DSL internet service?

Does anyone have DSL internet service? I signed up through AT&T, however there seems to be some problem with the phone lines and I was wondering if anyone else has been successful with it?

Stolen Car

No, I do not have any parking trouble for now since my little 94 honda car got stolen last weekend from the parking lot, well there's one more open space to park your car. 5/25/07 Golda in 126.

Trouble with parking???

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post

Trouble with parking???
I got home last night at 9:45 and followed three other cars in the gate, only to find that there were no parking spots left. So all four of us were left circling the lot trying to find a place to park our vehicles. Does it seem like parking has gotten signficantly worse in the last couple of weeks? I've never had this much trouble.

Absurd Notices of Violation of the CC&Rs

Dear Blogger,I would greatly appreciate it if you ... Dear Blogger,

I would greatly appreciate it if you could post the following topic as a point of discussion, as I know I'm not the only Parkridge resident dealing w/ obsurd notices of violation of the CC&Rs.

I received in the mail today a notice of violation of rule 20 of the CC&Rs. Rule 20 reads as follows to save everyone some time:

"It is prohibited to hang clothing, towels, rags, rugs, etc., from the windows, railings, fences or from any of the facades of the development."

I was cited as violating this rule for hanging planter boxes (for flowers)from my balcony railing.

Now, being a logical man, and having read the rule in question, I know for a fact that my planter boxes would not be considered rags, clothing, rugs, or towels, so therefore I've deduced that my planter boxes are falling under the "etc." portion of this rule.

Is it just me or is it unreasonable to assume that I should have know that planter boxes would be considered in the same category as someone hanging their laundry out to dry on their balcony railing?

I would love to hear replies as to whether anyone else has received a similar violation, or has an explanation as to why a planter box is a violation when I've noticed several other units w/ items such as bird feeders, wind chimes, and other random itesm hanging from their balconies.

Planning on attending the Annual Meeting ???

If you are planning on attending the Annual Meeting of the Parkridge HOA to voice your concerns about the unprecedented $43 increase in your monthly fee, don't plan on seeing our esteemed President, Rene Fernandez, there.
He's not going to show up. It's unclear whether or not he's quitting the Board permanently or if he really has something more pressing, or if he just doesn't have the guts to face the music for HIS decision to raise the rate, but regardless, he's not going to be there.

That's right. I said HIS decision. The rate was never discussed in open or closed session of a Board Meeting and was passed at a meeting where 2 board members were absent!!! If this is the way the new Board and Management Company are going to do business, I suspect there are going to be more than six "For Sale" signs out front pretty shortly.

B.S.S.

Mailbox alert !!!!!!!

Mailbox alert !!!!!!!
Just so everynody knows, my regular mailbox key opens the new outbound mailbox on the wall by the clubhouse. Anonymous has left a new comment

Iggys House Disrupts Real Estate Industry by Offering Sellers Free MLS Listings

Iggys House, Inc., parent company of BuySide Realty, today announced the launch of www.IggysHouse.com, a new service that will revolutionize the real estate industry.
CHICAGO (BusinessWire EON) March 22, 2007 -- First to Offer Free MLS Listings on Nationwide Scale

Iggys House is launching the first free MLS listing service today in 20 states representing 65% of the U.S. existing home market. Within the next few months, it will roll out this service to a total of 37 states, representing 84% of this market, before going national by the end of the year.

"This will send shock waves through the industry," said Joseph J. Fox, CEO of Iggys House, Inc. "There is a lot of money at stake - about $65 billion annually in real estate commissions. This new model will have an immediate impact on the status quo."
MLS is the most important channel sellers can use to attract potential buyers. More than 70% of all homes are sold through the MLS. MLS listings also cause homes to appear on leading real estate websites like Realtor.com. Iggys House provides sellers with access to both marketing channels for free.
"Our service is totally free, and there is absolutely no catch," Fox added. "This is the real McCoy."
Immediate Impact on Consumers
"People wonder why the Internet has not had a greater financial impact on the real estate industry," Fox said. "The reason is that the underlying model is rigged to benefit agents. The primary function of most real estate web sites in existence today is to drive consumers towards those agents. No other website empowers consumers more than Iggys House."
"By breaking open the MLS we are providing over $500 million worth of services for free to millions of home buyers each year," said Fox. "For the 1.1 million people who try to 'sell by owner', we provide incredible exposure to millions of buyers via the MLS. For the over 400,000 sellers who pay a fee to be MLS-listed, we now offer it for free. Why would anyone ever 'sell by owner' again, when they can 'sell by Iggy'?"

