Exposing residential real estate corruption & educating consumers in search of the American Dream #ValueMyRights #HOA #Condo #AffordableHousing #Homeowner
In Illinois, First Amendment protections cannot be denied by governing documents By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Justice P. Scott Neville, Illinois Appellate Court (First District, Second Division) recently overturned a Cook County Circuit Court ruling against a condominium owner, and issued a court Opinion that acknowledges First Amendment rights of residents in condo …
Continue reading "IL: Appellate Court opinion upholds rights of condo, HOA residents"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Good news for homeowners in Solera at Kern Canyon, a Bakersfield, CA, del Webb community designed for senior residents. A group of residents, previously denied access to the community club house for bible study and Sunday worship meetings, recently settled their civil rights litigation in mediation. According to a …
Continue reading "Religious Freedom, HOA Civil Rights victory for homeowners"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities California In preparation for its next drought, California has moved in the direction of mandating water conservation through water districts with oversight at the state level. The goal is to reduce indoor water consumption from an average of 90 gallons per day per resident to 55 gallons by 2022. …
Continue reading "HOA, Condo, Co-op legislative updates across the U.S. (June 2018)"
Every two years, trade group Community Associations Institute (CAI) rolls out the results of its survey of U.S. residents of association-governed communities, including homeowners,’ condominium, and cooperative associations.
CAI insists their survey data is “objective” and “consistent.” The trade group boasts that residents are “overwhelmingly satisfied in their communities.”
But critics recognize that CAI’s self-funded research is deliberately designed to generate predictable data that is then filtered and presented in the best possible light to housing policy makers and, to a lesser extent, housing consumers.
This year’s 2018 survey brochure, entitled “Home Sweet HOA: Community Associations Remain Popular with American Homeowners” provides no summary of survey methodology. As the reader can see from the screen shot below, this year, we don’t even know how many residents…
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How does community association’s industry-sponsored research data compare to scientific studies of public satisfaction with local government? By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Every two years, trade group Community Associations Institute (CAI) rolls out the results of its survey of U.S. residents of association-governed communities, including homeowners,’ condominium, and cooperative associations. CAI insists …
Continue reading "Is HOA trade group’s survey a valid measure of satisfaction?"
Association-governed communities have important responsibilities, but many times, the HOA falls short of fulfilling its duties. By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Here’s a serious safety warning: make sure the pool service contractor for your HOA’s pool club knows how to safely handle and monitor those pool chemicals. A San Jose area …
Continue reading "This month’s roundup of HOA dysfunction (June 2018)"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities You would expect high quality construction of condos selling for $600,000 to $1 million. But for the second time in two years, luxury condo developer Kolter Group is being sued by a condo association for numerous, serious construction defects. In 2016, Kolter Group agreed to a $22.5 …
Continue reading "Kolter, a luxury condo developer, being sued AGAIN for construction defects"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American CommunitiesFor several years here at IAC, I’ve been posting articles about election and voting disputes in association-governed communities. Homeowners contact me regularly, complaining that their homeowners,’ condominium, or cooperative association engages in manipulative tactics and dirty tricks to rig elections or referenda on important issues that require a vote of …
Continue reading "FL: In master planned communities, HOA members rarely get a direct vote"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities A monthly roundup of news from golf communities across the U.S. Three Brevard County-owned golf courses prepare to change hands Dave Berman and Eric Rogers, Florida Today Published 5:13 p.m. ET May 17, 2018 Updated 10:25 p.m. ET May 17, 2018 Two groups are in the process of taking …
Continue reading "HOA, condo, & co-op Golf Community updates (June 2018)"
Boucher says he took his complaint to the HOA, prior to ‘losing his temper’ By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Updated June 19, 2018 10:00 P.M. Rene A. Boucher has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, following his guilty plea for assaulting and injuring a member of Congress. U.S. Prosecutor Bradley Shepard …
