BITTER BATTLE
My home was sold for $3.25 against my will even after I paid off $800 debt – I ended up with $10,000 bill and no house
Her home state is fighting to prevent this from happening
A HOMEOWNER has paid thousands of dollars to try and keep her home, but it was still sold at foreclosure for just a few bucks.
Residents in are feeling broken by their homeowner's associations as the HOAs are able to just take people's houses.
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"It’s totally insane," Tricia Quigley, a former Cherokee County homeowner, told .
"It’s totally insane."
She found out how an HOA can snatch your home from right under you the hard way.
Quigley's home of 18 years was sold at foreclosure for less than the average price of gas in the US.
As of today, the average regular gas cost for a gallon is $3.64, according to the .
"It went for $3.25," Quigley stated.
When she owned the home, she said she did not pay two of her biannual homeowner association dues.
The payments were a total of $800 but ended up putting out even more as a result.
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Quigley paid over $10,000 trying to get right with the HOA.
Despite her efforts, the late fees and attorney fees kept growing.
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"I kept thinking I paid all this money; how come it’s not stopping," she said.
A big part of the costs came down to attorney fees.
Everything she did in connection to the case increased the bill, including sending emails.
Every attempt to contest, fix, or even pay the overdue bill affected the cost of fees running up to the thousands.
What is an HOA?
One in five Americans live in an area with a Homeowners' Association - or HOA. But what exactly is it that they do?
- An HOA is a homeowner's association - an organization that aims to maintain a clean and cohesive place to live for its residents.
- Entire neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, family homes, or townhouses within "a planned development" will often make up an HOA.
- They also act as a governing body for tenants, who run and fund the HOA through monthly fees.
- Their principal aims are to keep the community functioning and visually appealing and to maintain property values.
- They primarily focus on common areas of a neighborhood, such as roads, parks, and pools - but may also stipulate what residents can do with their properties, such as yards and driveways.
- Often these restrictions enforce uniformity on properties, for example, ensuring most houses look the same and all driveways are clear of weeds.
- An HOA rulebook of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) is distributed to all residents, and an elected volunteer board of directors enforces these regulations.
- Breaking these rules can result in penalties such as fines and even litigation - as most HOAs are incorporated and subject to state law.
- HOAs are often the subject of controversy, with some members feeling that the rules are too punitive and restricting, or that the leadership has too much power.
- But others like that HOAs give communities the power of self-governance, and can ensure a degree of harmony between residents.
Another homeowner, Juliet Graham, had to pay even more than Quigley by the time she finally sold her downtown Atlanta condo.
"You broke us," Juliet Graham stressed.
"We’re broke."
Two metro Atlanta law firms specializing in representing HOAs have filed 279 notices for damage and foreclosure notices in the past three years, WSB-TV found.
"I can’t imagine the mafia having been any worse than what my experience was with this," Graham said.
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A number of bills have been introduced recently by Democratic Georgia State Senator Donzella James that try to reign in overly aggressive HOAs.
"People need to be protected and safeguarded against foreclosures," State Senator James stressed.
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