I receive dozens of press releases every day, and unless they contain local content — and in our case, hyperlocal, since we’re concerned only with what’s happening in and affecting our neighborhoods — I usually send it to my trash folder without another thought.
A few weeks ago, however, I received a non-local press release that intrigued me. It was announcing a new anti-HOA website, hoarevolt.com, created by someone(s) obviously fed up with his community’s HOA, which apparently "threatens to undermine common democratic principles", "is a plague threatening to destroy the American dream of home ownership", and is a "growing menace in [the] community" — in this case, the neighborhood of Sky Harbor in Sultan, Wash.
HOAs are pretty common in our neighborhood, though it seems most are optional and not mandatory. And although many neighbors either support or are indifferent to HOAs, I’m sure some neighbors take issue with the "big brother" aspect of HOA governing. I’m not sure how many would take it to the extreme of a website, however — and as it turns out, the creator(s) of hoarevolt.com ran out of steam after a little less than three weeks, after a very publicized launch, no less.
However, the two-and-half-week run gave the creator(s) plenty of time to post all kinds of interesting YouTube videos, including this segment from an Austin TV news station about HOAs in Texas, which aired more than two years ago. The reporter interviews infuriated homeowners, and the two-part segment also takes ample time to interrogate State Senator John Carona, who represents parts of Dallas and owns a company that manages thousands of HOAs across the country. Carona, recently re-elected, obviously emerged unscathed.
