As regular readers of this blog already know, I never recommend books other than my own! But once you read Neighbors At War! The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association, then I heartily recommend another one. I probably read it twenty five years ago, but while packing up books I ran across this oldie but goodie. It’s super short and clever, but it’s a fun read!
29 Reasons Not To Go To Law School, by Ralph Warner & Toni Ihara. Ignore Amazon’s high prices, you can probably pick a used copy up for a buck or two.
Effective September 1, 2013. No more wasting the H2O!
The votes have been counted and the legislators of Texas have made it clear. No more water is to be used on flowers from Japan or the Netherlands. Plant what grows naturally and be happy with it!
Across America billions of gallons of potable water is used for landscaping every single day! Are we really this stupid?
It doesn’t make sense to process water through a water treatment plant and run it back out to the golf course sprinklers.
“Don’t Mess With Texas!” And don’t run up the HOA legal bills fighting those who comply. Ya hear?
A recent issue of Realty Times discusses what thousands of victims of Hurricane Sandy already know: Homeowners in HOAs Co-ops and Community Associations aren’t eligible for storm coverage.
Huh? What’s that again?
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says Homeowners Associations are private businesses. As such, a homeowner who’s damaged in a major disaster can’t get federal grants. If they’re lucky they might qualify for loans, but by buying into a Homeowners Association a homeowner is actually just a shareholder in a business enterprise, not a real homeowner.
So, all you great people who bought into a condo, townhome, co-op, or Homeowners Association don’t wait for that check from the feds. It’s probably not coming!
The good doctor and his wife really wanted to follow their HOA’s rules and regulations. They also wanted to keep harmful fertilizers out of the Intracoastal Waterway near Jacksonville.
They filed the necessary paperwork for a “Florida Friendly” yard. After getting no response during the customary 30 day waiting period, they started their landscaping project.
Whoa! The official “HOA Double Standard” raised its ugly head in the form of a nasty lawsuit!
Dr. and Mrs. Sidle had followed all the HOA rules, but the HOA didn’t bother to follow its own. So, off to see the judge they went. The court ordered mediation and the HOA board gave complete representation to the mediator to settle the case. Everyone agreed and the couple planted all the approved flowers. They were even presented with the first-ever Gold Certified Florida Friendly Landscape Award in Duval County.
The problem? The HOA president didn’t like the mediator’s decision and demanded a full-blown trial!
Ultimately, the judge ruled in favor of Dr. and Mrs. Sidle. Sadly, the Sidles weren’t awarded their legal fees. And all their neighbors will undoubtedly get slammed with a special assessment to pay for the board’s arrogance and ignorance of Florida law.
No mention of the current board’s status, but I hope this board president gets booted into the Intracoastal Waterway with all that soggy St. Augustine Grass draped around his neck. The Florida Friendly Landscape Award sounds like a winner but this board president has proven himself to be a real loser!
Hilton Head, South Carolina must be a rip-roaring place. A paramedic who gets occasional calls there posted the following on a professional real estate blog:
“One of the local nicknames for the _______ Homeowners Association was “Viagra Falls”. This is because human nature does not change, and when unoccupied by things like work and raising children, some people become very self-indulgent, even over the top. There were frequent calls for EMS and the sheriff’s department for not only Viagra reactions, but for domestic violence/ assault charges, often stemming from a wife coming home too early from her bridge or swimming tournament and discovering her husband up to his old tricks – or new ones. There was an entire group in the complex that had weekly Friday or Saturday night “key parties” where all of the men put their keys into a basket, and take the woman home with them who picks out their key. There was a lot of Sturm and Drang over these incidents and their aftermath. As EMS, we got to witness it up close and firsthand……If this is the kind of lifestyle that appeals or that you can either accept or overlook, then by all means, go for it…. But I don’t like that sort of lifestyle… we bought 60 acres and a 100 year old farmhouse and raise our own cows, chickens and veggies…. Different strokes for different folks.”
LOL! Well, I sure hope this paramedic gets her peace and quiet in retirement. Looks like she deserves it!