Restrictions on For Sale Signs?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Water Shut Off Monday March 19th":

Restrictions on For Sale signs

Isn't there a size restriction on For Sale signs out by the front gate? It looks tacky enough always having at least 3 or 4 of them out there, but then when these giant wood ones are popping up it looks really bad and it blocks drivers' view of southbound traffic on Associated.

It seems like having that many signs out front would hurt people who are trying to sell their units anyway. It looks like the whole neighborhood is for sale and a buyer can shop around and if they don't like your unit, they can just buy your neighbor's.

Water Shut Off Monday March 19th

Signs at the mail boxes show water shut off today for units 49 -136 from 8:30am til Noon.

Direct TV Anyone?

I was wondering if anyone here has Direct TV? I currently have time warner cable and I am thinking of switching to Direct TV because of the MLB extra innings package and NFL sunday pass. They are the only company to have a contract with them. My question is if you do have it, did you need to arange it with the HOA first or did you just call the company and subscribe and let them deal with it. Any help would be great. #125

O.C. home prices decline

The median falls 0.4% from a year earlier -- its first such drop since '96. The region's sale volume hits a decade low. By Annette Haddad, Times Staff Writer
10:36 PM PDT, March 14, 2007
Orange County last month posted its first year-over-year decline in median home price in more than a decade, another sign of the widening reach of Southern California's housing slowdown, data released Wednesday showed.
Orange County's 0.4% drop put it alongside San Diego and Ventura counties in recording price declines, while Riverside County managed no price gain for the first time in a decade, according to DataQuick Information Systems, a La Jolla-based research firm.
However, the median price for all six Southland counties still rose to another record, thanks to gains in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
"February's record Southland median is another indication the housing market, although certainly weaker than last year, is hardly down for the count, as some would suggest," DataQuick President Marshall Prentice said.
The decline in Orange County's median was not unexpected. Since October, the median price of resale homes — the largest housing segment there — had been declining, DataQuick analyst Andrew LePage said. The overall median stayed positive because of price growth in new homes.
"What's surprising is how long it took Orange County's all-home median to go negative," he said. "It was only a matter of time."
The year-over-year decline in Orange County, the region's most expensive home market, was its first since November 1996, according to DataQuick. The median fell to $620,000 as sales dropped 16.4%.

Laundry Room Door

I can't start a new blog. However, I wanted to see if anyone else has sent in a communication form for the laundry room door. The door that faces the mail boxes never locks. It seems that the door does not fit the frame. There was already one incident of a man stealing a womans clothes, and now I am noticing some of our clothes missing. I will send another communication form, but I was just curious if anyone else has done so. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

ProServe Water Shut Off Notice for Sat 3/10

I only see the signs posted on some units but they read "Attention All Residents". Water will be shut off on Saturday 3/10/07 from 9am to 11am. Chris at ProServe reports that the 3 buildings affected are #3054, #3046 and #3062. To bad ProServe and our leadership don't utilize the blog. I have friends who've been sited for towels hanging over their gate which can not be as unsightly as the paper and blue tape now on display around the complex. Your Blogger

New Dues Payment?

Based on the way the first bill came from the new management company, it was due on March 1st for the month of March, yet I still had a balance due w/ diversified at the end of February as well. Has anyone else experienced this? Was diversified billing for the prior month while the new mgmt. company is billing for the month in advance?
Greg, unit 86

the only way for things to be changed

Anonymous said...

It appears that there are 6 candidates for the Board elections. For all those that haven't liked the way things have been this past year, please cast your votes for the 5 canidates running against Rene. Getting him out is the only way for things to be changed.

ATTENTION MR. DAVID FABRIZIO:

Anonymous said...
ATTENTION MR. DAVID FABRIZIO:
We got our ballot today and saw your name on it but don't know anything about you. And since you're the only one who's not already on the board, we would love to know who you are, what your qualifications are and why you are interested in being on the board. We're excited about the prospect of a new person and a fresh perspective and would love to hear from you!

