Category Archives: Realtor

Kickbacks, Embezzling, Oh My, Ho Hum

It seems some homeowners in the Savanna, Georgia area have their panties-in-a-bunch over what they believe is an illegal kickback scheme between developer DR Horton and the cable company. They’ve filed a lawsuit saying they’re each being cheated out of $100 a month.

Sadly, they won’t win. Homeowners almost never, ever do, especially against giant developers like DR Horton. Nope, the developers have the inside track with local government officials. There’s lots of money that slides back and forth at that level.

Still, you’ve gotta give these homeowners credit for trying.

(link to story on Savanna NBC affiliate)

 

 

 

Learn From Your Enemy!

Yes, always, always learn from your enemy. That’s why we have a CIA. It’s why we have an NSA. These top secret government spy organizations were created to eavesdrop, to snoop, to sniff out what America’s enemies were thinking, and planning, and doing.

That’s why this peek at the CAI, the Community Associations Institute is so important. They’re urging homeowners to attend HOA meetings and vote. CAI is arrogant enough to figure that homeowners will vote to keep their corrupt HOA lobbying organizations in power. But their message shouldn’t be lost on any of us.

Poll any number of people on the street about their opinions of Homeowners Associations. I’ve done it, and it’s really difficult to find people who like them. In fact, HOAs are so vociferously disliked that homeowners tend to avoid the monthly or the annual HOA meeting. So read the link below and understand that we really can make a difference. But it takes guts. It takes standing up for your rights. It takes YOU attending your HOA meetings and voting to end the nonsense, the illegalities, the harassment of helpless homeowners, the embezzling, the secret payments to lawyers and management companies. It is possible to have an honest neighborhood association. But that requires your vote, your activism and your attendance.

(link to CAI white paper on getting involved in your HOA)

 

Fight the CAI and Associa’s Lies

As many of you know, Arizona’s George Staropoli is one of the pioneers and heroes of our movement. I just wish I had his IQ and his intellect. In the essay linked below he performs surgery on the lie that HOA industry representatives constantly spread through our legislatures. Print it out and place it on the desks of each man and woman in government.

https://pvtgov.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/cai-maintains-hoas-are-protected-by-and-do-not-violate-the-constitution/

Little Boxes

Yes, I know I’ve posted this before, but because we get new readers here every day, many will not ever have heard this Pete Seeger classic. Enjoy!

 

 

But My HOA Protects My Property Values!

If you believe that, then you’re visiting the wrong shrink!

No, Your HOA absolutely does not protect your property values. Your HOA is there to keep track of your net worth. Your net worth (not just your home value) is pledged to a community pool which can be used whenever necessary to cover the cost of lawsuits, repairs, maintenance, insurance, embezzling board members.

All neighborhoods age, that’s just a fact of life. But developers get special breaks for cramming more homes into smaller spaces, and often those developers are just self-centered and financially motivated to cut corners. Meanwhile, building inspectors look the other way knowing it’ll be years before construction problems start becoming apparent.

When a mortgage or financial crisis hits and HOAs don’t maintain the common areas wild things start happening. A few homeowners lose their homes. Then a few more. Suddenly, there’s not enough money in the budget to maintain the common areas. More homes or condos are turned into rentals. Crime increases. More lawsuits are filed. Then it gets especially messy as the entire neighborhood collapses. Who’s still around to claim, “Our HOA protects property values?”

A prime example is linked below:

(Georgia condo complex gets trashed)