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May 29, 2008
How Do You Defend Associations
People often ask me why the CAN news feeds are so full of bad news about associations. The answer's quite simple - we get our news from other news feeds and by definition, "news" is something out of the ordinary - so, in reality, bad news about associations is something "out of the ordinary". People who work with or follow associations know that most of them plug along, day in - day out, without doing anything "newsworthy". However, you know as well as I do, that what's in the news can shape opinion of those who really don't know much about a subject. We also know that the news media, has come to consider associations as the "big, bad, bully" and the homeowner arguing with it, the "poor, downtrodden, underdog". Not accurate, but also not likely to change soon.
Again, if you follow news stories about associations, you will see that on the internet, there is often room for comments after the article. There's a whole group of people out there, led by some of the nastiest "advocates" that immediately jump on the article and damn all associations, and the people who serve on their boards, and their managers and their attorneys, as something evil to be avoided at all costs. I've often considered responding to these people, but then I remember that they're involved in a jihad, and rational thought just gets in the way. I also ran across a web site that helped me understand them a little more, and reminded me why it's probably a waste of time engaging them . The site is HOA True Believers and can be found at: http://www.hoatruebeliever.com
If you watch today's politicians running for office, the mantra is "Stay on message!" No matter what the question, make sure you get your message across. So when asked by someone about associations (whether they're in the media or just thinking about moving in, try these:
"People choose to move into associations"
"Yes, most new homes are in associations, but that's a decision made by the local government to generate additional tax revenues without increasing their costs or raising everyone's taxes"
"These are rules everyone who moved in agreed to abide by, and the owners can change them by a democratic vote"
"The association is run by residents elected by their neighbors"
"In any demcratically elected group, there are going to be people who agree with the leaders elected and people who disagree"
"It's about the pole, not the flag, the POLE!" (Often followed by: "Who are you - Fox News?")
"You know, some people like having rules - they like knowing that their neighbor is not going to turn their home into a truck repair shop - wo why shouldn't they have the right to expect that others who chose to live their have the same expectations - the rules were there when they moved in"
"What would you call a person who agreed to follow the rules when they moved in, then changed their mind when it didn't suit them - a liar"
Associations ARE a housing choice - don't be put on the defensive just because you chose to live in one.
Did you notice that "No comment" is not one of the choices.
Posted by joewest at 7:43 PM | TrackBack
May 19, 2008
Time to Fire Up the Committees and Get People Involved
Two issues are showing up in the news - the first being the foreclosure crisis and its impact on association finances; and the second is the continuing intervention of state legislatures with respect to energy conservation issues. I believe that both issues will touch just about every association in the country before too long - so this is a reminder that is usually better to be proactive, and put together well-formed plans, rather than be reactive and try to put something together on the fly.
These issues are also in the news enough that residents are already aware of them, but they may not be aware of how they are going to impact them through the association. If they are paying their assessments, they may assume everyone else is and you really don't want to spring a surprise on them with a large increase in the regular assessment, or with a special assessment, to make up for others not paying.
So, why not try and form two committees (if you don't already have them). One to deal with the revenue issues and one the energy issues.
The committee looking at assessments and potential financial problems could review the current collection policy to make sure that it is up-to-date and being implemented effectively. If you've got collection issues, they can review possible solutions, including using a third-party collection firm, an attorney or even doing it themselves, but only after checking the documents and state and federal laws. The committee could work with the board to help identify potential cost-saving areas in the budget, that may not have been looked at real closely before. A few extra eyes and hands can really help with this. The side benefit of using a committee to help with this is it increases the number of owners who have a good awareness of the issues and the efforts to deal with them.
A number of states have already passed laws (and more are proposing) prohibiting associations from banning clothes lines or solar panels. Other forms of energy conservation will not be far behind. Forming an energy conservation committee can help you identify areas where the assocaition can conserve energy (and water) as well as investigate ways that individual owners can also conserve energy. In addition to clothes lines and solar panels, they can look at both common area and owner xeriscaping (natural environment), changing lights to flourescent or other energy-saving type, changing out sprinkling systems to automated, more efficient ones, recycling water, etc.
These are two areas where the board cold use some help, that owners need to know what's going on; and people need to communicate - and that's what committee's are for. Start now, because waiting to see what happens almost never works or helps.
Posted by joewest at 6:47 PM | TrackBack
May 7, 2008
Back Again
I took a couple of weeks off from writing to take care of a few other things, but I couldn't stay away forever - there's always some luncacy that has to be written about. The latest comes from one of my favorites - the American Homeowner's Resource Center (AHRC). This is the largest of the "rant" sites (a "rant" site is one that gives people with problems a place to vent, then pours gas on the fire rather than trying to solve the problem).
It seems that the owners of the site lost a court battle and the domain for AHRC was awarded to the winning party. However, you'll never find that little bit of truth anywhere on their site. Instead, they've got their stable of writers all worked up that its a conspiracy to deny themm their First Amendment rights. There is no mention that the owners of AHRC so abused the court system that they are barred from filing any suits, motions or just about anything else without first receiving the approval of the presiding judge of the court. It was their actions in the courts that caused the costs to skyrocket, and when they lost, they lost most of their assets, including the domain.
Shutting down the site won't stop the ranters. They've already begun copying their diatribes to other sites. Shutting down AHRC won't stop the die-hards that rearely listen to anytning other than their own voices (or the little voices in their heads), but it may be a positive factor for those owners who are simply trying to find help with their issues. They may find other places that might actually help.
o those AHRC supporters - its not a conspiracy, its not about the First Amendment - its about using words as weapons, and claims you can't support - and its about blaming your own stupidity on everyone but yourself.