Independent American Communities
Exposing residential real estate corruption & educating consumers in search of the American Dream #ValueMyRights #HOA #Condo #AffordableHousing #Homeowner
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Living on a low income certainly limits housing choices, especially in South Florida’s pricey Miami metropolitan area. With rents starting at $1,200 per month for a one-bedroom apartment, owning a mobile home in Sunny Gardens Mobile Home park seems like an affordable dream. For less than $50,000, a …
Continue reading "Florida mobile home owners forced to move out"
It’s time to debunk one of the most deceptive political statements repeatedly made by the HOA industry’s most influential trade group By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities On their Facebook Page, Community Association’s Institute (CAI) prominently posts an infographic entitled “The HOA Fundamentals.” Here's a screen shot, along with the source link: https://www.facebook.com/CAIsocial/photos/a.393580374014337.87323.297394356966273/1750665821639112/?type=3&theater Every single one of these …
But the years’ long battle over redevelopment of Creekside Golf Club is not over yet By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Hundreds of golf courses across the U.S. are struggling to remain profitable, a market trend that has been widely reported for several years. A combination of factors have led to golf’s decline. …
Continue reading "Creekside Homeowners Association owes developers $422,789"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Last August, IAC introduced readers to a complex New Jersey legal dispute involving property owners near Crystal and Mirror Lakes. Since the 1950s, both lakes and related recreational facilities have been maintained by Ramapo Mountain Lakes (RML), Inc. According to legal records, the community was developed in the 1940s as …
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities In response to reader concerns and curiosity about various special tax districts, IAC will be exploring the pros and cons of public or quasi-public funding and taxing entities. I don’t know why local governments are getting involved in the business of neighborhood beautification. In my opinion, neighborhood beautification is …
Continue reading "NV Homeowners call Neighborhood Improvement District a “backhanded” HOA"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities In cities across the U.S., the real estate market is hot, and land is scarce. Developers are on the lookout for investment opportunities. Some have their eye on older, low-rise condominium buildings and developments located on prime parcels of land. The goal — gain control of the association, …
Continue reading "From Chicago to Charlotte, condo owners attempt to cash in on their own terms"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Today’s post is a real life example of how opportunistic developers use association governance to serve their own profit motives, without any regard to the expectations of homeowners. Some of my readers write to me saying that developers cannot wait to hand over control of the association to …
Continue reading "Delaware townhouse developer turns HOA into a rental community, homeowners sue"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Several 2018 Illinois bills, and angst over homeowner protections enacted in 2017, are stirring up controversy in Chicago and statewide. HB 5126 / SB3165 Last year, state law (Public Act 100-0292) was amended to provide condo unit owner access to contact information of co-owners, including names, addresses, phone numbers, …
Continue reading "Illinois condominium, homeowners association legislative updates (March 2018)"
How privatization of community development wastes your money and compromises your rights By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities This week, I read two fascinating and informative articles that, combined, help to explain, in a nutshell, the fundamental reason why buying into property located in association—governed, common interest communities is becoming one of the most …
Continue reading "The undisclosed, very risky HOA – Housing consumer partnership"
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities UPDATE: Whitehall City Council votes to move forward with condo purchase Meghan Matthews, 10TV.com PUBLISHED: 05/15/18 09:13 PM EDT UPDATED: 05/16/18 05:37 AM EDT WHITEHALL, Ohio A decade-old battle over property in Whitehall came to an end Tuesday night as City Council moved forward to buy it. Council …
