Condo Media - May 2012 - 24

HOMEOWNER’S CORNER

What’s So Great About Associations?
National Survey Measures Homeowner Satisfaction
ommunity associations offer one of the best opportunities for Americans to own their own homes. They are for the 21st century what land grants were in the 19th century, and what the New Deal and GI Bill were in the 20th. Why?

continue developing needed housing without increasing local taxes. Instead, the developer must build the infrastructure and create an association to maintain it after it’s developed.

Community Associations Make the Market Efficient
Many community associations — especially condominiums — have greatly reduced urban sprawl. Because of their collective management and protective covenants, they are precisely what the Housing Act of 1949 intended when it called for “decent home(s) and suitable living environments.” Community associations, as alternatives to traditional single-family homes, are shining examples of free-market efficiency. The factors that make community associations great places to live are easily ignored or misunderstood. Critics prefer to look at a few sensational issues instead of the whole picture. But many community associations are affordable, enjoyable, efficient places to live and for the fourth time over a span of 10 years, community association residents told pollsters in a 2009 nationwide survey that they are satisfied with their homeowners associations, condominium communities and cooperatives.

Collective Management Protects Value
Americans have accepted, for the most part, the collective management structure of community association living. Covenants and rules are no longer a new concept to most of us: Renters are used to lease agreements with restrictions; single-family, detached-home owners are used to zoning ordinances and building codes. The difference is that in traditional, single-family housing, restrictions are administered by public bodies rather than by private boards. Most Americans have accepted private governance because they understand that collective management and architectural controls protect and enhance the value of their homes.

Community Associations Make Owning a Home Affordable
Almost from their inception in the 1960s, condominiums have provided housing for low- to moderate-income Americans. In fact, in some areas, builders are required to include a certain percentage of affordable homes in new developments. Also, converting rental apartments and commercial buildings into condominiums not only revitalizes many decaying neighborhoods, it’s also made ownership more affordable for those wanting to live in urban centers. Community associations have made home ownership possible for millions of Americans partly because 21st century families tend to be smaller, the number of single-parent homes has increased and more retirees are staying in their homes after retirement.

Privatizing Public Service Allows Growth
Wherever a new community is built, local infrastructures are stretched. School populations, snow removal, storm water management, road maintenance, utilities and traffic — everything increases, leaving the local jurisdiction unable to support new community development. Yet housing is sorely needed. Therefore, local jurisdictions often require community associations to assume many responsibilities that traditionally belonged to local and state government. This privatization of public services has allowed local jurisdictions to

Community Associations Minimize Social Costs
Community associations also minimize social costs. Because they have mandatory covenants that require certain obligations from homeowners and the association, associations ensure that all who benefit pay their share and everyone is equally responsible. Community associations have sufficient enforcement authority so that local government is seldom, if ever, needed to resolve assessment disputes. Many associations use alternative dispute resolution because it’s a faster and cheaper way to solve problems than legal action.

Homeowner Satisfaction Survey Results
Independent, national research conducted by Zogby International in December 2009 showed that seven in 10 community association residents are satisfied in their communities, with only 12 percent expressing some level of discontent and 17 percent neither satisfied nor unsatisfied. More than 60 million Americans reside in an estimated 305,000 association-governed communities, from town home communities and cooperatives to high-rise condominiums and city-size, master-planned associations. The 2009 findings are strikingly simi-

CONDO MEDIA • MAY 2012

Condo Media - May 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - May 2012