Thank You Kelly!

I also wish to commend Kelly for her dedication to the community by staying on the board when she knew fully well the kind of man Rene F was and the sort of "leadership" he would provide.

Being on the board used to mean a group of residents volunteering their time and efforts in service to the community. How we've gotten so far away from that so fast is beyond my comprehension. I don't know who all the original writer talked to in making his decision not to become a board member, but I'm sure he realized that concepts like teamwork and community service are impossible under the current regime.

The original writer mentioned the "slab leak remediation project" on the clubhouse and the cost. Is it a coincidence that Rene Fernandez threw a 40th birthday party for himself in the clubhouse two weeks after the majority of the work was done?? By the way, the clubhouse is still not done. There remains some tile work and painting that needs to be done, four months after the work began !!! I guess it's not so urgent anymore now that his birthday party is over. If he actually spent all that money on the plumbing, dance floor replacement, and carpet cleaning just to impress his family and friends for a lousy birthday party, shame on him.

But, like I mentioned in previous blogs, unless at least six or seven residents are formally willing to go up against him on the ballot, Parkridge is his.

Todd in 122

PS. I haven't heard the term "cancer sticks" since about 1967

Board Volunteer?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Water Shut Off Today for #3000 Building":

Who Wants To Be On the Board

When I got the "Call for Volunteers" message, I thought I might go ahead and volunteer to be on the ballot to become a board member. I have a BS in Accounting, and I thought that maybe I could make a positive contribution to this community.

Before I did, I made a few calls to Diversified's team and spoke with a few long term residents here as well as 2 former board members. I wanted to look before I leap, in other words.

What I discovered was shocking. Not one person, not one, had anything positive to say about the current Board, or it's president, Rene Fernandez. The common thread that ran between all of the talks was that there was not one aspect of the management and administration of Parkridge that is better today than it was a year ago. I could go on for ages about issues like rule enforcement, the pros and cons (mostly cons) of the "communication form" and such, but I thought that most of that was subjective at best and petty personal opinions at worst.

In terms of money and financial matters, which is my area of expertise and has a direct effect on all of us and provides an objective method to evaluate the Board, the "previous" HOA Board had around $100,000 in reserves and operating accounts at the end of last fiscal year, March 2006. That's not fantastic, but it's not too bad either. At the end of the month in January 2007 the "current" HOA Board had around $35,000. This is NOT good.

Now I understand that we had the laundryroom/meeting building re-piped which cost over $32,000 between Pro-Serv and the drywall guy, and I assume that's where half the differnce in reserves went to. The problem is that it is the duty and responsibility of the Board to replenish the reserves when it becomes necessary and the leadership of the current Board has not shown any inclination to do so.

If we need to raise the monthly assessment or have a one-time special assessment or soem combination of the two to do so, then that is clearly what needs to happen. The comment that was made by one of Diversified's staff was that it looked like Mr. Fernandez was going to drain it dry and then quit. Again, I thought that was a personal opinion, but now I'm not so sure.

As I mentioned earlier, I could write reams of criticisms about the current HOA Board of Directors, but for now, I'm afraid I'm just going to deal myself out of the running to become a Board member. By the way, as of last week, only 3 owners have expressed an interest in remaining or becoming Board members.

B.S.S.

Water Shut Off Today for #3000 Building

There is a sign at the mail boxes announcing a shut off today. The 3000 building will be down from 10am to 1pm for pipe repair.

Wow, that was a cold shower!

Does anyone know what the story is with our water in the 3000 building today...Sunday Feb 4th?

Replacing the water mixing cartridges in the shower valves

Just wondered if anyone else read the article about replacing the water mixing cartridges in the shower valves in the Home Section of the OC Register last Saturday. It was a very good explanation of how one bad mixing valve can screw up a whole plumbing system's hot water. And that was in a single family home with just two baths and a kitchen.

It was what the Boards, both old and new, have been preaching for years now. So if you haven't changed yours yet, and you don't like the quality of your hot water, get it replaced.

