Ward Lucas is a longtime investigative journalist and television news anchor. He has won more than 70 national and regional awards for Excellence in Journalism, Creative Writing and community involvement. His new book, "Neighbors At War: the Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association," is now available for purchase. In it, he discusses the American homeowners association movement, from its racist origins, to its transformation into a lucrative money machine for the nation's legal industry. From scams to outright violence to foreclosures and neighborhood collapses across the country, the reader will find this book enormously compelling and a necessary read for every homeowner. Knowledge is self-defense. No homeowner contemplating life in an HOA should neglect reading this book. No HOA board officer should overlook this examination of the pitfalls in HOA management. And no lawyer representing either side in an HOA dispute should gloss over what homeowners are saying or believing about the lawsuit industry.
Once again, Nevada is showing the country that it’s the most corrupt Homeowners Association state in America. Their Supreme Court Chief Justice tipped off her girlfriend, a top suspect in an FBI investigation, that she was about to get raided. That’s an old story.
Here’s a new one: Now a prominent Nevada State Legislator is trying to get a fistful of anti-homeowner bills enacted. Oh yes, she forgot to tell voters that she works for the Del Webb Corporation which sets up some of the most criminal Homeowners Associations in the country.
HOA problems are so rare, say the insiders. B.S. says every homeowner who’s personally experienced HOA abuse by the lawn Nazis.
If you live in a townhouse or condo this story is a must read. It contains details you may not have thought of. It raises awareness of how board members are not qualified to hire contractors and oversee construction rebuilds.
What it does not mention, unless I missed it, is the fact while you are displaced from your HOA property you are still paying for the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and HOA dues. All while you are paying for a place to stay unless your insurance provides coverage for temporary housing. And do they consider a year or two temporary?
Some of our readers may recall I grew up in the construction industry. My father was a custom home-builder and developer so I spent a lot of time on construction sites and have a very clear understanding of the process from dirt to dishwashers. I’ve been the general contractor on several of the remodeling projects I’ve done on houses I’ve owned, including one where a fire destroyed the kitchen. Coordinating sub-contractors, negotiating pricing, and choosing materials is a full-time job that requires tremendous organizational skills and the ability to anticipate the next step in the process so the job can move forward toward completion.
I shudder to think about a disaster rebuild in my HOA or any HOA that would be coordinated by board members who do not know beadboard from chipboard or quarter round from crown moulding which would promise a full scale fail as the end result from day one. Imagine moving back to a nightmare like these folks in the article below! Put yourself in their shoes because it’s not all that unlikely you could be wearing them someday.
Perhaps this will serve as a reminder to NEVER PAY CASH TO YOUR HOA property manager, office manager, board members, or the door man!
We’re back in Aspen where a former manager of the Inn At Aspen has allegedly stolen $90,000. A Pitkin County judge is going to be seeing Saimoni Naivalu of Ivins, Utah again in September, but for now he’s lawyered up and bonded out of jail.
Saimoni created a company to do ‘maintenance’ for the Inn At Aspen. You know, the kind of ‘maintenance’ where the only task is cashing checks. These checks just happen to turn into cash…and that cash seems to have a way of sneaking into Naivalu’s billfold.
These crooks just hate to get caught stealing but they always want to pay it back when they do. Fat chance of seeing that money again at the Inn At Aspen!
With all the tens of billions of dollars being embezzled from homeowners and Homeowners Associations across the country, you’d think sending a crook to prison wouldn’t be that unusual a news story. Sadly, stories like the one linked below are pretty rare.
An embezzler in Utah who operates in a number of states has been sentenced by a federal judge in Nevada to three years in prison. Oh yes, he has to make four million dollars in restitution. At least those are the terms of his plea bargain. What? He stole all those millions and has no way to pay it back? Then why isn’t he in prison for life?
Don’t beat me up! I know there are other good, honest HOA lawyers out there someplace. Well, at least one or two. But I haven’t met them yet.
But this lawyer actually ‘gets it!’ He understands about the kind of fascism found in many of America’s Homeowners Associations. He understands that HOAs are often a rat trap that ruin targeted homeowners at will. He gets the fact that once a bully board is in control of the HOA they can unleash unbelievable racism, discrimination and abuse. He understands that HOA lawyers are a corrupt layer of infection that can quickly contaminate the atmosphere of a neighborhood. He understands that HOA lawyers have little or nothing to do with ‘justice,’ it’s all about how much money can be pocketed from homeowners who find themselves in a hopeless situation.
I’m linking this lawyer’s short blog below, mainly because he says all of the above but with a lot more diplomacy. But it’s really worth printing out and saving. If you’re a homeowner living in Texas, this connection could someday be very valuable to you.
