Darker U.S. homebuilder mood not just due to bad weather - Yahoo Finance: Jed Kolko, Trulia's chief economist, said because cities such as Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix still have many vacant homes, those existing houses - rather than the weather - have been one of the biggest drags on the construction of new single-family homes, which account for roughly two-thirds of the U.S. housing market.
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Many of those vacant homes depressing this sector of the economy are in Privatopia.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
HOAs give migraines, not help | The Rebel Yell
HOAs give migraines, not help | The Rebel Yell: If you have never lived in a homeowner association, I strongly caution you not to. If you have lived in one, you know about the harassment and the stress it causes.
I recommend that we get rid of them all. Cities like them because the builder will pay for some streets and services and pass the cost on to the homeowner, alleviating this burden from the city.
Unfortunately, the HOAs are taking over.
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A call for HOA Apocalypse Now.
I recommend that we get rid of them all. Cities like them because the builder will pay for some streets and services and pass the cost on to the homeowner, alleviating this burden from the city.
Unfortunately, the HOAs are taking over.
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A call for HOA Apocalypse Now.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Detroit in the dark: How the city's streetlights went out and the plan to get them back on - Yahoo News
Detroit in the dark: How the city's streetlights went out and the plan to get them back on - Yahoo News: It’s a problem all over Detroit, where officials estimate at least half of the city’s 88,000 streetlights are broken. Aside from the abandoned buildings that dot the cityscape, the dark lights are the most visible evidence of the financial problems that sent Detroit into bankruptcy last summer seeking relief from an estimated $18 billion in debt. As the lights went out, the city couldn’t afford to turn them back on and keep them on.
The Detroit Public Lighting Department, the underfunded and understaffed entity in charge of fixing the streetlamps, has been in “constant triage” for years, officials say, trying to mend a lighting system that, in some areas, is so old it has to be manually switched on at night.
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This used to be confined to Privatopia when HOAs fell apart and stopped paying the light bills.
The Detroit Public Lighting Department, the underfunded and understaffed entity in charge of fixing the streetlamps, has been in “constant triage” for years, officials say, trying to mend a lighting system that, in some areas, is so old it has to be manually switched on at night.
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This used to be confined to Privatopia when HOAs fell apart and stopped paying the light bills.
Friday, February 07, 2014
Yeager in Sacramento court as part of lawsuit - Our Region - The Sacramento Bee
Yeager in Sacramento court as part of lawsuit - Our Region - The Sacramento Bee: The lawsuit “is essentially about homeowners getting something for nothing,” plaintiffs’ lawyer Eugene P. Haydu said in his trial brief.
Haydu is representing Park River Oak Estates Homeowners Association. The association runs a townhouse complex next to Garcia Bend Park. The suit says Yeager and his wife, who live near Grass Valley, own a couple of units in the development but haven’t paid their association fees.
“While defendant General Charles Yeager may be a famous man, that fame does not make him immune … from principles of simple fairness,” the brief said.
The defendants’ attorney Michael Thomas argued in his brief that the Yeagers’ properties were never annexed to the association and that the couple has not requested nor have they ever received any services from it.
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The community association bar plays no favorites.
Haydu is representing Park River Oak Estates Homeowners Association. The association runs a townhouse complex next to Garcia Bend Park. The suit says Yeager and his wife, who live near Grass Valley, own a couple of units in the development but haven’t paid their association fees.
“While defendant General Charles Yeager may be a famous man, that fame does not make him immune … from principles of simple fairness,” the brief said.
The defendants’ attorney Michael Thomas argued in his brief that the Yeagers’ properties were never annexed to the association and that the couple has not requested nor have they ever received any services from it.
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The community association bar plays no favorites.
Sunday, February 02, 2014
HOA bans medical marijuana in home yards
HOA bans medical marijuana in home yards
"The board at Carrillo Ranch, a homeowners association in Chandler, has ruled that residents cannot smoke marijuana — medical or otherwise — in their backyards, front yards and patios. Some residents say the decision is absurd, while lawyers are questioning whether the rule can be enforced."
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But look on the bright side. This will generate attorney's fees!
"The board at Carrillo Ranch, a homeowners association in Chandler, has ruled that residents cannot smoke marijuana — medical or otherwise — in their backyards, front yards and patios. Some residents say the decision is absurd, while lawyers are questioning whether the rule can be enforced."
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But look on the bright side. This will generate attorney's fees!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Florida Man Fined $1,000 For Flying Wounded Warrior Project Flag
Florida Man Fined $1,000 For Flying Wounded Warrior Project Flag: A Florida man was told by his homeowners association that he would have to remove a flag for the Wounded Warrior Project from his residence or face a $1,000 fine.
Thomas Bagnoli, who has lived in the Grand Haven community of Palm Coast for 13 years, refused to take it down. He says the flag has been up for at least a year.
