Exposing residential real estate corruption & educating consumers in search of the American Dream #ValueMyRights #HOA #Condo #AffordableHousing #Homeowner
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities 90-year-old woman stuck with flooded basement, no A/C for over two months Ameera David 5:59 PM, Aug 15, 2018 6:00 PM, Aug 15, 2018 ST. CLAIR SHORES (WXYZ) - A basement in shambles is what 90-year-old Lillian Arnone has to look at every day. The St. Claire Shores homeowner …
Continue reading "HOA, condo, & coop dysfunction roundup (August 2018)"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities No question about it. Affordable housing is a hot button issue in the U.S. right now. And lots of people are looking for creative solutions to the problem. In recent years, the Tiny House movement has gained quite a bit of attention. Once prominently featured on HGTV, some of …
Continue reading "Affordable housing options: can’t we do better than tiny homes under HOA rule?"
What takes priority: a community’s right to limit traffic, or the safety of its school children? By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Every year when it’s time for children to go back to school, it’s inevitable. We see reports of homeowners’ associations board members that feel the need to do something about the presence …
Continue reading "Fair Housing discrimination: the HOA war against the school bus"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Edited August 19, 2018 6:53 AM Reports of corruption involving condo and homeowners’ associations have become so common, I usually group several articles in a monthly “roundup” post. But today’s post involves corruption so outrageous, it needs to be highlighted. According to an exclusive investigative report by Bob Norman, …
Continue reading "FL DBPR investigating one of its former condo regulators"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities If you own a condominium that is at least 25 to 30 years old, it probably requires some major renovation. Typically, after about three decades of normal wear and tear, a housing complex will need a one of more of the following: a new roof, replacement of windows or …
Continue reading "The dreaded condo HOA special assessment (FL)"
Putting developers, homeowners in charge of paying for and maintaining private roads and storm water drainage has multiple unintended consequences By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Leland Town Council has their hands full with persistent flooding, for the past several years, in Magnolia Greens subdivision. Magnolia Greens is a well-established golf course community near Wilmington, …
Continue reading "Cities can’t deny it: privatized HOA infrastructure not holding up as planned"
by Deborah Goonan, Indepedent American Communities This month, we start with Crickentree, in Blythewood, South Carolina. There, a golf course is going into bankruptcy. The investment firm that holds the loan proposes redeveloping the failed golf course as a new subdivision with 450 homes. Homeowners surrounding the golf course are not happy. They say that …
Continue reading "HOA, condo & co-op Golf community updates (Aug. 2018)"
Long-time homeowners and HOA locked in a bitter legal dispute over paint colors By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities The other day I posted an explanation as to why people who hate rules end up living in HOAs. Today’s featured news article illustrates by example, what happens when the majority of newer homes in the …
Continue reading "Even rural Wyoming ranchette homes are burdened by HOA rules"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Sometimes it can be difficult to determine who should be held accountable for addressing community-related complaints. What would you do, if faced with these dilemmas? In one New York State community for adults age 55 and better, homeowners are taking their concerns about an unresponsive developer directly to …
Continue reading "Holding HOAs, developers, and your city government accountable"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Now here’s a good question that comes up over and over again, whenever a homeowners’ association horror story circulates in the news and across social media. And, if you read comment threads, you will inevitably see the typical responses: “I would never buy a home in an HOA,” …
Continue reading "Why do people who hate rules buy into an HOA?"
