You've paid your HOA assessments yet the common areas are unmaintained and the pool is closed, having turned into urban pond that's a mosquito breeding ground. It's not fair.
Might people who might feel that way toward their HOAs -- which as the perfessor and I have noted aren't winning popularity contests and continue to receive negative media attention -- take them to court and demand a refund or credit of their assessments?
If they do, the might become part of a fledgling trend to sue deep pocketed defendants who might otherwise have them legally outgunned in court in the no-lawyer courtroom: small claims. This story reports on how large companies such as Honda and AT&T are getting sued in small claims and facing judgments.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
Friday, March 02, 2012
THE KANGAROO STAYS! | Weird News - Y100 - Miami's Hit Music Station
THE KANGAROO STAYS! | Weird News - Y100 - Miami's Hit Music Station
Nice to hear that the HOA changed its mind. It seems that Mike will only be living in the HOA for a year or so and then he is off to a wild animal park. This article has some cute kangaroo photos. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
A local family has won a battle with their HOA over an unusual pet.
The Dreis family has a 6-month-old kangaroo, Mike.
But they didn’t get Mike just for fun – he’s actually there to help the family’s 16-year-old special-needs daughter, Kala.
------------------------------------Nice to hear that the HOA changed its mind. It seems that Mike will only be living in the HOA for a year or so and then he is off to a wild animal park. This article has some cute kangaroo photos. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Capitol Alert: Housing meltdown dropped California's home ownership rate
Capitol Alert: Housing meltdown dropped California's home ownership rate
The housing industry meltdown in California sharply reversed a trend of steadily increasing homeownership, a new statistical compilation by the Census Bureau reveals.
The result: The percentage of Californians who live in homes that they and their families own dipped to 55.3 percent in 2011, the second lowest rate of any state, just ahead of New York's 53.6 percent.
The current California level is just about where it was during the 1980s and 1990s before climbing to as high as 60.2 percent in 2006, just before the housing market implosion.
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Wow. This is a national trend, but a drop of almost five percentage points is huge. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link
Condo Complex Walls Collapse In January, Still Not Fixed - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver
Condo Complex Walls Collapse In January, Still Not Fixed - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver
LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Gaping holes in walls, sunlight streaming in through electrical sockets, a bathtub exposed.This is the way it has been for almost two months now at the Snowbird Condos on Zang Street in Lakewood. Brick walls collapsed on two of the buildings during a wind storm at the beginning of January.
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to yet another collapsing condo. In this case the word "collapse" is used literally.
LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Gaping holes in walls, sunlight streaming in through electrical sockets, a bathtub exposed.This is the way it has been for almost two months now at the Snowbird Condos on Zang Street in Lakewood. Brick walls collapsed on two of the buildings during a wind storm at the beginning of January.
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to yet another collapsing condo. In this case the word "collapse" is used literally.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Stockton's options nearly all bad - Bee Editorials - Modbee.com
Stockton's options nearly all bad - Bee Editorials - Modbee.com
"Every local elected official should be paying close attention to what is happening in the city of Stockton today. Our neighbor to the north, California's 13th largest city with a population of approaching 300,000 people, is flirting with bankruptcy. The City Council is expected to approve an eight-point plan this evening that calls for the city to suspend approximately $2 million in bond payments through the end of the current fiscal year. The plan also calls for the city to embark on two months of private discussions with its bond holders, city employee unions and any other creditors with at least $5 million in claims against the city to determine if parties can reach accommodations that will allow Stockton to avoid bankruptcy. If the council agrees — and it really has no other viable option — Stockton will become the first city in the state to undergo the AB 506 process, a formalized mediation period designed to help jurisdictions restructure their debts and avoid municipal bankruptcy."
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This is a grim situation, obviously. As the headline points out, Stockton's unemployment rate is almost 16% and they are second only to Las Vegas in their foreclosure rate. It is hard to see how this city can strike a deal that will hold off Chapter 9 proceedings for very long.Monday, February 27, 2012
Calculated Risk: New Home Sales: 2011 Still the Worst Year, "Distressing Gap" remains very wide
Calculated Risk: New Home Sales: 2011 Still the Worst Year, "Distressing Gap" remains very wide
"Even with the upward revisions to new homesales
in October, November and December, 2011 was the worst year for new home sales since the Census Bureau started tracking sales in 1963. The three worst years were 2011, 2010, and 2009 with sales of 304, 323 and 375 thousand respectively."
