Another Consumer Blogger Gets It!
Ah, it’s so good when you see member of the real estate industry who finally discovers that all is not good in HOA Amerika! I hope he continues his research. He’s going to be stunned!
Category Archives: Home Assoc
I’ve Been Out-of-the-Office at a Reunion
For the past week I’ve been in the Pacific Northwest attending a 50th class reunion. What a thrill! I’m convinced that my high school classmates were some of the classiest people in the world. It’s rare that you make a friend who sticks with you for five years. It’s incredible when you can walk into a room and discover a roomful of people who are still your friends after five decades.
Life is short folks and every day is a gift. Hold on to what’s true and fight for what you believe. If you know you’re right, never turn and look back. Your success in life is measured by how hard you’ve fought for others.
Ward
Cry Baby Cry
Guest Blog by Nila Ridings
Long ago we learned it’s no secret that HOAs despise children. Especially kids who ride bicycles, throw balls, want purple swing sets and playhouses, and now…even babies who cry! Little Peter Ronnevik cries like all healthy babies. However, he was living in a condo where he was not allowed to cry according to Peter’s neighbor. (Who refuses to allow his name to be published!)
Jessica and Karl Ronnevik wised up and moved out of the condo. Their intolerant-of-crying neighbor suggested they buy some parenting books. I am suggesting they buy Neighbors At War by Ward Lucas. They very well might not have realized how close they came to a legal battle over Peter’s vocal cords, but they should not buy another roof over their heads without reading Ward’s book.
Nobody addresses the REAL PROBLEM here. So, I will. It’s the construction of the condos. Cheap, just like cereal boxes, cheap. No sound barriers, nothing more than some drywall boards for the sound barrier. For sound sensitive people, As we all know, condos are not a good place to live, period. But the poor quality construction means if the neighbor coughs, blows his nose, or snores at a level that would compete with a freight train, you are going to hear all of it and sometimes in three-part harmony! If the dog barks, the phone rings, they play or practice their piano or saxophone, the TV is above whisper level, or their 5 AM wake-up alarm blares, you are going to hear it. It’s the end result of cheap construction!
There is an old saying: “Long after the sweetness of a low price is gone the bitterness of poor quality remains.” Everybody living in an condo or town house should post that on their refrigerator and nightstand. We need a constant reminder that cheap housing always comes with a higher price to pay in one form or another.
For Mr. Anonymous in Greensboro, Connecticut who despises crying children, I hope you never become a parent.
(link to story on crying baby)
Trust A Lawyer?!?!?!
Yikes! How can I say that having two brothers who are lawyers? And how can I say that after passing the LSAT and being offered a free ride through the University of Washington Law School?
I can say that as a forty-year journalist watching lawyers in court. Never trust a lawyer.
In the link below, a CAI lawyer has tried to simplify the ‘education’ process for prospective buyers. It’s a good step forward. But I like Nila Ridings idea of making all HOA home buyers sign an acknowledgement that each buyer isn’t really buying a home. He or she is buying shares of stock in a non-profit corporation where every single asset, every bank account, every stock account, every college education account is pledged as security to pay for each and every misdeed, miscalculation, embezzlement and lawsuit involving the HOA.
Run, people, run!
Run from that HOA purchase as fast as you can!
Tell your Realtor, “Don’t show me anything in an HOA!”
(link to new HOA ‘disclosure’ papers)
How Many Times Have We Heard The “Gambling Excuse?”
Egads! I can’t count the times when I’ve heard about an HOA board member or HOA manager stealing money to feed his or her gambling addiction. It’s stupid. What’s even more stupid is that 66 million homeowners across the country risk all their life savings by buying into Homeowners Associations in which embezzling is endemic. If you live in an HOA, there’s a massive chance someone you’ve entrusted with your money is chiseling.
Get out! Get out! Get out! Let the national HOA Scam collapse on itself.
(link to yet another criminal stealing your money)
