| News |
OH: MultiVest VP admits guilt
Woman
pleads guilty to mail fraud for role in
bilking homeowners associations out of more
than $3.5 million
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...the show illustrates a changing trend in
entertainment on the well-established
institution known as the condo circuit.
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CO: A whole-new habitat
Greenwood Village-based Hammersmith
Management Inc. is helping Habitat establish
an HOA model that will allow Emerald Hill
residents to self-govern and manage their
community in an effective manner. "They're
teaching them about insurance, maintenance
and landscaping," said Jeff Arnold,
executive director of the Rocky Mountain
Chapter of Community Associations Institute.
"They're also getting pro bono legal
services."
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UT: Draper man is ordered to take down his
American Flag
One person's patriotic expression appears to
be another's clutter in a Draper condominium
project. A homeowner says he's being ordered
to retire "Old Glory" permanently and to
take it down. But he says he's not about to
do that.
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The owner of a Clifton Heights condominium
complex that was damaged by a fire during
Tuesday night's storm plans to raze the
building, after city inspectors said it must
come down.
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NY: Insurer's handling of fire has Ossining
condo owners fuming
However, the condo owners say GNY Insurance
originally gave an estimate of less than
$600,000 for the repairs and also want their
own contractor to do the work. That figure
is at least $1 million off the mark, the
condo owners say, because it doesn't take
into account that the townhouses are 41
years old and would now be subject to
expensive building code upgrades such as
modern copper wiring, firewalls and
sprinkler systems.
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Just in time for Passover, Laurie Richter won
the right to keep her mezuzah on the doorpost of
her rented Fort Lauderdale condominium.
But that's not good enough for Attorney General
Bill McCollum. He gave the association at The
Port Condominium, in the 1800 block of Southeast
17th Street, until 5 p.m. today to change its
rules so all its Jewish residents can hang
mezuzahs.
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But the board considers the caretakers to be
"unauthorized and-or transient occupants" and on
Feb. 8 filed a lawsuit alleging their presence
in the apartment violates association rules.
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Residents in one Northeast Side condo are still
cleaning up debris after a severe storm over the
weekend caused a maintenance building to
explode, scattering debris across the roofs and
grounds.
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The state Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a $3
million settlement over defective siding
installed at a condominium complex overlooking
Puget Sound.
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FL: Homeowners association loses bid to keep
$60,000 trucks under wraps
But in 2005, on the heels of a leadership
change in his community's homeowners
association, Kirk and another Escalade owner
received messages from community leaders.
Because the cargo areas on their $60,000
trucks made them look like pickups,
association leaders said, they would be able
to keep their vehicles only if they stashed
them as far out of public view as possible.
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FL: Condo Leader Unites Voices Of Residents
Martin, the former head of The Atrium's
board of directors, said his goal is to make
sure condo residents communicate clearly
with each other, including about community
issues, vendor evaluations and shared
services.
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A solar swimming pool heater and pending state
legislation are fueling a battle between
Chandler resident Matt Burdick and his Lantana
Ranch homeowners association.
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OH: Who is to blame?
After the floods, she was shocked to learn
the flood insurance policy carried by the
condominium association wasn't enough to pay
off her mortgage and losses, as well as
those of many others who formerly resided
there. The residents discovered the
association had taken out a policy that paid
$268,000 on the entire Millstone property,
which was valued at about $5 million
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MT: Property owner says association is
effective
When Ron Fraze moved from his West Coast
home into a rural subdivision outside of
Columbus, regulations were the last thing he
wanted to live by. "I was one of the
biggest rebels against the (homeowners
association) board," he admits.
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AZ: Frost affects plant life
The weather has caused frost damage to many
plants, sometimes killing them completely.
Cottonwood Palo Verde at Sun Lakes General
Manager Mike Gum said the frost has caused
problems through his community.
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Articles
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When Does An FHA Violation Occur?
 According
to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a
violation of the Fair Housing Act does not occur
until a requested accommodation is first
refused. In a recent case from Hawaii, a
homeowner was granted temporary permission to
keep a companion pet while the Board of
Directors investigated the request. According
to the court the homeowner failed to establish
all of the required elements of a Fair Housing
Act claim and the homeowner's law suit was
dismissed.
Read More
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Overcoming
Resistance To Your Reserve Fund’s Contributions
Plans
 Sometimes
it’s the Board itself (or, at least, some of the
Board’s members) that water down recommendations
to increase funding to the reserve plan.
