I am beginning to think that any lie will do.  As long as no one looks too closely, as long as the lie sounds plausible, as long as it is delivered with a straight face, it is good to go.  You really do not have to go too much farther than the lies that are told when selling HOAs.  Just think of the ones that are routinely used to make surrendering sovereignty of our homes sound like such an honor and you will understand what I mean. A few buzzwords that need no explanation readily come to mind; “carefree living”, “protecting property values” and “democracy up close and personal”.  

Such a deal!  You give up the right to decide what to plant in your front yard in return for having a say in what happens in the community.  

So how does that work?  

Marjorie Murray joins us On  The Commons.  Marjorie is the founder and president of the Center for California Homeowner Association Law.  Over the years she and the Center for California Law have tirelessly tracked legislation and have worked with like minded groups and legislators to ensure that homeowner friendly laws are enacted.  They have educated law makers about the hidden dangers and pitfalls of proposed bills that would benefit the HOA industry to the detriment of the owners and have fought valiantly to defeat them when they have come up.  One such bill that reared its ugly head in California this year was AB1799   The bill was introduced and explained as a cost saving measure for associations.  On the surface it may sound like a great idea BUT WAIT A MINUTE, what would it really do?  And just how well would this new law, had it passed, square with the “Democracy up close and personal” benefit to HOA living we are promised?  Marjorie explains in detail what this bill would have done and gives some solid tips on how to find, and fight, these bills when they are introduced in a State Capitol near you. You know they are coming to your neck of the woods.  She also gives some good advice on how to expose the, um, shall we we say, untruths in the claims?  You’ll want to tune in and never underestimate the importance of letting your legislators hear from you.   

Right from the very beginning there were problems in mandatory membership Homeowner Associations.  No matter how creative the spin or how big the lies about the illusive benefits of HOA living, the sad truth is, the problems were always there.  Every effort to “fix” them resulted in bigger problems and even more headaches. They, in turn, led to bigger and more unconscionable abuses by the HOAs against their own homeowners. Every subsequent “fix” simply exacerbated the problems.  And contrary to what the advocates of controlled living would have us believe, none of the horror stories are “isolated incidents”. Every state grapples with the same problems every year and every year new laws are proposed, argued over, some enacted, many of the good ones passed over and a year later we are all back trying to “fix” the same problems, yet again. 

After four decades of this charade, you’d think we’d learn, wouldn’t you?

Frank Short joins us On The Commons.  Frank is an attorney with an Irish wit, a strong sense of right and wrong and a very keen understanding of the HOA laws and the inherent issues.  He has been around long enough to have a rich supply of HOA stories.  Frank joins us for our annual St. Patrick’s Day round-up of HOA bills that have been introduced in Virginia.  We look at the bills, talk about what they will do and whether or not they will help homeowners.  We also talk about some very good proposed legislation in Illinois.  And to keep it interesting and fun, Frank regales us with actual tales from the HOA trenches.