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H.O.A. Gone Power Mad!!!

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by Breeze147, Mar 21, 2016.

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  1. Breeze147

    Breeze147 Button Man

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    So, I'm minding my own business walking out to the mailbox and see the newly crowned HOA Dictator sweeping up pine cones and those spiky seed pods in the public area.

    I asked him how was doing, as I always do to everyone because I am a nice guy. He proceeds to deliver a sarcasm laden, condescending diatribe about how he needs help. I try to take another route back to my house but I get waylaid by him using a very provocative tone telling me how much he needs help. I went into my house and got stuck thinking about this crap.

    He had posted these crudely written notes, held up with masking tape on the mailboxes, declaring that he wanted new members and he wanted them in his kitchen at a certain date and time so he could hand out assignments. In the note he further declared that it was he who removed the leaf dams from the creek behind his property, thus removing standing water, further thusly solving the mosquito problem.

    I removed the notes from the mailboxes, rolled them up in a ball and threw them on his lawn.

    Whaddya know? An hour later he's knocking on my door demanding to know why I vandalized his notes and that he was calling the police. Now, I'm pretty sure that the county deputies have other things to do on a Saturday than to chase down the Note Destroyer. I told him, "Look, nobody gives two shits about your HOA freakshow, so get lost. He gets right in my face and demands to know what I have done since he has known me to help the community.

    I told him that I am 67 years old, I have atherosclerosis, I have fainting spells (which he damn well knows about) and I am not about to waste my time raking up pine cones and seed pods. Further than that, I pay my dues on time ($88/month) and I don't break any of the rules.

    There are approximately 60 some homes in this community, which includes lots of absentee owners who rent out to the military. Are you telling me that with all of these young bucks and their wives running around that it's on me to address the pine cone problem?

    Eff him and the HOA.
     
  2. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    I guess my only comment is power goes to people's head. You pay your HOA and that is all you are obligated to do.
     
  3. BlacklabberMike

    BlacklabberMike MIA

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    I hate HOA ****s
     
  4. saintpauljeff

    saintpauljeff VIP Whale

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    I could only dream about an HOA this cheap... wow
     
  5. benbrownjr

    benbrownjr Low-Roller

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    If he comes back just say f you, close the door and when time permits get a restraining order.
     
  6. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Yea in Vegas ours was $225 per month. It was a guarded, gated community. Not that we felt afraid or worried, that was just where we found the house we really liked.
     
  7. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    HOA could just pay some kid minimum wage to do it. Just employ them until they're about to hit the IRS requirement. Problem solved.
     
  8. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    It's the guy, not necessarily the HOA.
     
  9. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    Perhaps it's time for a new election? Other than that I agree it's time to tell him to F off, tell him that you will not help him in any way.
     
  10. Blonde_4_ever

    Blonde_4_ever LasVegas4ever.com

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    I know nothing about HOA. Is it kinda being an apartment manger, where it is YOUR job to keep the place maintained. He is being paid to be the HOA? Or is it volunteer?
     
  11. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    There are variations, but the HOA maintains (by contracting with various service providers from management to landscaping) the common facilities and grounds -- pool, streets, landscaping, security, if a condo-type arrangement exterior walls and roofing, etc. -- and enforces the community restrictions -- no roosters, no orange houses, no Graeco-Roman statuary in the front yard, what not. It is a voluntary position, typically a board of X people, a titular chairman who frequently thinks he or she is Manuel Noriega.
     
  12. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    Yep, I think there's a self-selection bias for those who run for HOA elected positions ;-)
     
  13. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    Back in my other life, I used to work in property management. I was a resident manager for years, but got tired of people knocking on my door at 3am because they lost their keys or someone was parked in their spot and so I transferred to the main office. One of my new jobs was to facilitate the HOA meetings. We had many HOA's from a 350+ unit condo, down to a community of 12 homes. Guess which one had the most problems? ;)

    That 12 home group had "that guy" as the HOA president. He had this huge list of demands and complaints at our first meeting. He wanted trash bins in by 9am on trash day, even though pickup didn't always happen by 9am and everyone but him in the community had jobs and couldn't just drive home in the mornings to put bins away. He wanted help with maintaining the common areas. He wanted everyone to plant the same flowers in their front yard, because he didn't like yellow flowers. :haha: It went on and on. The meeting for the big condo complex took 45 minutes while the 12 homes took 3+ hours.

    There's a great quote out there that goes something like - Be kind, as everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. I talked to the guy over lunch one day and after re-hearing all his complaints, we got to the meat of it all. He was a widower (and not coping well), the only retired person in the community and felt very overwhelmed with "maintaining the property values" of the neighborhood on his own. I brought our maintenance supervisor out to the property to meet with him and walk the property. We set up a maintenance schedule and let him know what services were available beyond the common area repairs and changing of lightbulbs, etc.