"They can do whatever they want. I’m doing what I want,” Bagnoli told WJXT-TV. “I feel strongly about this.”
He said the association told him the flag is against association rules, but other homes fly prisoner of war flags and missing in action flags without fines.
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HOA flag flap No. 725,891. Film at 10 on WJXT Channel 9 Eyewitness News.
Thomas Bagnoli, who has lived in the Grand Haven community of Palm Coast for 13 years, refused to take it down. He says the flag has been up for at least a year.
"They can do whatever they want. I’m doing what I want,” Bagnoli told WJXT-TV. “I feel strongly about this.”
He said the association told him the flag is against association rules, but other homes fly prisoner of war flags and missing in action flags without fines.
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HOA flag flap No. 725,891. Film at 10 on WJXT Channel 9 Eyewitness News.
Friday, January 24, 2014
The pros and cons of homeowners associations - MSN Real Estate
The pros and cons of homeowners associations - MSN Real Estate
Including a brief quote from yours truly.
Including a brief quote from yours truly.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Council considers which residents required to pay streetlight fees The Commercial Appeal
Council considers which residents required to pay streetlight fees � The Commercial Appeal: The committee reviewed one measure Tuesday to remove the streetlight fee from bills for newly-annexed homes in Cordova that don’t yet have streetlights, with no opposition to doing so. The discussion then turned to whether residents who already pay for private streetlights through homeowners associations should be required to pay the public streetlight fee.
Last year, City Council agreed to change the billing for streetlight fees in an effort to spread the cost to all Memphis residents, not just those who pay property taxes, said Councilman Myron Lowery. Instead of the fee being assessed to property taxes, it is now part of utility bills.
However, some residents in Cordova complained they were paying a fee for a service the city had not rendered as part of its annexation responsibilities.
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The coexistence of public and private local government can be dicey, particularly when it comes to determining who pays for a given service and who benefits.
Last year, City Council agreed to change the billing for streetlight fees in an effort to spread the cost to all Memphis residents, not just those who pay property taxes, said Councilman Myron Lowery. Instead of the fee being assessed to property taxes, it is now part of utility bills.
However, some residents in Cordova complained they were paying a fee for a service the city had not rendered as part of its annexation responsibilities.
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The coexistence of public and private local government can be dicey, particularly when it comes to determining who pays for a given service and who benefits.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Holding water companies accountable sounds good to this HOA
Holding water companies accountable sounds good to this HOA: The Summertree community in New Port Richey has been fighting its water company for more than a decade.
Homeowners Association President Rich Neilsen says poor water quality has forced homeowners to buy their own filtration systems.
"We are paying enormous funds for unsatisfactory water," Neilsen said. "The residents of this community need to buy bottled water to drink. We can't drink our water."
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Private water companies don't go over well in Privatopia, Florida sector.
Homeowners Association President Rich Neilsen says poor water quality has forced homeowners to buy their own filtration systems.
"We are paying enormous funds for unsatisfactory water," Neilsen said. "The residents of this community need to buy bottled water to drink. We can't drink our water."
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Private water companies don't go over well in Privatopia, Florida sector.
The Fate of a City | KUNSTLER
The Fate of a City | KUNSTLER
Interesting paragraph about doomed-to-fail condos and HOAs in this post by the author of The Geography of Nowhere, talking about how the financialization of the economy flooded New York City with money, but (Kunstler says) it is all about to dry up:
"Mayor Bloomberg was celebrated for, among other things, stimulating a new generation of skyscraper building. There is theory which states that an empire puts up its greatest monumental buildings just before it collapses. I think it is truthful. This is what you are now going to see in New York, especially as regards the empire of Wall Street finance, which is all set to blow up. The many new skyscrapers recently constructed for the fabled “one percent”— the Frank Gehry condos and the Robert A.M. Stern hedge fund aeries — are already obsolete. The buyers don’t know it. In the new era of capital scarcity that we are entering, these giant buildings cannot be maintained (and, believe me, such structures require incessant, meticulous, and expensive upkeep). Splitting up the ownership of mega-structures into condominiums under a homeowners’ association (HOA) is an experiment that has never been tried before and now we are going to watch it fail spectacularly. All those towering monuments to the beneficent genius of Michael Bloomberg will very quickly transform from assets to liabilities."
