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. 
 
You can’t paint a pretty picture on a dirty canvas anymore than you can build a community on a foundation of corruption.  Yet beneath the thin veneer of outwardly pristine neighborhoods, where every blade of grass is of a uniform length and color, lies the structure that makes it possible to chip away at the very heart of what these developments are supposed to represent.  Stories of embezzlement, once quietly hidden, now grab the headlines, along with tales of election fraud, bully tactics, fines, foreclosures and all the other horrors that have become a part of daily life for so many American unit owners. 
 
But finally someone started asking the tough questions and now the FBI is investigating the way some HOAs and condos do business in Las Vegas, Nevada.  While it appears that the focus of the investigation at this time is limited to construction defect litigation and election rigging, is there more that is contributing to the demise of our neighborhoods?  Should the FBI expand the scope of their investigation to include other areas of possible fraud?
 
On The Commons this week we are joined by Mari Parlade. Mari, an attorney with a huge heart in Las Vegas,  is one of a handful of attorneys who represents homeowners in cases against their associations.  Mari has been on the receiving end of threats by association attorneys, has had bar complaints filed against her and has otherwise seen, first hand, what it is like to be in the cross hairs of those who run residential America.  In the process of fighting to protect her clients’ homes and fighting for her career, she discovered yet another giant scam sucking the life out of communities and money out of owners’ pockets  Please join us On The Commons this Saturday, November 1, 2008.  We’ll hear her story and talk about another huge problem in HOAs that needs to be investigated.  You will want to hear this one.

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.
 
Residential America is anything but a peaceful, quiet, safe haven for American homeowners who live in one of over 300,000 mandatory membership homeowner associations nationwide.  Empowering boards and HOA professionals to run the homes and lives of all who live within the boundaries of the association has created problems.  How do individual homeowners protect their rights and their property from the abuses of those in power?  Is the answer always to go to court?  Are there other ways of returning some semblance of fairness to our neighborhoods?
 
On The Commons this week we are joined by David Kahne.  David, a Houston, Texas attorney is one of the few attorneys who will represent homeowners in a case against their homeowner associations.  David is experienced and knowledgeable about HOA law and understands perfectly well how lopsided and frustrating it can be to be in the crosshairs of the powers that be in HOAs.  Please join us On The Commons  We’ll talk a little about the Houston conference and also about two homeowners who fought the (HOA) law and won. 

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. 
 
Over the past four decades property ownership has changed – and not necessarily for the better.  In the old days one’s home was considered one’s castle and came complete with all the inherent rights of ownership.  The owner was free to live in relative peace and quiet.  But those days are long gone.  In today’s brave new world folks live in “units” where all the decisions pertaining to their house and a portion of their private lives is made by other people.  The owners in many homeowner associations are not free to exercise their right to choose the plants in the yard,  the color on the house or the type of window treatments.  Even such things as garden hoses, mulch and plants must be “approved”.  Some people think it is OK to live like that.
 
But not everyone……
 
Homeowners across the country are fighting to regain control over their own lives and their own homes.  Many homeowners have become involved with in the legislative process and some grass roots organizations have hosted conferences – for the homeowners.  On October 11, 2008 Texas homeowners from all over the state met in Houston to talk about their homes, their rights and their lives.  Despite the fact that hurricane Ike had knocked out power lines, collapsed houses, punctured holes in roofs, uprooted trees and otherwise disrupted lives leaving many without electricity and internet connectivity for several weeks, the Texas folks still managed to get together and talk about their problems and how they wanted to have them solved. 
 
On the Commons today we will drop in for a little while and eavesdrop on some of the conversations that took place.  We’ll hear about a partial list of the issues homeowners all over the country face and listen to some of the ideas they have of how to fix things.  Please join us On The Commons this Saturday, October 18, 2008.

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. 
 
When there are no consequences to bad behavior, there is no limit to how bad people can get.  That is the situation in the 300,000 residential associations nationwide.  While the residents have been controlled and penalized for violating the most idiotic of rules, those adopting and implementing the stupid rules in these gulags have enjoyed free rein to enjoy their reign of terror.  Attempts to impose limits on their powers and authority have been met by cries of horror, “but no one will run for the board if they are held accountable”.  And so communities have been transformed into developments where fear, terror and abuse are the norm. 
 
For  years frustrated homeowners have been called malcontents and been told their only remedies are to hire an attorney, toss the bums out or move.  Well, the FBI has decided to look into some of the allegations of fraud and wrong doing in Nevada.  Is the current scope of their investigation limited to construction defect litigation fraud?  How serious are they about investigating things like election rigging, improper foreclosures, embezzlement, and all the other abuses associations are capable of?  The list of complaints in condo and homeowner associations is endless.  Will this investigation find many of the problems homeowners have been complaining about?  Will there be serious reforms or will we still hear the same old song and dance about HOAs being a matter for civil litigation?  Will property owners FINALLY assert their rights to more choices in housing, better protections under the law and more real remedies than simple placebos? 
 
On The Commons this week we are joined by Senator Mike Schneider.  Senator Mikey, as he is known, was one of the first to introduce legislation creating the office of the ombudsman in Nevada.  Over the past decade or so, the oversight has gone through many changes to the point where Nevada now has an entire panel to oversee associations and provide a place for homeowners to go for help.  One of the biggest problems is that this panel is made up entirely of industry members, people with an interest in protecting the status quo.  Please join us On The Commons this Saturday, October 11, 2008.  We’ll find out how well this panel has worked and why, with so many people allegedly providing some desperately needed adult supervision, is the FBI investigating HOAs, management companies and attorneys.  We’ll also find out whether or not they are all members of CAI.  You wont want to miss this one.

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. 
 
Every single day there is at least one HOA/condo story in some part of the country.  Whether the headline grabber happens to be someone who is denied the right to fly Old Glory, or exercise the right of free speech, or freedom of religion or a homeowner who neglected to get a hose approved, or shutting down children’s lemonade stands on common areas for fear of “lowering property values”.  Proponents of all the rules, regulations, restrictions, penalties, foreclosures and fines, to name just a few,  would have us believe that living in fear and misery is good for us and the only way to protect property values.  But what do the homeowners have to say about it?  Do people want to be harassed, abused, penalized?  Do they really want to live in fear of losing their homes and live in absolute terror of what their associations would do to them?
 
On The Commons this week we are joined by Jan Bergemann. Jan, the tireless president of the Florida based Cyber Citizens for Justice (www.ccfj.net ), has done some pretty amazing things for the members of his organization.  CCFJ has recently conducted a survey of people who have an interest in HOAs in Florida.  The participants include industry professionals as well as homeowners.  Please join us On The Commons this Saturday, October 4, 2008.  We’ll find out about the survey and what the results reveal.  We’ll also find out whether or not Americans want to live under such harsh and dictatorial conditions.