Exposing residential real estate corruption & educating consumers in search of the American Dream #ValueMyRights #HOA #Condo #AffordableHousing #Homeowner
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities From coast to coast, it’s one shocking report after another. It turns out high rise condo living does not guarantee your privacy nor great views. At El Cortez, a landmark condo tower in historic downtown San Diego, residents have reported a suspicious drone hovering outside, apparently peering into …
Continue reading "Urban Condo life: you never know what you’ll see outside your window"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Some opportunistic Nevada real estate investors and HOA foreclosure attorneys are likely displeased with a recent Opinion filed by Judge Kimberly J. Mueller in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mueller ruled that the Federal Foreclosure Bar overrides Nevada statute’s intent to extinguish a first mortgage as a …
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Every month I read several reports about fires in condominiums. Unfortunately, they are fairly common. Damage from a fire can range from mildly disruptive to devastating, and some fires lead to serious injuries or fatalities. After the immediate crisis subsides, however, the process of repairing and rebuilding a …
Continue reading "Why aren’t Austin condos rebuilt yet, 2 years after fire?"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Since the 1970s, local governments have allowed - usually required - private developers to incorporate storm water control systems into newly constructed subdivisions of all types and sizes. Ongoing maintenance of retention ponds, drainage basins and swales, canals, weirs, dams, culverts, and related infrastructure has been assigned to …
Continue reading "Water Woes: HOA storm water, flood, erosion headaches"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities The following KTNV Channel 13 headline caught my attention: Disabled veteran kicked out of heated HOA meeting. I expected to read a report about an HOA board member booting a homeowner out of the meeting. The scenario is so common. But today’s featured story has an interesting twist, because the …
Continue reading "The intersection of city and HOA governance in Las Vegas"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Life-long big city residents may not realize that some of their rural neighbors still live on dirt roads, and that they are expected to maintain those roads without any help from local or state government. One example: Ranchette Road in Volusia County, Florida, roughly 6 miles west of …
Continue reading "FL: Volusia County suggests HOA to fund improvement of flooded private dirt road"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Five years ago, a gas leak caused an explosion and fire that leveled several units at 65 Feller Drive, Building U, Windbrooke Homes condominiums. At the time, the New York Post reported that an employee of National Grid, a gas and electric utility company, was found to have …
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities To continue yesterday’s post about the decline of homeowners’ associations in the U.S., let’s take a look at a few examples of city governments that are now seriously reconsidering the wisdom of expecting HOAs to undertake and pay for repair and maintenance of their own private infrastructure. In these …
Continue reading "City leaders consider public role in maintaining HOA infrastructure"
By Deborah A Goonan, Independent American Communities How many times have we heard representatives from HOA industry trade groups utter the words, “Homeowner Associations are not going away?” But that, dear readers, is nothing more than wishful thinking. Let’s start with the facts. The construction industry is building fewer new HOA homes and condos …
Continue reading "Reality check: HOA managers face decline of their industry, like it or not"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Higher density / mixed used communities, pros & cons A collection of articles and references citing pros and cons of increasing density and incorporating mixed land uses Advantages promoted by the industry: Walkable communities Affordable lifestyles near urban amenities Reduces sprawl and conserves land and environmental resources …
