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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 May 29, 2008 7:43 PM

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