Thank you to the person who provided the information below. I have been aware for some time of members that are in contact with our government legislators concerning our HOA specifically, and all HOA's in general. It is an ugly picture.
Laws (RCW's) and legal actions in a court of law, are about the only recourse that members have when their rights are violated. We have seen in Surfside, that when members take legal action, they tend to win. When government agencies take legal action, they tend to win.
The major issues, that only a few members know about, could all have been avoided if the Board had acted responsibly without personal conflict and interests. Even after the fact, the Board continues with a cover up and lack of holding those responsible, accountable. This alone is reason to not elect any present or past Board members. They are the problem, not the solution.
Ultimately, the only things that might save, not "protect" our association, are new mandated laws and regulations. It may be to late now for our survival as an HOA. The tree policy needs to be challenged in a court of law. Small claims court claims for forced damage to trees and resulting property damage and value, have yet to be tested in court.
Click on report below, to enlarge...
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14 comments:
Nobody is forcing anyone to live in Surfside. Going into extensive debt to fight an HOA is a waste of money. Moving is much cheaper.
Says the bot member or toadie.
First, I do not understand why anyone in their right mind would buy property where they don't like the long standing rules (covenants). Second, I don't understand why anyone who made such a buying error would then think that they could change the rules to suit themselves with no regard for the impact on all those people who bought into and followed the rules. Is it insanity or arrogance or what? I'd like very much to see some explanations from those who believe that it makes sense to buy property with the full intent of breaking the rules and changing them to fit their personal dreams about how it should be.
I currently belong to four HOA's including SHOA. The others are smaller. They work a lot better. This drama is a specialty of Surfside. Longstanding self-dealing and cover-ups for blunders- in layers of poor management - demand a house-cleaning in SHOA. Long overdue. Too bad the good guys have been summarily dispatched over the years.
Re: July 7, 2019 at 8:38 PM
Yup
8:02. In the nine years i have lived here, the application of rules, and the incompetence of those applying them have drastically changed. Thats why!
Surfside is a great place to own property. Our second home is always here and ready for us when we arrive. I appreciate the trooper who patrols the neighborhood! Assessments are low. Debt is nonexistent. These things alone tell me that the board and management are doing a great job. Sorry I do not see all of the troubles you speak of. Ignorance my be bliss, but I will take bliss over pissed any day.
To "My be bliss"
Your ignorance is bliss. Many have your same view, which only contributes to the mess we are in today. Being uninformed is like having your head in the sand. You probably won't vote, and that is just as well. One day you will wake up and your bliss will be gone. It will be to late to do anything about it.
Buying in a community new to you may have some surprises in the enforcement or covenants. new covenants these happy buyers may not have anticipated, can be put in place that may put their new purchase in violation of a new restriction. All HOAs have a means of revising or eliminating covenants, very few do not require member approval and signatures, often around 2/3 of the membership.
In our community, the HOA has not been willing to publicly explain the legal issues our money is being spent on - very large sums of money - and why. That impacts maintenance and improvements and as such is valuable information for prospective buyers.
The management failures have been talked about a lot on the Blog, and nowhere else. That should be a red flag to prospective buyers, and required info supplied by realtors. Because it has been covered-up, Realtors probably don't bother to mention that the community is involved in a Federal criminal investigation, and cannot secure permits for our million dollar investment at the Waterworks.
I know for a fact that realtors nothing about shoa at all. Only the standard benefits, garbage,patrol,lol, and water.
I feel a need to explain our story when we purchased in Surfside. Eleven years ago, we paid top dollar for our property and were on cloud nine. We were fully aware of the HOA and have paid our dues in a timely manner ever since. It didn't take us long to realize that the "rules and regulations" were zeroed in on trees and RV discriminations. After attending our first annual meeting picnic, it was very apparent that we were not welcome. The cliques all huddled together and didn't attempt to welcome newcomers. Never went back for more of that treatment. Bottom line: yes, I fully agree we knew about the covenants but we were ignorant to the extremes that the BOD have gone to such as harrassment of members, inappropriate spending of members dues, tree committee atrocities, unethical actions by Board President, and on and on. Unfortunately, we are very sorry we purchased here and will realize a big loss when we finally have had enough. We have integrity and will be faced with being honest to prospective buyers which will make it difficult to rid ourselves of this HOA mess. Lastly, when we come to our property now, there is a black cloud hovering over. How did we let this GROUP ruin our once lovely Surfside?
What a sad story. It makes you want to cry. I hope one day you can find a place where there is no conflict. I can imagine such a place. Just not in this world.
Sellers rarely meet prospective buyers and the forms of disclosure usually relate to house and lot issues. You have little or nothing to worry about. Sleep well.
658 - if you have been here for a 11 years you will not see a loss in value, it may not be as huge of a profit as you dreamed when you first purchased, but not a loss.
I wish we have lower property values, I would like to pay less in taxes.
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