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Affordable dream: Housing crisis policies could bring changes to your community

The American dream isn’t dead, but it is evolving.

For decades, the dream has meant owning a home, having a successful career, or having a better quality of life than your parents. Now, it’s more about freedom and family.

A pair of studies released earlier this year showed how the American dream is changing and whether people believe they’re on the path to living it.

When RealClear Opinion Research asked more than 2,000 U.S. registered voters across all age groups and political affiliations in February about the American dream, 37% said the dream was “alive, but under threat.” Another 28% said it is “under serious threat, but there is still hope.” Nearly seven in 10 respondents believe that the American dream “can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. if they work hard.”

The American Enterprise Institute also released a report in February after collecting more than 2,400 responses across demographic groups to a survey on social capital, civic health, and quality of life in the U.S. The public policy think tank discovered that 40% of respondents believe their family is living the American dream. Another 40% believe their family is on the way to achieving it.

The most essential factors of the American dream are having the freedom of choice in how to live one’s life (85%), having a good family life (83%), and retiring comfortably (71%), according to the research. While owning a home might not be as important as it once was, it is still a critical part of the picture; 59% called it essential.

Unfortunately, owning or renting a suitable home is increasingly out of reach for many in the U.S. Lawmakers, housing officials, and advocates are scrambling to find solutions.

Some states and municipalities are considering accessory dwelling units—also known as mother-in-law suites or granny flats. Some are interested in developing smaller homes on smaller lots in communities occasionally referred to as pocket neighborhoods. Zoning changes and new Federal Housing Administration lending guidelines for condominiums are expected to make a difference in the affordable housing crisis too.

Your community association could be impacted by one or more of these efforts.

Whatever the problem and solution, the American dream is more complex and individualistic than ever. It’s also sure to be a discussion point leading up to the presidential election—now less than one year away.

What does the American dream mean to you?

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Truth in fiction: 9 books that add an HOA twist to your summer reading list

“You can’t make this stuff up. Somebody should write a book about it.”

It’s a frequent refrain for community association board members, managers, and business partners, especially for those who have several years of experience and have collected numerous laughable, outrageous, and, sometimes, cringe-worthy stories.

Somebody, actually, somebodies, have written books set within community associations or that tackle many of the issues (neighbors, rules, pets, and more) you’re sure to recognize.

The beach is calling. The pool is inviting. The backyard is enticing. Take a seat, grab a book, and start reading.

A Man Called Ove (2014). By Fredrik Backman

Ove has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” When a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale that will shake one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations. A New York Times bestseller and soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks.

A River to My People (2019). By Jason Green

Follow a collection of short stories about life in the suburbs and the funny and infuriating antics, behaviors, rules, and regulations of community life. There are droll tales of walking dogs, trying to get grass to grow, dealing with speeding by teenagers and parents, errant parking, the work and the pleasure of backyard swimming pools, homeowners association election politics, and so much more.

Cats, Chaos, and Condo Board Wars (2019). By Nikki LeClair

When elections for condo board president come around, Hilary Brandt lets her friends and neighbors convince her to run against the by-the-letter, long-sitting president—also known as Hilary’s number one personal critic. As the election campaigns launch, a romance-that-almost-was reappears, a coworker tries to steal a client, and her opponent starts to fight dirty. Is the chaos just too much?

Condominium (2014). By John D. MacDonald

Welcome to Florida’s Golden Sands, the dream condominium complex built on a weak foundation and a thousand dirty secrets. It’s the home of shortcuts, crackdowns, breakups, oversights, and payoffs. Add it all up, and the new coastline community doesn’t stand a chance against the ever-present specter of disaster: the dreaded hurricane.

High-Rise (2012). By J.G. Ballard

When a class war erupts inside a luxurious apartment block, modern elevators become violent battlegrounds and cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on “enemy” floors. Human society slips into a violent reverse as once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, recreate a world ruled by the laws of the jungle. Developed into a feature film, released in 2016, starring Tom Hiddleston.

Little Fires Everywhere (2017). By Celeste Ng

In Shaker Heights, everything is planned—from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. When an enigmatic artist and single mother arrives with her teenaged daughter and rents a house from the Richardsons, the status quo in this carefully ordered community is threatened. Named book of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, Southern Living, and more. Soon to be a Hulu limited series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.

The Condo Kids: The Case of The Disappearing Pool Monster (2019). By Jackie Burns

Excitement is just an elevator ride away for brothers Noah and Michael, who are best friends with all the other Condo Kids in their building. This tight-knit group of pals just want to have fun but always wind up in hilarious, sticky situations. The latest adventure finds the Condo Kids on the hunt for a mysterious underwater monster rumored to be living in the condo pool. This is the third book in a series for young readers.

The Pinball Lawyer (2019). By Marvin Nodiff

Condo lawyer Joshua Fyler is in a fight for his life. His clients are disrupted by weaponized drones, greedy investors, and corrupt lawmakers. Fyler ricochets from one crisis to the next as he tries to salvage his reputation. Written by a founding member of CAI’s College of Community Association Lawyers and a retired community association attorney from St. Louis, Nodiff captures all the foibles of community association living in his sixth humorous and engaging novel.

White Elephant (2019). By Julie Langsdorf

A gaudy, newly constructed behemoth of a home soars over the neighborhood of Willard Park. When owner Nick Cox cuts down Allison and Ted Millers’ precious red maple—in an effort to make his unsightly property more appealing to buyers—their once serene town becomes a battleground. Newcomers and longtime residents alike begin to clash in conflicting pursuits of the American Dream, with trees mysteriously uprooted, fires set, fingers pointed, and lines drawn.

