guest blog by Deborah Goonan,  IndependentAmericanCommunities.com 

Ok, folks. Here’s an opportunity for CHPPI and state advocates across the country to fight against this sickening example of propaganda and help support bills in FL that will limit excessive fees and abuse of consumers.

NOTHING that is written in the most recent Community Associations Institute / Community Advocacy Network press release (referenced below) represents the truth.

The only “advocacy” promoted by CAI and CAN is self-advocacy for their own profit potential.

We can blow this out of the water by exposing who is behind CAI and CAN — management company CEOs and prominent law firms that make their living off of Collection services, document production services, and enforcement of covenants, restrictions, and rules.

Take note that the Business Partner’s Council membership just so happens to include Joseph Russo, owner of GetDocsNow.com – one of the industry’s corporations that directly benefits from charging unlimited fees to provide documents that are needed or required as part of the real estate sales process and title search. What a coincidence!

The premise of the CAI-CAN argument is that fees for providing necessary HOA financial disclosure information should be unlimited, and that the buyer should pay up front, so these charlatans can be assured of getting paid.

And if the buyer won’t pay up front, and the closing doesn’t happen — possibly because the buyer balks at paying artificially inflated liens on the property — then the poor homeowners will have to pick up the cost. After all, the industry fighting this bill certainly does not want to eat the cost themselves! Their Association document disclosure service is SO valuable, right?

And let’s use common sense. What affects the bottom line more for homeowners: covering some of the association’s costs for providing timely and accurate disclosures documents or dealing with thwarted sales related to excessive or surprise closing costs involving liens heavily padded with fees and collection costs?

Aren’t HOA members harmed when delinquency rates remain high due to the fact that sellers cannot unload their homes because buyers won’t pay hefty liens (and then risk being billed for more after closing)? Don’t lenders avoid financing condos and homes in associations with high delinquency rates — or at least offer less favorable financing terms?

I know plenty of true homeowner advocates read this blog. Please give me your thoughts?

References:

(link to CAI Press Release)

(link to Florida House Bill 203)

(link to Florida Senate Bill 722)