Snap people are not paying thier Association fees.

Condos Feel the Mortgage Crunch - washingtonpost.com

Condos Feel the Mortgage Crunch
Behind on Payments, Many Owners Forgo Association Dues

By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 7, 2007; Page D01

At Glen Waye Gardens Condominiums in Silver Spring, 21 owners are more than 30 days behind on their monthly condo fees. Two other owners have not paid since they bought their units, one in April 2005 and the other in September 2006. Both properties went into foreclosure.

The lost fees, which make up 5 percent of the association's annual budget of $1.3 million, have pushed the condo board to dip into its reserve funds to fix the roof and replace a water heater.

Vicki Vergagni, board president of Glen Waye Gardens Condominiums in Silver Spring, where 21 owners are at least a month behind on fees, said:
Vicki Vergagni, board president of Glen Waye Gardens Condominiums in Silver Spring, where 21 owners are at least a month behind on fees, said: "We've had to use way too much of our reserves." (By Susan Biddle -- The Washington Post)


"When those things go bad, you have to spend on them. You have no choice," said Vicki Vergagni, president of the 214-unit community's board. "We've had to use way too much of our reserves."

Guess that last part about using the reserve funds sound funny to you too. Because if my memory serves me right it is against the law to use reserve funds for anything other than repair and maintenance of property. So now they have an under funded budget and a draining reserve fund. I wonder how those are going to be brought back into the black? Special Assessments which=Debit

Here is another funny thing about this in Maryland. With no financial disclosure on Townhouse and Single family Associations sales someone could move in and not know the community is bankrupt. Or what the status of the physical assets of the overall community

I also like the WashPost only showing the lien and foreclosure remedy for getting deliquient dues paid...Since I was one of the founder of an alternative method that does not result and lawyers getting rich and communities actually getting paid. One would think they could dig a bit deeper and find www.CommunityCollections.com

Good luck if your buying a home in Maryland because you will need it. Seeing how there is no law to help or one coming anytime soon.

Technorati Tags: Condo, HOA, Assessments, Foreclosure

So what that three hundred VA communities lost their money!

Homeowner Groups' Funds Missing in N.Va. - washingtonpost.com

Homeowner Groups' Funds Missing in N.Va.
Employee of Fairfax Management Company May Have Embezzled $800,000, State Officials Say

By Bill Turque
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 21, 2007; Page B01

At least $800,000 from homeowner associations in Northern Virginia may be missing and was probably embezzled by an employee of the Fairfax company hired to manage the money, state officials charge in court documents.

Koger Management Group Inc., which handles funds for more than 300 homeowner groups with approximately 70,000 members, was placed under a court-ordered monitor Feb. 26 while a forensic accountant appointed by the Virginia Real Estate Board investigates the disappearance of the money.

Guess what the State of Maryland does not require that Homeowner Associations have audited books, Anyone want to guess how many communities are missing some fund in Maryland. What I do know is that not very many elected offical's care.

Oh well it's just the economy going down the tube and 3 out of 4 homes in Maryland. No big deal no one need to do anything. It will just fix itself.

Technorati Tags: Homeowners Associations, MD, Lack of Disclosure, HOA Act,

I guess things change of the Hill too. Or do they?

I am sad to say that just the other day that I had the unhelpful experience with a staffer from Senator Mikulski's office. It started right after Al's senate testimony.

I was the Senator leaving and stopped her to say hello and to bring up to her some of the problems facing Maryland and other homeowner across the country which was along the line of some fact finding she did a few years earlier at the request of my company CPWI. She was like fine and a staffer stepped up and handed me her card, actually two of them and this staffer said call her and she will help.

So what happened? Well for those that already read this post ya know the first part--But like many things in life there may be a happy ending with the start of the new week. Seeing how I have now heard for the Senators office and it seems to be function very well.

Which just goes to show ya everyone has a bad day. Now if we can just do something about the State of Communities

The Post picks up the Disappearing Terrapin story.

Md. Officials Aim To Halt Harvest Of Prized Terrapins - washingtonpost.com

Md. Officials Aim To Halt Harvest Of Prized Terrapins

By Lisa Rein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 6, 2007; Page B01

Deep in the tidal marshes of the Chesapeake Bay, demand for a five-inch reptile is helping to narrow the U.S. trade deficit with China.
The diamondback terrapin is under siege from global turtle traders in East Asia, who are feeding South China's newfound appetite for expensive turtle soup. With markets in Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia depleted, China's booming economy and expatriates and immigrants in New York City are vacuuming up the terrapins of Maryland, one of just four states that allow commercial harvests.


