‘Tis the season, once again, to tweak state laws regulating condominiums and homeowner associations, in an effort to make them just a wee bit more acceptable or palatable to the masses. Almost all states, faced with growing frustration, dissatisfaction and problems with mandatory membership residential associations are trying, once again, to find “solutions”. Will this … Continue reading Bill Davis→
If you hear something often enough, does it make it true? Over the years we have been told repeatedly that HOAs protect property values. The question then has to be, just how do HOAs protect property values and for whom? Ask any HOA industry professional and they will tell you that HOAs prevent people … Continue reading Bill Davis→
The road to justice and equality in HOAs is fraught with huge roadblocks for the homeowner. Just finding someone who can explain what is going on or how to deal with the threat and demand letters that keep pouring in can be daunting enough, but fInding an attorney knowledgeable in HOA law who is willing … Continue reading Bill Davis→
Hot off the presses – there were 328,000 involuntary membership residential associations in America in 2013 according to a new fact book put out by the Community Associations Institute (CAI). I have to wonder just how accurate that number is. We’ve heard about associations that are defunct and the ones that were voluntarily terminated by … Continue reading Bill Davis→
Have you heard the one about homeowner associations being “democracy, up close and personal”? How about homeowners in HOAs are better able to influence their immediate neighborhoods than their counterparts who live in the real world? And one of my all time favorites, “If you don’t like the rules, you can change them.” See, there … Continue reading Bill Davis→
Have you noticed how residential America is being changed by design? Older single family homes that seemed to leap out of Norman Rockwell paintings, homes that symbolized the American Dream, are being torn down. Even parking lots are now home to towers designed to house hundreds of people. Things that were iconic Americana are being replaced by higher density … Continue reading Bill Davis→
What’s in a name? A rose by any other would smell as sweet. Was Shakespeare right or does a name, or a word, make a difference? How important is it to use the proper terminology to get your point across? How well should the words used answer a question you ask? Can words be interchangeable … Continue reading Bill Davis→
What is an HOA? The term and the concept seem to be shrouded in misunderstandings, misinformation and deliberate misnomers. If there is so much confusion about what it is, can we all get on the same page to talk about a common concern and actually understand each other? Joining us On The Commons this … Continue reading Bill Davis→
Hosted and produced by Shu Bartholomew, On The Commons is a weekly radio show dedicated to discussing the many issues surrounding mandatory homeowner associations, the fastest growing form of residential housing in the nation. Scuttlebutt has it that you can’t fight City Hall. I wonder who started that rumor? City Hall perhaps? The same … Continue reading Bill Davis→
Problems with associations are legendary and the horror stories, legion. For as long as there have been residential associations, people have been trying to tweak them to make them work. So far the problems have multiplied like rabbits and the horror stories have intensified by the day. Legislation, training sessions, licenses, tomes of scholarly works … Continue reading Bill Davis→