Residents give HOA lifestyle seal of approval

Human mom milked for cheese
Tastes like cheddar, provolone

The vast majority, 71 percent of homeowner association (HOA) residents polled, said they are satisfied with HOA life, and 17 percent said they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their communities. Only 12 percent expressed discontent.

by Broderick Perkins
© 2010 DeadlineNews.Com



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Deadline Newsroom - Only 12 percent of community and homeowners association (HOA) residents expressed some level of discontent with their communities, according to recently released research commissioned by Community Associations Institute (CAI).

The vast majority, 71 percent, said they are satisfied with HOA life, and 17 percent said they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their communities.

For the 60 million people who live in the nation's 350,000 HOA communities, buying a home in an HOA community is a lot like buying a share in a closely held, publicly traded real estate holding company, governed by an ever-changing regulatory system and managed by volunteers -- the neighbors.

HOAs have seen their share of shoddy construction leading to nasty building defect litigation as well as poor management and disgruntled residents, but most residents are quite satisfied with how they operate.

"Americans have weathered difficult times, and that would normally create more negative views toward most institutions," Lincoln Hobbs, a member of CAI's College of Community Association Lawyers and president of CAI's affiliate Foundation for Community Association Research, said in a statement.

"That hasn't happened in the case of community associations. That says a lot about the dedication and skill of the vast majority of homeowner volunteers and professionals who govern and manage these communities."

You've got news...news that really hits home, right here: High Marks Given to Homeowners Associations




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Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist, parlayed 30 years of old-school journalism into a digital real estate news service, the San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group, including DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service and Web site, and the Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's news back shop.

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Smart Growth Awards Promote Smart Growth

by Broderick Perkins
© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Deadline Newsroom - Smart growth isn't just about cutting back on sprawl and building high-density housing, but includes rebuilding existing communities and engaging its residents.

Take it from Manhattan, which joined Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Vermont and Barnstable, MA as the nation's smart growth leaders for 2007.

The accolades, the 2007 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement, are granted for innovative community development that protects the environment, preserves community identity and expands economic opportunity.

The Environmental Protection Agency sparingly doles out the awards to promote smart growth strategies, because such efforts help communities enjoy cleaner air and water, open space and critical habitat preservation, and redevelopment of vacant land -- qualities that make for a nice place to live.

Smart growth efforts also preserves community identity and expands economic opportunity.

Winners were selected based on how effectively they used smart growth strategies to improve their communities and how well they engaged citizens and fostered partnerships.

The details are available online on the EPA's Smart Growth Achievement page but here are some highlights revealing why the winning communities are smart growth leaders.

• The award for "Overall Excellence" went to the Housing Authority of Portland, OR. The agency created a public-private partnership to redevelop an isolated and distressed public housing site into New Columbia, where local residents engaged in design workshops and were employed for portions of the construction. The project increased the number of houses, including affordable units and maintained the neighborhood's ethnic diversity.

• For "Built Projects" the Seattle Housing Authority, similarly turned a dilapidated neighborhood into High Point, a mixed-use, mixed-income, and environmentally sensitive community. Using green building principles, High Point's more than 1,700 new units are expected to consume less water, electricity, and natural gas than the old community's 716 units. The new community includes new parks, a public library, and a health clinic. Retail space will come in 2009.

• The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) got the nod for "Policies and Regulations." The independent, state-supported agency, promotes compact settlements surrounded by countryside, pursues affordable housing, land conservation, and historic preservation initiatives. Since 2002, VHCB investments have supported developing more than 3,000 affordable homes, the preservation of 44 historic buildings, and the conservation of more than 37,000 acres of farmland, natural areas, and recreation lands.

• Barnstable, MA created a development strategy for one of its seven villages, Hyannis, to encourage growth and development in the town center and reduce growth pressure on environmentally sensitive areas along the coast to win the "Waterfront and Coastal Communities" award. These policies have resulted in almost 100 new residential units (nine of which are for lower-income households), with nearly 150 more planned; 22,000 square feet of commercial space, with another 100,000 square feet planned; and more than 300 jobs.