The diamondback terrapin, Maryland's state reptile, is considered key to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
The diamondback terrapin, Maryland's state reptile, is considered key to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. (By James M. Thresher -- The Washington Post)

Now, after five years of studies and a false start (GEE THANK THAT PAST GOVERNOR FOR THE CARE OF THE TERRIPANs) that further decimated the population, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and Maryland lawmakers are on course to stop commercial harvesting of the beloved state reptile.

"It's an international devouring of natural resources," O'Malley said in an interview. "History has unfortunately shown that we are equally capable of destroying the planet as we are of preserving it."

The Department of Natural Resources is expected next week to propose a moratorium on terrapin harvests that would take effect in May. If the terrapins make a comeback, harvests could be reinstated. Two bills pending in the General Assembly take a harder line, proposing to stop harvesting permanently.

"We're saying, 'Enough is enough,' " said Del. Virginia P. Clagett (D-Anne Arundel), who sponsored the House bill. "Closure is the thing we want. The Chinese palate is really in for turtles. We're just losing them."

Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D-St. Mary's) has sponsored a companion measure.

As we have already blogged about this we welcome the Washington Post covering this story more in the media and on the blogs need to, too.

Every Freestater needs to be worried about this and start demanding that officials in Maryland and Federal City move to save the Terps.

Go Terps, Lets win the ACC tournament


Technorati Tags: Terrapians, Washington Post, Harvest, Maryland, Terps.

Terps sweep Duke in regualr season -- Oh Boy!

I know were I was when Maryland took a broom to duke.

Al Gore documentary gets air time at MD Assembly

Al Gore documentary gets air time at Assembly
McIntosh promotes film on global warming to fellow lawmakers
By Kristen Wyatt
The Associated Press
Originally published January 11, 2007, 6:03 PM EST
ANNAPOLIS // It was popcorn time at the Maryland legislature today as House members settled in to watch a global warming documentary to prepare them for bills about the problem this session.

The documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," in which Al Gore urges action to combat global warming and shows pictures of icebergs falling apart, was screened at the first meeting of the House Environmental Matters Committee.

Advertisement
Del. Maggie McIntosh, chairwoman of the committee, said the documentary made such an impression on her that she decided to bring in a popcorn machine and show the film to her committee. The film will also be screened twice next week.

Maryland Gore

Save the Terps?

Please Help Conserve Diamondback Terrapins

A group of scientists and conservationists have been participating in an effort to encourage the Maryland State Government to impose a moratorium on the commercial fishing of diamondback terrapins. Terrapin populations have declined significantly along the MD shore due to habitat loss, deaths associated with commercial seafood harvesting (such as entrapment in crab pots), and collection for sale in Asian seafood markets, primarily outside the state. Terrapins normally take 8-13 years to reach reproductive maturity, and the species cannot reproduce quickly enough to sustain such significant losses. Other states, including Virginia, and North and South Carolina have already banned the fishing of diamondback terrapins.

Please help conserve this wonderful species by signing the Chesapeake Terrapin Alliance's petition in support of a moratorium on terrapin fishing at:

www.cterrapin.org

Conserve Diamondback Terrapins

Al Este De Baltimore, and O'Malley backed by Latino leaders.

Little America
On Columbia day the stars aligned with some of the most important Latino’s gathered at Arco Restaurant (Al Este De Baltimore) to meet and share cevesa, food, greetings and ideas with Democratic Candadite for Governor of Maryland, Martian O’Malley.

Most of the people attending were Baltimore Latinos that have emerged as a key player in politics as well as in civic engagement. Tom Prez from Montgomery County and several Washington and out of town movers & shakers were in attendance.

The setting was Nicholas restaurant where food and libations flowed and eveyone got to meet with the candidate and each other. Cards and handshakes were flying all over the room.

This could be the straw that breaks open the race for Govern 'or of the Free State. With Prince Georges rapidly developing large pockets of Latino’s Baltiomore now emerging those running for office should already have been told this by the polling frims, consultants and campaign staff. Right?

None the less Martain got the memo and he was relaxed and delivered a passioned heart felt speach, to those gathered. There will be a culture and political sharing of power where as before there was only one power voter trends since 2004 have been to upset established candidates most of whom are Republican.

The O’Malley Brown Ticket show that potential. This is going to be a butt kicking in Nov. Make this blogs words.

Howllllllllllllllllin from al este de baltimore

It had to happen. A blog about Maryland

This is a blog about Little America, which by the way is the name of Maryland. There is a little bit of each part of the US in MD. So get read for some insights about the Freestate that are out of this world, well at least not reported or ill reported in the media.