My Story

2004: We purchased our first home in Millbrook, which was also our first experience with an HOA. Living in an HOA suited us well because I worked 10 to 12 hours a day, 5 days a week, and didn’t have time to mow the grass. My partner was eager to create a nest in a bigger space. This was meant to be a starter home, lasting 3 to 5 years at most. We even took out a 5-year ARM for that reason.

We had no idea what to expect from an HOA. People told us stories, but our realtor, whom I considered family, assured us that HOAs were a great investment. I can still remember some of the key points of our conversation:

• As an owner, you can participate if you want. No obligation. HOAs run themselves      because they’re professionally managed! It seemed that way back in 2004. Little did we know.
• Properties in HOAs typically increase in value because they’re professionally      managed.
• The Declarations are a binding contract with the association, like an extended      warranty for a car, that guarantees the association’s responsibilities and gives you peace of mind because the board members have a fiduciary duty to enforce it.

I also believed that having a professional management company ensured the board was always properly advised. (This was my misconception, as I later discovered that management companies have their own agendas.)

One concern we had during the sale was that the front porch was sinking. We were told it was the association’s responsibility. All we had to do was report it to the association, and they would take care of it, no problem. Twenty years later, it’s still sinking. This is where our story starts, believe it or not.

We did have one issue before purchasing the property: we had two cats. The Declarations stated we could only have one pet. No worries, supposedly management said it was okay; we wouldn't be the only ones, wink, wink... This should have been our first clue that the Declarations were not worth the paper they’re written on.

One of the best perks about Millbrook was the super low monthly assessments, among the lowest in town at the time (and still one of the lowest, from what I understand). The board was frugal with the association’s money. We thought this was a bonus! NOT!

Low assessment in a townhome/condo = probably neglect

2008: Rylan, our son was born. We are starting to get cramped since we also had a 16-year-old, my partners son living with us at the time... 

We had one year to move or finance. The housing crisis started somewhere around late 2007-2008. Our property wasn't worth much more than what we paid for it in 2004 by this time, so much for living in a HOA. Interesting story about all that for another time.

2009: Between 2008 and 2009 the country went through a housing crisis. We barely financed before our ARM adjusted, luckily our property value increased enough that we could refinance... That would have been bad.

2010: My first encounter with David Peck: Shimming the Front porch.

2011: Time to refi and just barely beat the rate increases!! It doesn't look like we are moving. Something to do with a housing crisis and our property being worth about what we paid for it. I saw it coming and still missed the boat,

2017: The Floods

2018: The Spillway

2019: CMS and The Badger

2020: The Lawsuit - Westwind

2021: Sentry

2022: The Motion

2023: The deception

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