• Manhattan shines in the area of "Equitable Development" thanks to its cooperative strategy to expand the housing and commercial options for central Harlem. Work in the Abyssinian Neighborhood Project area, once marked by vacant lots and abandoned buildings, employed comprehensive programs linked education, job training, and cultural enhancement; developed 200 affordable housing units, with an additional 200 planned; and created 15,000 square feet of commercial space for five local businesses. The project also increased access to public transit, created new green space, and minimized storm water runoff by reusing paved surfaces.

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Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist of 30 years, is publisher and executive editor of San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service, and the new Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's new backshop. In both cases, it's where all the news really hits home.

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Holiday Security For High-Density Living

Holiday News That Really Hits Home

by Broderick Perkins
© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Deadline Newsroom - It's buying time.

The holiday season includes more people carting more stuff around in their car and getting more deliveries left at their door than any other time of the year.

And that poses a unique security dilemma for high-density living, where a cast of hundreds can work for you or against you.
Theoretically, a Neighborhood Watch can put more eyes on the street in a concentrated high-density area than in a single-family development with the same footprint, but you may not always know if that visitor is neighbor's guest or a prowler looking for a heist.

The key to any security effort is based on a simple premise -- if you don't make yourself a target, chances are, you won't be a victim.

• Never leave items in your car, even for brief periods, unless it's concealed in the truck or other area out of sight. If there's nothing to see, there's nothing to steal.

Thieves don't have your value system. What you believe is worthless could prompt a crook to smash your window for a quick grab. Plain-view-goodies amount to a Vegas jackpot for thieves looking to score five-finger discounts without the sweat of shopping around.

• Don't have packages left at your front door, especially if your door can be seen from the street or outside the community. Have someone pick up packages for you when you know they are due to arrive. Know when packages will arrive by tracking them with online tracking services offered by the United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel, Fed Ex, DHL and other carriers.

• Likewise, stop package, newspaper and other deliveries when you are away on vacation, for business or for other extended periods. It gives your house sitter fewer tasks to perform, it gives you piece of mind and it gives potential pilferers nothing to grab.

Chris E. McGoey, the "Crime Doctor" offers these additional home security tips for all.

• Burglars look for occupancy cues like outdoor lights burning 24 hours a day, piled up newspapers, or advertising flyers hanging on the door knob. Use an inexpensive light timer.

• Burglars know to look for the hidden door key near the front entrance. Don't hide spare keys under rocks, in flowerpots, or above door ledges. Give the spare key to a trusted neighbor.

• Burglars prefer to enter through unlocked doors or windows. Sliding windows that are not secure can be seen from distance. Running outdoor Christmas light extension cords from an open window or door prevents it from being secured. Hire an electrician or handyman to install an inexpensive exterior outlet for your holiday lights.

• Don't post your family name on your mailbox or on your house. A burglar can call directory assistance, if your number is listed and call your home while in front of your house to confirm that you are away.

• Don't leave descriptive telephone answering machine messages that say you are away. Burglars appreciate knowing they have plenty of time to break in and ransack your home.

• After the holidays don't pile up empty gift boxes from your new iPod, high density DVD player, or big screen flat panel TV on the street for the garbage man and let burglars know what's inside your home. Break them down or cut them up to conceal the items better. After a lucrative burglary, the chances of being burglarized again are heightened. The crook assumes you've got replacement items.

• Keep your home fortified with solid core doors, heavy duty dead bolt locks, longer screws in the lock strike plates and door hinges, and secondary security devices on all accessible sliding windows.

More Holiday News That Really Hits Home

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© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist of 30 years, is publisher and executive editor of San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service, and the new Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's new backshop. In both cases, it's where all the news really hits home.

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