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People keep trying to talk up the market by finding a single statistic here or there that looks like it is going up. But the unavoidable fact is that the new housing market is getting worse, year by year.
"Even with the upward revisions to new home
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People keep trying to talk up the market by finding a single statistic here or there that looks like it is going up. But the unavoidable fact is that the new housing market is getting worse, year by year.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Rocklin Considering Banning Residents From Smoking Outside Their Own Homes « CBS Sacramento
Rocklin Considering Banning Residents From Smoking Outside Their Own Homes « CBS Sacramento
ROCKLIN (CBS13) – A Rocklin resident has asked the City Council to consider a ban on smoking that some say goes way too far.
The Rocklin City Council was asked to consider making it against the law for smokers to smoke anywhere outside on their property.
Rocklin City Manager Rick Horst said the city has “no intention of considering the matter.”
One homeowner complained about smoke coming from a neighbors’ backyard, saying it caused health problems for their kids.
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At last. A city official with common sense. There is hope.
Wyoming House advances doomsday bill
Wyoming House advances doomsday bill
Where to begin? First, note how far the craziness on the right has gone. Now we have elected Republicans legislating for the post-apocalypse. Second, they keep telling us how much they revere the US Constitution, but they can't wait to re-institute the Articles of Confederation when the states could act like nations. Third, if Wyoming had an aircraft carrier, where within the borders of the great nation of Wyoming would they put it? Fourth, if you want to see where these elected wing nuts got the idea, check this out.
"CHEYENNE — State representatives on Friday advanced legislation to launch a study into what Wyoming should do in the event of a complete economic or political collapse in the United States. House Bill 85 passed on first reading by a voice vote. It would create a state-run government continuity task force, which would study and prepare Wyoming for potential catastrophes, from disruptions in food and energy supplies to a complete meltdown of the federal government. The task force would look at the feasibility of Wyoming issuing its own alternative currency, if needed. And House members approved an amendment Friday by state Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, to have the task force also examine conditions under which Wyoming would need to implement its own military draft, raise a standing army, and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier."
--------------------------------------------Where to begin? First, note how far the craziness on the right has gone. Now we have elected Republicans legislating for the post-apocalypse. Second, they keep telling us how much they revere the US Constitution, but they can't wait to re-institute the Articles of Confederation when the states could act like nations. Third, if Wyoming had an aircraft carrier, where within the borders of the great nation of Wyoming would they put it? Fourth, if you want to see where these elected wing nuts got the idea, check this out.
Foreclosure settlement a failure of law, a triumph for bank attorneys - The Washington Post
Foreclosure settlement a failure of law, a triumph for bank attorneys - The Washington Post
We never want to see an innocent party “accidentally” evicted from a home. The legal system has evolved so this has become a “legal impossibility.” Imagine returning home from work or vacation to find the front door padlocked, the belongings strewn all over the block, a big orange sticker screaming “FORECLOSED” on the garage door, with an auction sign in the front lawn. Now imagine that this occurred even though you are not in default or even delinquent on payments. Thanks to the robosigning banks, this legal impossibility has happened repeatedly, even to homeowners who paid cash for their houses and had no mortgages. Imagine that — foreclosed with no mortgage.
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Barry Ritholtz nails it. Here's the #1 reason why the foreclosure settlement (the "terms" of which are still a secret) is so awful.
We never want to see an innocent party “accidentally” evicted from a home. The legal system has evolved so this has become a “legal impossibility.” Imagine returning home from work or vacation to find the front door padlocked, the belongings strewn all over the block, a big orange sticker screaming “FORECLOSED” on the garage door, with an auction sign in the front lawn. Now imagine that this occurred even though you are not in default or even delinquent on payments. Thanks to the robosigning banks, this legal impossibility has happened repeatedly, even to homeowners who paid cash for their houses and had no mortgages. Imagine that — foreclosed with no mortgage.
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Barry Ritholtz nails it. Here's the #1 reason why the foreclosure settlement (the "terms" of which are still a secret) is so awful.
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