Todd in 122

U.S. Home Foreclosures Up 42% in 2006

WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The number of homes in the United States foreclosed by lenders rose 42 percent in 2006 from a year earlier in a sign that many homeowners have became overextended in mortgage debt, a real estate information service reported on Thursday.

More than 1.2 million foreclosure filings were reported nationwide during 2006, which is a rate of one foreclosure filing for every 92 households, according to RealtyTrac, Inc.

The jump in foreclosures last year marks a return to normal levels as the housing market cools from multiyear highs of sales and appreciation, the company said.

Recent homeowners who believed the housing market would continue its break-neck pace or used flexible mortgages to make a purchase may be feeling a sting, the company said.

As much as $1.5 trillion in adjustable-rate mortgages are due to have their rates reset this year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Many recent homeowners are already struggling to make those higher payments and are drifting toward loan default and foreclosure, said James Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac.

"As more and more of these loans re-set, we saw a surge to finish the year, with the fourth quarter producing more foreclosure filings than any of the three previous quarters," Saccacio said.

While the increase in foreclosures could add to a glut in housing stock "most local markets have been able to re-absorb foreclosure homes without seeing any major damage to the local economy," Saccacio said.

Colorado, Georgia and Nevada saw the highest foreclosure rates, the study found.


© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

No More Anonymous Comments

Let's try it neighbors. Todd in #122 is right and we've been disrespectful at best recently. From now on sign at least your first name to your comments. Your Blogger (Howard)
Above in response to what Todd in #122 Wrote...

To Parkridge Blogger: I think the intent of the person who wrote the original "I like my investment..... more than blogging" was to identify or prohibit individuals like the one who wrote the above comment from making comments like that. Or at least make them have a second thoughts about writing stuff like that. If someone who was considering buying a unit here, they would surely have second thoughts about moving in after reading something like that, (or at least make sure I wasn't going to move next door to them). I have to admit most of my comments have been on the opinionated side and I haven't always spoken kindly, approvingly, or enthusiatically about everthing that goes on at Parkridge, but at least I sign my name to my comments. I know you have disagreed with this in the past, but I think you should require people to sign their comments as soon as another persons' name gets mentioned. Since you've put this blog up, no ones ever come to my unit, vandalized my property, or got in my face over stuff I've written. It's just not that big a deal. I know the purpose of this blog was to create a place for residents to vent, or provide information, or disagree with the policies of the new board, but, I think that you have to agree that there is nothing in the comments preceding the one above that warrants a response like that. Todd in 122 P.S. I'm voting for you in the next election, too.

I LIKE MY INVESTMENT OF MY HOME A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN BLOGGING

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Diversified Gives Parkridge 60 Days Notice":

I want to propose an idea to the person who oversees this blog. I am a homeowner here. Not a board member. Just a homeowner who likes her investment. I also enjoy blogging. However, I LIKE MY INVESTMENT OF MY HOME A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN BLOGGING. I want to see the value of my investment appreciate and am afraid with all the drama that is on here that people who are potential buyers will do some research and find this blog and think, "Oh God. I won't buy there!" Granted, this blog does provide good information. I am thankful that the person who had her identity stolen informed us all of her pain. If we do get an outgoing mailbox here, I will never put mail in that thing. However, folks, let's think about this logically. We want to sell our investment here one day. We want to sell it for more money than we paid for it. It doesn't help us that we have a blog open for public view then! My solution would be this, fearless blogger. Those who want to read this blog would have to sign up for it. I think that blogspot does have a way to do that. That way, we can complain all we want, but with some sense of knowing that we're doing the best we can to protect our investment without violating our free speech rights. Before you all begin complaining, think about it for a second. I know it's not a perfect solution, but at least it's something-something to help us get better value in the long run for owning a condo in Park Ridge. I hope this comment sees the light of day.

Diversified Gives Parkridge 60 Days Notice

Anonymous said...
Information update, in the board meeting that was held at the clubhouse on 1-10-07 Diversified owner stood up and said his company will no longer manage our property. I know he gave some letters to the board and said they have 60 days notice to take over or find another company to take it. What will this place turn into with no one to pay our bills and what not? I think they had enough of the complaints about problems as home owners we should take care of on our own. Or was it too much of Rene and his accountability sheets? Either way they are gone.
10:58 AM