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Homeowner education: Be resourceful with CAI’s HOAResources.com

The best community associations have knowledgeable governing boards, highly-engaged residents, and educated and trained professional managers leading their communities. CAI has believed that since its founding in 1973, and it’s why we offer information, education, and resources to members and the general public. It’s why we recently launched HOAResources.com, a digital news site for the millions of residents living and working in condominium communities and homeowners associations worldwide.

We recognize that the community association model has evolved and grown up over the years, becoming a well-established and increasingly successful form of community governance and an essential component of the U.S. housing market.

There’s an increasing need to educate, train, and provide the latest news and resources to the millions of potential homebuyers, homeowners, and renters living in these communities. After all, 61 percent of all new housing built for sale is in a community association.

The new site lets CAI members and the general public find practical advice on common issues in the community association housing model. The site will address HOA basics, financial planning, rules and governing documents, as well as security and safety. Many time-tested best practices are showcased on the site, often through free, downloadable documents.

Go to www.HOAResources.com, and share the information with homeowners, friends, and colleagues.

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A ‘kinder, gentler’ community starts with you

“Where is it written that we must act as if we do not care, as if we’re not moved? Well, I am moved. I want a kinder, gentler nation.”

That was the late George H.W. Bush as he accepted the Republican nomination for president in 1988. Bush, of course, would go on to serve in the Oval Office from 1989–1993. His call for civility rang true then and rings true today, perhaps even more so. It applies in politics, society in general, and in community associations.

Many association board members, managers, and business partners report dealing with disruptions at meetings, profane and threatening emails, and other behavior that most people would consider uncivil. In fact, some communities are moving to adopt codes that demand courteousness and respect, ban foul language, and prohibit threats of physical and psychological harm.

Read about these steps and a discussion about civility today in “A Civil Action,” the cover story in the January/February Common Ground TM magazine. 

For the article, we checked in with some experts on the subject, including Daniel Buccino, the current director of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.

Is strife becoming more common in American society? Public opinion polls show that most people believe that it is, yet Buccino notes that people have been concerned about civility for a long time, and many think it’s somebody else’s problem.

The university’s project was founded in 1997 by Pier Massimo Forni as an aggregation of academic and community outreach activities aimed at “assessing the significance of civility, manners and politeness in contemporary society.” Forni’s efforts inspired civility-based initiatives on college campuses and in communities around the country.

In his book Choosing Civility, published in 2003, Forni shares and examines 25 rules of considerate conduct. He writes about the need to be agreeable: “We need agreement in our lives because it is gratifying and healing, because human bonds could not be forged without it, and because it is the foundation of social harmony. Of course disagreement can be productive. ‘A little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing,’ observed Thomas Jefferson. In disagreement alone, however, we couldn’t survive.”

Sadly, like Bush, Forni also passed away at the end of 2018. As a new year begins, maybe we can learn to follow their advice. Maybe we can accept that incivility today is our problem. Maybe we all can be a little kinder, gentler, civil, and agreeable.

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Hanging the stockings with care: Developing a holiday decoration policy that doesn’t turn into a lump of coal

With their celebrations, gifts, and good wishes, the holidays are a time to be thankful and festive. Often that means decorating your home, office, and even car. But in some community associations, a resident’s seemingly innocent act of holiday cheer can be interpreted as a malicious disregard for association rules.

How can your association avoid a dispute over holiday decorating? By considering both your residents’ rights to celebrate and your association’s ability to institute architectural guidelines that protect and enhance its aesthetic characteristics. Developing a policy doesn’t have to be a complicated or controversial process.

“Rather than adopt a rule under pressure, why not take the time to think it through before the need arises?” attorney Lucia Anna “Pia” Trigiani writes in her book, Reinventing the Rules: A Step-by-Step Guide for Being Reasonable. “Anticipating your association’s future needs and establishing rules for them now puts you in a proactive rather than reactive position.”

The rulemaking process should involve the entire community:

Committees. The responsibility of researching and drafting the initial policy may fall on the architectural or rules committee, which should poll the board as well as residents to discover their preferences.

Professionals. Consult with your community manager and attorney. These experts might know of other associations that have dealt with the same problem, and they also can help make sure your policy is consistent with your association’s governing documents as well as state and local laws.

Residents. After the committee has drafted the initial policy and the board has reviewed it, it’s time to go back to your residents for feedback. Distribute copies of the proposed language for everyone to review. If applicable, incorporate resident concerns and suggestions into the final policy.

As for how your association handles decorations on common areas, amenities, or community buildings, you might consider the following:

  • If your decorations include religious symbols, make sure that every religion is represented, so as not to alienate or upset anyone.
  • You don’t need to overdo the tinsel and plastic figurines. Sometimes less is more. It’s hard to pull off loads of decorations tastefully.
  • If your decorating plan includes draping outdoor trees with lights, be sure the lights don’t shine in anyone’s windows. Consult with your residents before you start stringing.

Whatever your community decides, don’t lose sight of what’s really important: celebrating the holiday season. This time of year offers great opportunities for your residents to get to know one another and become involved in association operations. It may seem like a lot of work for a bunch of lights and some tinsel, but developing and communicating a reasonable decorations policy can help avoid disputes and keep everyone in the holiday spirit.

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