Saturday, May 05, 2012

Co-conspirator in Plymouth Hill condo scam pleads guilty - Colonial News - Montgomery News

Co-conspirator in Plymouth Hill condo scam pleads guilty - Colonial News - Montgomery News
Keith Brandolph, a salesperson with Siemens Fire Safety, pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception and one count of engaging in criminal conspiracy after he admitted to helping the condo association manager swindle hundreds of thousands of dollars from owners within Plymouth Hill condominiums.

Last year, the district attorney initially charged Vincent Lopez, the paid facility manager of the condo complex, and three others with cheating homeowners out of as much as $600,000 through various thinly veiled means of hiking association rates.

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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to yet another horrible story of owners victimized by crooked condo industry professionals. Tell me again why the property management industry doesn't need governmental oversight? 

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem. - The Washington Post

Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem. - The Washington Post
This is from two prominent political scientists. They have a book coming out and this article is something to get the pump primed. I think they have things pretty well figured out.

Lawsuit: HOA Guards Threatened Tenants With Tasers, Stole Naked Pictures Over Foreclosure Miscommunication - The Consumerist

Lawsuit: HOA Guards Threatened Tenants With Tasers, Stole Naked Pictures Over Foreclosure Miscommunication - The Consumerist

Renters of a California condo say they got a rude awakening when a group of guards hired by their homeowners association allegedly used Taser guns to evict them from a house they didn't know had been foreclosed on.
According to the lawsuit filed this week in the Superior Court of California in Sacramento, the guards entered the building without permission around 3 a.m. and began a "military style raid of plaintiffs' residence."
One officer allegedly told the tenants who were present at the time that the building was supposed to be vacant and that everyone in the condo would be charged with burglary and trespassing. The guards said they had been told by the HOA that the people in the building were squatters.
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Thanks to Mystery Reader for this story about an HOA that went all Rambo on some tenants in a foreclosed unit. The article says there was an unlawful detainer action on file to evict them, but the tenants hadn't been served with it so they didn't know about it. Now there is another lawsuit: "The tenants have sued the guards and the HOA, seeking damages for trespass, extortion, assault and battery, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy, conversion and intentional infliction of emotional distress."
Here is the full original story.

14 more criminal cases unsealed in Las Vegas HOA probe - Tuesday, May 1, 2012 | 8:17 p.m. - VEGAS INC

14 more criminal cases unsealed in Las Vegas HOA probe - Tuesday, May 1, 2012 | 8:17 p.m. - VEGAS INC
That makes a total of 25 criminal cases. Eleven defendants have pled guilty to date. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Maybe no housing rebound for a generation: Shiller - Chicago Tribune

Maybe no housing rebound for a generation: Shiller - Chicago Tribune

"I worry that we might not see a really major turnaround in our lifetimes," Shiller said.
The S&P/Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0.2 percent in February on a seasonally adjusted basis, the first uptick in prices in 10 months.
But Shiller called it "a very mixed bag." Nine of the 20 cities recorded falling or flat prices on the month.
He said suburban areas in particular might endure further price declines as high gas prices increase demand for "walkable cities."

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Non-Disparagement - Contract Standards

Non-Disparagement - Contract Standards
Here is an explanation of non-disparagement clauses like the one referred to in the article cited below. It seems that they are already being used in CC&Rs. I can see why Warner Brothers and CBS would put one in Charlie Sheen's contract. I can't see why every homeowner in a CID should be silenced. I haven't researched the enforcement of these clauses in that context, and if anybody has a case citation please send it along.

U.S. Homeownership Hits Decade Low

U.S. Homeownership Hits Decade Low
From a high of 73% in 2006-2007, the homeownership rate has dropped to 62% and falling.  And back in 2006, 92% of Americans said their home was worth more than they paid for it. Now only 53% say that, and most of them are wrong.