charge-homeowners-who-install-solar-panels/