Category Archives: Homeownership

U.S. housing industry pushes costly HOAs, condos, & apartments

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities When you look at the Big Picture, it’s easy to see why housing is so expensive in the U.S. Today IAC highlights 4 national trends toward higher density, multifamily housing, with a big emphasis on suburban condos and building more rental apartments. See if you can spot real estate industry PR, which is shifting away from detached single family housing, private land ownership, and homeownership in general. Also note Continue ReadingU.S. housing industry pushes costly HOAs, condos, & apartments→

6 HOA promises vs. HOA realities

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HOA suburb aerial view

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Home buyers may be drawn to HOA-governed housing because of all the so-called “advantages” promised by home builders and sales agents. But how many experience buyer’s remorse? In September 2018 Insurance Quotes surveyed 649 homeowners about their opinion of HOAs, revealing that a minority of people actually ‘love’ HOAs. Honest About HOAs analyzes survey data by board membership, the results are somewhat predictable. Among board members, 57% love HOAs, Continue Reading6 HOA promises vs. HOA realities→

Can HOAs be reformed or should they be abolished?

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities An interesting editorial written by David Sobotta in The News & Observer, entitled My descent into HOA hell in North Carolina, is both eye-opening and provocative. Sobotta explains how, after eight years of uneventful living in his HOA, everything quickly spiraled downward when the developer abruptly decided to hand over control to a volunteer homeowner board. Well, the way Sobotta describes it, it was more like dumping a lot Continue ReadingCan HOAs be reformed or should they be abolished?→

What to do when it’s hard to avoid an HOA

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Homeowner volunteers faces smiling

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Readers often contact me with a difficult problem. They hate HOAs. But, in their home search, they cannot seem to avoid association-governed housing. And that’s not surprising when you look at the statistics for new home construction over the past decade. Specifically, according to the U.S. Census Survey of Construction (SOC), the nationwide percentage share of new single family detached homes sold has remained steady, in the range of Continue ReadingWhat to do when it’s hard to avoid an HOA→