Category Archives: affordable housing

My View: HOA-industry makes housing less affordable

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities In case you haven’t noticed, in just about every city and town in the U.S., housing costs are going through the roof. (Pun intended) Here in my home state of Pennsylvania, I’m starting to see reports of piecemeal government programs designed to increase the supply of affordable housing. For example, WBRE reports that four Monroe County organizations have received $300,000 in state grants to tackle the problem. Pocono Mountains Continue ReadingMy View: HOA-industry makes housing less affordable→

Building your Dream HOA — a Checklist

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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→

Housing affordability crisis made worse by oversupply of expensive condo HOA homes

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Can we make housing more affordable in U.S. cities simply by building more homes? Home builder lobbies and research think tanks, such as Urban Land Institute, say, yes. The only way to make housing more affordable, is to increase supply. But opponents of new development argue that decades of development planning has only created more density, less livable cities, and housing that’s more expensive than ever. Who’s right? Who’s Continue ReadingHousing affordability crisis made worse by oversupply of expensive condo HOA homes→

California lawmakers block transit-oriented housing density bill

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities California’s controversial Senate Bill 50 has been tabled until 2020. The bill was killed when Sen. Anthony Portantino (D), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that it would not be discussed in committee this legislative session session. Portantino reportedly opposed SB 50, because its policies would override local government zoning rules. Many neighborhoods in California zone entire neighborhoods for single family homes only. For analysis of the pros and Continue ReadingCalifornia lawmakers block transit-oriented housing density bill→