Interesting paragraph about doomed-to-fail condos and HOAs in this post by the author of The Geography of Nowhere, talking about how the financialization of the economy flooded New York City with money, but (Kunstler says) it is all about to dry up:
"Mayor Bloomberg was celebrated for, among other things, stimulating a new generation of skyscraper building. There is theory which states that an empire puts up its greatest monumental buildings just before it collapses. I think it is truthful. This is what you are now going to see in New York, especially as regards the empire of Wall Street finance, which is all set to blow up. The many new skyscrapers recently constructed for the fabled “one percent”— the Frank Gehry condos and the Robert A.M. Stern hedge fund aeries — are already obsolete. The buyers don’t know it. In the new era of capital scarcity that we are entering, these giant buildings cannot be maintained (and, believe me, such structures require incessant, meticulous, and expensive upkeep). Splitting up the ownership of mega-structures into condominiums under a homeowners’ association (HOA) is an experiment that has never been tried before and now we are going to watch it fail spectacularly. All those towering monuments to the beneficent genius of Michael Bloomberg will very quickly transform from assets to liabilities."
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Infrastructure 101: The Evolution of Building Big Things (Part 1)
Infrastructure 101: The Evolution of Building Big Things (Part 1)
This is a brilliant and easily understood series on the privatization of infrastructure by Dickinson Law School professor Ellen Dannin. The second part is here.
And here is a great PBS program on this subject that includes Professor Dannin.
This is a brilliant and easily understood series on the privatization of infrastructure by Dickinson Law School professor Ellen Dannin. The second part is here.
And here is a great PBS program on this subject that includes Professor Dannin.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
HOAs and pot: A complicated, volatile mix | The Cannabist
HOAs and pot: A complicated, volatile mix | The Cannabist: Homeowner associations are approaching lawyers to find out whether they can ban marijuana use, even in homes, much as they do garish paint colors and funky yard art — a question that may have to be settled in court.
Already, at Breckenridge’s River Mountain Lodge, a condominium in which second-homeowners rent out their properties mainly to vacationers, growing pot and distributing it was banned last year for medical marijuana. And that now extends to recreational pot, as does a previous smoking ban in all of the units.
In Aurora, several HOAs have inquired about their rights regarding restricting the use, possession and cultivation of pot.
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Do bogart that joint, my friends.
Already, at Breckenridge’s River Mountain Lodge, a condominium in which second-homeowners rent out their properties mainly to vacationers, growing pot and distributing it was banned last year for medical marijuana. And that now extends to recreational pot, as does a previous smoking ban in all of the units.
In Aurora, several HOAs have inquired about their rights regarding restricting the use, possession and cultivation of pot.
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Do bogart that joint, my friends.
Thursday, January 02, 2014
In Search of the First Human Home - Issue 8: Home - Nautilus
In Search of the First Human Home - Issue 8: Home - Nautilus
"If an archaeologist had to pick an example of the earliest structures that most resembled our modern idea of home, it would probably be the round houses built by the semi-sedentary Natufians, an ancient people who lived around the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea (Israel, Syria, and environs) at the end of the last Ice Age, some 12,000 years ago."
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"If an archaeologist had to pick an example of the earliest structures that most resembled our modern idea of home, it would probably be the round houses built by the semi-sedentary Natufians, an ancient people who lived around the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea (Israel, Syria, and environs) at the end of the last Ice Age, some 12,000 years ago."
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Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Privatization Debate Likely to Resurface in 2014 General Assembly | WEKU
Privatization Debate Likely to Resurface in 2014 General Assembly | WEKU
"Kentucky lawmakers are being asked to consider a new proposal for privatizing certain services or projects. It is not new to Kentucky state government. Privatization was used in a significant way to house inmates across the Commonwealth for decades. The state cut its tie to privately run prisons earlier this year. The number of inmates housed in prisons has been on the decline. There were also sexual abuse of inmate allegations and complaints by shift supervisors, allegations denied by the private firm. Bob Gray worked in state government for a quarter century before going into consulting. He believes private firms can be key players in the public arena."
"Kentucky lawmakers are being asked to consider a new proposal for privatizing certain services or projects. It is not new to Kentucky state government. Privatization was used in a significant way to house inmates across the Commonwealth for decades. The state cut its tie to privately run prisons earlier this year. The number of inmates housed in prisons has been on the decline. There were also sexual abuse of inmate allegations and complaints by shift supervisors, allegations denied by the private firm. Bob Gray worked in state government for a quarter century before going into consulting. He believes private firms can be key players in the public arena."
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
2013 highlights--Illinois condo and HOA law--Pamela McKuen, Chicago Tribune
2013 highlights for Illinois condo association law
"If your community association's meetings seem to be getting longer, it's not your imagination. Myriad court judgments, legislation and hot topics this year have given boards plenty to talk about and added work to do."
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Including the horrendous Lake Holiday case that allows HOAs to create private police departments and conduct traffic stops.
"If your community association's meetings seem to be getting longer, it's not your imagination. Myriad court judgments, legislation and hot topics this year have given boards plenty to talk about and added work to do."
