Good Earth Chips
Good Earth Chips POLL; MEN~who would you rather a date with? A, a lady who is well spoken, classy, and well educated. She will only drink fine wine at expensive places, and expects you to hold the doo...
Good Earth Chips
 POLL; MEN~who would you rather a date with? A, a lady who is well spoken, classy, and well educated. She will only drink fine wine at expensive places, and expects you to hold the door open for her. or B, A woman who is down to earth, likes a good laugh, will talk to you about football, and don't mind going down the pub for a beer, and fish and chips on the way home? B. However, you would still be treated like a lady.... (Yes, that's right I said YOU) |
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Condo Purgatory Here On Earth
The Merriam-Webster's online dictionary has a secondary entry for the word Purgatory as "a place or state of temporary suffering or misery." I suspect there is probably another book of word meanings out there that has a picture of Purgatory's suffering souls next to the word "condo owner."
There are some lucky ones. I know that. I've heard these wild tales of how a Homeowners' Association (HOA) or the Condo Trustees have actually done right by the individual condo owner or community. But, to me, this is like hearing a Fairytale.
While some condo owners are content to pay their monthly fees, and have full faith that the HOA or Trustees are looking out for everyone's best interest, my experience is more like an ongoing nightmare.
My previous posts/articles talk about all the nightmarish situations I've endured. It hasn't gotten any better.
WE NEED OPTIONS. How can things get better for a condo owner when the Trustee (a) does not enforce the condo trust rules; (b) breaks some of the rules himself; and (c) shows little accountability? By ‘accountability' I mean to the financial/accounting responsibilities, to the property/maintenance, and to ensuring condo trust rules are followed so all residents have peaceful enjoyment in their homes.
The condo owners give fees to the Trustees so they can uphold the rules and maintain the property. If this doesn't happen, wouldn't you think we have options?
So far, the only options I've heard about include selling the condo (which I can't, in part due to the sewage stigma) or suing the Trustee. However, what does someone do when they don't have the money to hire an attorney? And if by some chance they were to get an attorney, they'd still be looking at a waiting period of up to a couple of years to get a court date. Are these really options for property-owners/citizens who have been living a nightmare?
RENTERS CAN WITHHOLD. Isn't it funny that a rental tenant can withhold rent if he or she is not satisfied with repairs or other problem resolution? Yet condo owners, including myself, have to keep paying our mortgages, real estate taxes and condo fees – even when we find out the Trustee has not been keeping accurate records, and has not fixed our problems. So the message this country is sending to condo owners is what, exactly?
CONDO OWNERS SUBJECTED TO ‘SALT-IN-THE-WOUND' TREATMENT. In my case, the Trustee and his contractors damaged my home and lost or stole property when they were repairing a pipe due to many raw sewage related episodes (that culminated into my pets and I becoming virtually homeless for several days last summer, after a two-day raw sewage episode that poured forth other people's fecal matter and other bacteria-laden atrocities into my home). The Plumbing Inspector told the Trustee the year prior to the biggest (two-day) raw sewage overflow that it was indeed his responsibility to fix the situation. Yet he did nothing.
IS THIS PURGATORY OR HELL? Every day, I have to see all of the reminders of what this Trustee has gotten away with…
- I still have the beheaded Native American statue that he or his contractors broke when they were in my home, digging up up my floors and repairing the pipe below.
- I sit in front of my coffee table each night and see all the scratches, chips and other damage they did to it when they moved it and my other belongings out of my home without my permission.
- There are still gouges in my walls and doorframes.
- There is cement splatterings on my walls and ceilings.
- I no longer have a beloved piece of jewelry that has disappeared, and the Trustee would not let me question the two men who were working unsupervised in my home about it. It could have fallen out of the drawer in the coffee table when they moved it. It could have been stolen, or just swept away. But it is gone, and it was a special piece.
- The dishwasher that was contaminated over and over again with raw sewage has not been replaced – and I will never use it, knowing what has been in there.
- Et cetera…
(There is also my beloved pet who suffered through chemotherapy after being diagnosed with nasal lymphoma, which research says is exacerbated by second-hand smoke. My pets and I suffered for two years with smoke pouring into my condo, and the Trustee –who also owns the abutting condo unit where the smoke was originating– did virtually nothing while his rental tenant kept puffing. I still touch the spot on my pet's face sometimes where the cancer had been, and worry it could come back. He never deserved this.)
I could get rid of my statue to eliminate one of the little reminders of what this Trustee has gotten away with, but I'm sad about letting her go. She has a bowl on her lap, and I used to put objects there when I would do a blessing- 0r gratitude-related meditation.
If I had the money, I could get things fixed, replaced or repaired, of course. But I do not.
These little reminders get to me sometimes, and I don't want to think about this Trustee all the time. I do not want to keep having to face all the reminders of how he has had the ability to cause so much damage to parts of my life and property. It is not in me to have hate toward a person or to wish him harm. However, I am human and I do get upset over what he has been able to cause/do/get away with.
I need some consistent support and maybe a miracle to get me out of this situation and into a safe, respectable, peaceful home.
WHERE IS MY 'TY' ON A WHITE HORSE? I have things I want to do. I have non-profit responsibilities. I have projects I'd like to start. And I would like to be able to put all of this behind me and move on in good health and spirits.
I know I am not worthy of Ty Pennington to come riding in on a white horse, or for the TV show Extreme Home Makeover to take an interest in my situation. There are plenty of others who give of themselves in bigger ways, and who are truly deserving of the gifts and opportunities that show brings to their lives. I'm just hoping for a miracle big enough to allow me to get out of this situation, and enjoy a new home that will allow me to feel safe and peaceful so I can then pay it forward in a myriad of ways.
For now, I will just keep trying to think of this as a temporary situation…or Purgatory. I keep hoping to attract all I need to live in peace and to help others in similar situations.
Please share your stories or ideas. While we should feel blessed to live in the United States, we should not allow condo owners to suffer alone like this just because there are not enough current safeguards or laws on their side right now. We can and should fix this…so your friends, neighbors and children do not have to go through such major crises and ordeals to get justice if they bought a condo with a bad Developer or Trustee. More power to the condo owner!
About the Author
Bonnie Rain is an optimist…some of the time. She hopes that her condo related horror stories will (a) help others to be careful in their real estate pursuits; and (b) help change condo laws.
There are many real estate developers, brokers and condo trustees out there with integrity. However, when you come across a ‘bad seed' it can damage your life— including your health, savings, reputation and sanity.