Condo Class-Action Lawsuits Filed
CONDO OWNERS FIGHT HEFTY DOCUMENT FEES WITH CLASS-ACTION LAWSUITS By Don DeBat Several Chicago and Illinois condominium owners who are fed up with being ripped off by management companies who charge excessive fees to access legal documents are fighting back with class-action lawsuits, legal experts say. On November 20th, CondoCerts.com Inc., a national web database […]
Condo Buyers Should Never Buy Blind Without Insider Info
Consumers should never buy blind when it comes to shopping for a condo or a residence in a homeowners association (HOA), experts advise. “Novice buyers often fall in love with the decorative staging or the lakefront view of a for-sale unit,” said Sara E. Benson, a Chicago real estate broker and appraiser with more than […]
Trumped: House Hunters Get A Lump Of Coal In Christmas Stockings
Home buyers and owners seeking to refinance will find a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings thanks to President-elect Donald Trump. Economists say mortgage rates in early December skyrocketed to a high for 2016 in anticipation of higher inflation under President-elect Trump’s administration and a long-forecasted Federal Reserve Board (Fed) interest hike this week […]
HOA Horror: Roaches, Bedbugs, And Rats Pt. 3
Last month, we continued our examination of HOA Horror stories about roaches, bedbugs, and rats. This week, we delve into the dirty bedbug problem plaguing the entire nation. Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite! According to a recent report issued by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, bedbug infestations have become a serious […]
HOA Horror: Roaches, Bedbugs, And Rats Pt. 2
Last week, we started our examination of HOA Horror stories about roaches, bedbugs, and rats. This week, we continue our exploration with disturbing stories out of Michigan and New York. Human Garbage Dump in Michigan When inspectors checked a unit at the Wingate Condominium Association, just south of Ann Arbor, Michigan, they found rotting […]
Clues That Your HOA Might Be The Victim Of Embezzlement
Last week, we talked about the ways that your HOA can unwittingly be stripped of their monies. This week, we talk about the signs that your HOA might be the victim of embezzlement. There are many clues to embezzlement, but the primary clue that theft or misappropriation of funds is occurring is secrecy. Any board […]
TRID RULE FOR MORTGAGE DISCLOSURE HELPS HOME BUYERS GET SMARTER
If you are planning to start home-loan hunting to finance the purchase of a new or existing dwelling now or in 2016, better clip this article and keep it so you avoid becoming a mortgage dummy. Once you wade through the alphabet-soup the federal government uses to describe the nation’s newly revised mortgage-application process, understanding […]
The Myth of the Homeowners (& Condo) Association “contract”
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities blog http://independentamericancommunities.com/ In a recent discussion forum on rules regarding display of flags in Common Interest Communities (aka Homeowners Associations), there was some vigorous back and forth about the fact that Association-controlled communities are controlled primarily by the CC&Rs (or Declaration of Condominium) contract, rather than Constitutional law. The […]
HOA Makes $109K Fair Housing Settlement Contingent On Owners Moving Out
By: Deborah Goonan Another report of fair housing discrimination by a homeowners association board, with all of the typical hallmarks. After filing a complaint with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) in 2013, Allen and Cynthia Campbell have settled their dispute with Sonora Springs Homeowners Association. The complaint was filed when the HOA […]
Are You Entitled to Free Speech in your HOA?
by Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Blog, Coalition for Community Housing Policy in the Public Interest (Chppi.org) As the 2016 Presidential election campaign heats up, so do political sign controversies in homeowners associations. Here’s a perfect example from Florida, a dispute over a Hillary Clinton sign in a resident’s window. Help Me Howard, Channel 7 […]