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.
