Category Archives: HOA Housing Information, & Educational Resources

HOA lawsuits – personal stories, homeowner challenges

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities debgoonan@icloud.com When things go wrong with your HOA, can you find justice in court? Lots of homeowners think they can — until they’re knee-deep in a long, drawn-out lawsuit. I’m not an attorney. However, over the past 7 years, I have been reading legal complaints, case summaries, and generally following the progress of legal disputes in HOA-Governed Housing. This updated repost summarizes the challenges homeowners face in fighting their Continue ReadingHOA lawsuits – personal stories, homeowner challenges→

Political division feeds the HOA industry

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Republican vs Democrat political politics elephant donkey symbols

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities debgoonan@cloud.com   As we approach the 2020 election cycle, it reminds me that housing politics is mostly driven by separate but competing agendas of the real estate industry. Yet, curiously, both ends of the political spectrum lead to the same endgame — new construction of homes in HOA-governed, common interest communities. Here’s my analysis of how and why political party agendas keep feeding the HOA industry, which limits the Continue ReadingPolitical division feeds the HOA industry→

Building your Dream HOA — a Checklist

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hands-team-together-community

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities debgoonan@icloud.com Does your HOA have what it takes to work well for residents? The industry that builds, sells, and serves homeowners’ associations (HOAs) promotes a wildly unrealistic premise — that unit owners and shareholders will forever engage in fair and friendly cooperation with their association leaders and their neighbors. Unfortunately, in the real world, HOAs aren’t always fair or friendly. In the U.S., reports of HOAs from Hell are Continue ReadingBuilding your Dream HOA — a Checklist→

See results of IAC reader HOA satisfaction survey

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Last week IAC posted a 2-minute,10-question HOA survey, what was also e-mailed to subscribers and shared on social media. So far, the results are fascinating, and somewhat surprising. Here’s a brief summary to date.   HOA fees and value IAC asked readers how their HOA assessments have changed in the past 5 years. Not surprisingly, 80% say that their HOA fees went up, at least a little. More than Continue ReadingSee results of IAC reader HOA satisfaction survey→