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Including the horrendous Lake Holiday case that allows HOAs to create private police departments and conduct traffic stops.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Homeowners group targets HOA transfer fees in Colorado - The Denver Post
Homeowners group targets HOA transfer fees in Colorado - The Denver Post: "Community managers have never justified this fee," said Stan Hrincevich, president of the Colorado HOA Forum, who calls the charges "costly" and "unwarranted."
Hrincevich said he has seen transfer fees ranging from $50 to $500 or more and estimates they average about $200 per sale.
He argues that transfers should be handled as part of existing administrative costs, given that they usually involve nothing more than a form letter drafted from existing HOA records.
Hrincevich said his group is working with state Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver, and state Sen. John Kefalas, D- Fort Collins, on a bill that would either eliminate the transfer fees or cap them at $50.
Hrincevich said he has seen transfer fees ranging from $50 to $500 or more and estimates they average about $200 per sale.
He argues that transfers should be handled as part of existing administrative costs, given that they usually involve nothing more than a form letter drafted from existing HOA records.
Hrincevich said his group is working with state Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver, and state Sen. John Kefalas, D- Fort Collins, on a bill that would either eliminate the transfer fees or cap them at $50.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
10News - La Jolla man fighting for Christmas decorations - 10News.com - News
10News - La Jolla man fighting for Christmas decorations - 10News.com - News
The HOA grinch goes after some guy's holiday lights. He puts up more lights and brings in carolers. Fa la la la la. Film at 10 on ABC 10 San Diego.
The HOA grinch goes after some guy's holiday lights. He puts up more lights and brings in carolers. Fa la la la la. Film at 10 on ABC 10 San Diego.
Why the system of rail privatisation in the UK has been a disaster | British Politics and Policy at LSE
Why the system of rail privatisation in the UK has been a disaster | British Politics and Policy at LSE
"A troublemaking report from the Centre for Research in Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC) has been upsetting the powerful again. The Great Train Robbery: rail privatisation and after has a great deal to say about the business models that now underpin the disastrous system of rail privatisation in the UK, but it also reveals a pattern that will particularly interest the readers of a politics blog. It shows that the initial vision offered by privatisers of a transparent and democratically accountable set of privatised markets has turned out, in reality, to be something very different: the politics of rail privatisation involves backstairs lobbying, manipulation of the terms of public debate by well resourced private interests and a blurring of the divide between the public and the private."
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In the 1980s many people saw privatization as a panacea for all the problems associated with provision of public goods. The "private sector" had all the answers, they said. Markets would bring about efficient delivery of high-quality public services. Now there are hundreds of case studies raising all sorts of troubling questions.
"A troublemaking report from the Centre for Research in Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC) has been upsetting the powerful again. The Great Train Robbery: rail privatisation and after has a great deal to say about the business models that now underpin the disastrous system of rail privatisation in the UK, but it also reveals a pattern that will particularly interest the readers of a politics blog. It shows that the initial vision offered by privatisers of a transparent and democratically accountable set of privatised markets has turned out, in reality, to be something very different: the politics of rail privatisation involves backstairs lobbying, manipulation of the terms of public debate by well resourced private interests and a blurring of the divide between the public and the private."
--------------------------
In the 1980s many people saw privatization as a panacea for all the problems associated with provision of public goods. The "private sector" had all the answers, they said. Markets would bring about efficient delivery of high-quality public services. Now there are hundreds of case studies raising all sorts of troubling questions.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
HOA tells homeowner to get rid of metal security doors - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5
HOA tells homeowner to get rid of metal security doors - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5: MORROW, Ga. - A Morrow man is battling his homeowners association over security doors.
Mathew Goodson installed metal security doors in June after a rash of break-ins in his subdivision. Goodson said just last week the security doors kept out an attempted burglar. He points to a ripped screen as evidence of the attempted break-in.
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When Privatopia becomes the hood. Film at 10 on Fox 5 Atlanta.
Mathew Goodson installed metal security doors in June after a rash of break-ins in his subdivision. Goodson said just last week the security doors kept out an attempted burglar. He points to a ripped screen as evidence of the attempted break-in.
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When Privatopia becomes the hood. Film at 10 on Fox 5 Atlanta.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Ridgeland homeowner ordered to take down Christmas decorations - Cincinnati News, FOX19-WXIX TV
Ridgeland homeowner ordered to take down Christmas decorations - Cincinnati News, FOX19-WXIX TV: RIDGELAND, MS (Mississippi News Now) - A Ridgeland homeowner is upset after being told she had to take down some of her Christmas decorations.
A Christmas mural that hangs on Carrie Higbie's garage was ordered to be taken down earlier this week because according to the Homeowners Association it doesn't adhere to the covenants for the neighborhood.
Higbie was told through a notice she had 30 days to take it down.
The HOA President says her mural violated the covenants including signage and altering the structure of the home.
Higbie was told through a notice she had 30 days to take it down.
The HOA President says her mural violated the covenants including signage and altering the structure of the home.
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