    Once he felt like he had a little support from us, he eased off. We did add a covenant to the CC&Rs that trash bins had to be in on the same calendar day as pickup, but all the community members agreed to help each other out. I can't say that the guy had a complete turn-around, but we did our best to take some of the load off of him and he did relax his constant stream of complaints. It's been 20 years, but I'm guessing that if he's still around, he still hates those yellow flowers. :)

    Not sure if you serve on the HOA board, but it might be a good idea for them to talk to the management company about some maintenance contracts to take the load off of him. Or if you are self-managed, maybe the HOA can sign up some volunteers to go out once or twice a month to help with the common area maintenance.

    I agree with others who have said that there tends to be a certain personality type that wants to be on the board and that isn't always the best kind of personality to run things. ;) But to me it seems like this guy feels totally overwhelmed and is asking for help. Because of his approach, he isn't having much success. I'm not sure being combative or antagonistic is going to get you far with that kind of personality. Something about flies and honey vs vinegar. :)

    But yes, those years are a big reason why when we were house shopping my first request to our realtor was "No HOA!" :haha: We did end up on a community well water service, and there are times when I kind of wish we had kept looking. Usually when winter is coming and I make my request for a generator for the pump house so we can have water in a power outage, which can last 3-5 days. Every year my request gets voted down. :grrr:
     
  14. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    I don't know what's included, but $88 a month doesn't get you much. It sounds like this Home Owners Association member was trying to do some spring cleaning of the common areas with volunteer labor. But, he was going about it the wrong way. It sounds like your 60 unit association is self managed by owners who give of their time.

    I lived in a community of about 500 single family and townhomes and we had a professional management company. We had a budget of around $600k a year and I got suckered into being on the board for almost two years. I also lived in a small 22 unit condo development, the volunteer board would schedule spring and fall clean up weekend, I forget how we handled no shows. Either way, it is a pain in the a$$ to get folks to pitch in, yet no one wants to pay higher HOA fees. Everyone has their own definition of filth and decay with some units owner occupied and some rentals.

    You can hire outside labor to perform a clean up, but do you want to pay for that?
     
  15. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

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    I think yelling at fellow homeowners that you need help, and sticking notes to mailboxes demanding volunteers is a pretty crappy way to go about things as an HoA chairman.

    But I'm also not sure tearing up the notes and throwing them on his lawn is the best response. At the end of the day it has to come down to a frank discussion between owners about what they value, how much they value it, and what they are willing to do to make it happen.

    This guy should not have to do all the work. But if he is the one deciding the work needs to be done it is no surprise. He could have left the leaf dams and pine cones alone, waiting for others to do something or suggest the HoA do something. He did not, which suggests to me that he is the one they bug the most. A frank discussion might get him some more help. But it also might reveal to him that not everyone cares about the same details he does.
     
  16. Blonde_4_ever

    Blonde_4_ever LasVegas4ever.com

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    I can't imagine why anyone would do this job voluntarily. Sounds awful.
     
  17. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Why does anyone volunteer for anything, at that point?
     
  18. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    I was on an HOA board for a year before I resigned. It wasn't worth it to me. Board members can make decisions that would help out what they want done. Even though their decisions are supposed to be for the benefit of everyone, I don't mind if they get more of what they want because they are on the board. I'm happy for them to take the position. I never go to the monthly board meetings any more, but it's always a yelling competition.

    My dues are $400 per month. We have three courtyards with planters and fountains to be kept up, lawn between the sidewalk and the street on two sides of the complex, and an underground resident's parking garage. We have a management company take care of the cleaning, gardening, and any emergency services like plumbing leakage in the planters. The dues also cover maintenance including painting and re-roofing (this is a 67-unit townhome complex with a bakery, gym, and wedding planning business in one corner of the complex next to the street). Fire insurance is also covered in the dues.

    I think some of the condo units in Vegas are over $2k per month for their HOA. But I think it also includes housekeeping services and management to rent out your room.
     
  19. mdee

    mdee VIP Whale

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    When it comes to HOA's my motto is: It's better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
     
  20. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

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    Every place is different for sure. I pay $225 per month but that includes a long list of services and amenities too long to list. We have 1400 odd single family homes on about 900 acres. A two million or so budjet every year and commitees on everything you can think of. We have full time employees and hire outside people to do all the landscaping,snow removal golf course management ,club house and pool staff the list goes on and on.
    If I was the guy at Breezes complex and didnt want to do the work I would just say to the owners ,politely ,either we get volunteers or we hire outside help and the HOA goes up a bit.
     
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