And sometimes it’s the unit owners. It
doesn’t matter a whole lot who it is, what does
matter is that it happens and it’s dangerous. We’ve prepared a 3-part article that
begins with an overview of the problem’s
seriousness. Part Two examines the role
the Board plays both in being part of the
problem and part of the solution. And the
final part gets into the reasons owner’s offer
for coming out against increases. Most importantly, we add suggested
remedies. We provide a number of things
that right-thinking Board Members and owners can
do to help ensure that proper funding schedules
get voted for, passed, and implemented. Part One is available today.
Read More
(Scroll down to article title)
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Ten Questions You
Should Ask Before You Buy into an Active Adult
Community
A recent article (April 8, 2007) in the
New York Times explored how New Yorkers, the
most jaded, brazen, and savvy folks in the
world, are like lambs led to the slaughter when
it comes to purchasing real estate. They have
complete command of topics like views and space,
but when it comes to examining expenses and
community rules that will have a major affect on
life in their new homes, they have a shocking
lack of curiosity. Our editors thought
that the parallels of this situation to that of
people over fifty buying into active adult
communities were strong, so they developed this
short list of 10 questions.
Read More
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Educating
Owners and Promoting Harmony in Your Community
From Condominium to Gated Community, the common
thread is people. A diverse village is created
within each association. Finding ways to educate
and encourage members, and at the same time
protect and preserve their physical assets, can
be challenging as well as rewarding. As more and
more people are moving into community
associations for the first time, it should be a
priority for board members and community
association managers to develop a sense of
belonging and ownership for each new member.
Educating them from the start in a constructive
way can plant the seed for a long-term positive
relationship within the community.
Read More
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[Management] Negotiating the
Contract: Good Relations Develop When Terms Are
Clear
The management contract defines the relationship
between the condominium and management company,
but the document's provisions frequently receive
only cursory review or discussion by
the condominium board. If troubles crop up down
the road, they often can be traced to a failure
to include expectations, rates of
compensation, and specific legal duties and
roles in writing in the contract.
Read More (First article on page)
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Thinking of Running for the Board?
Eight Questions You Need to Ask Yourself
First Do I have the time to devote to my duties
and responsibilities as a board member? Being a
board member can consume significant amounts of
time each month. Don’t volunteer if you don’t
have the time to do the job right or can’t
attend meetings.
Read More
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Giving Facilities an Information
Edge
Though the changes happening today are
evolutionary, new technology is bringing steady
gains to facility management. Better technology
makes facility organizations more intelligent
and more nimble, getting the right information
to the right person faster than before. The
payoff is better and quicker decisions that are
implemented sooner. And emerging technology
promises to transform the industry much as
direct digital controls did when they emerged in
the ‘80s.
Read More
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Limited HOA Amenities
 Homeowner
associations often come with common amenities
which all members can enjoy. Examples include a
clubhouse and pool. While not all members may
use them, they are available for use, so all
members share in their maintenance and repair.
There are other common amenities, however, that
are limited in use to certain members, because
there aren't enough for everyone. Two common
examples include parking spaces and vehicle
storage facilities.
Read More
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Are You in the Zone?
Besides the usually Covenants, Conditions, and
Restrictions (CCR's) or Rules & Regulations in
your homeowner association declaration, the
association can also access and review the
ordinances of its local municipality. Your city,
town, or county will generally have a complete
set of zoning ordinances that are laws that
govern residential, commercial, or industrial
development. These ordinances cover a wide range
of architectural, health, and safety standards
that can aid your association in protecting and
enhancing property values. Most municipalities
have posted the Zoning Codes online. This makes
a quick review easy, and more importantly a wise
choice when reviewing architectural submittals,
enforcing CCR's, or providing an alternative for
homeowners who are seeking additional resolution
to disputes with neighbors.
Read More |
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CAI’s bookstore:
Preventative Maintenance titles
Check
out the latest titles on
preventative maintenance
offered by CAI’s bookstore – the premier resource in the
community association industry.
|
Reserve Fund Essentials
A refreshingly readable and
levelheaded 17-chapter book on fund-related how-to’s
and must-do’s to keep balances healthy.
Check it Out
|
HOATalk.com
Meet with thousands of HOA
leaders online. HOA news & information too. Free! |
Reserve Advisors
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TOPS Software
Software Solutions That
Work For YOU |
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Join Community
Associations Institute Today!
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resources and the latest trends in community association
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Editor's Notes |
 Welcome
to our new style. We thought we'd go ahead and use
the new design to show a little something of what the
web site is going to look like as we finish up the
revision. Yes, we're STILL working on it, but at
least we can see the end in sight.
We also want to welcome Popular Association Banking and
Reserve Advisors as new advertisers. |
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