Stinson Hall HOA

Notice will be going out shortly for the 2013 annual HOA meeting. It is planned to be held on April 16, 2013 at the Plymouth Meeting Community Center from 7-8 PM. We will be running through a quick status update on the association. Leslie from RMS management will do a review of the HOA financials. We will be covering and voting on the possible pursuit of FHA approval. Plus we will be voting on the staggering of HOA terms so that we don’t turnover the entire board at once every 3 years. If you think you might want to join the board please attend and volunteer.

Recently we held our annual meeting to discuss whats going on with the HOA and the primary item of discussion was the Maintenance Responsibility Matrix. We hired a lawyer, Marjorie A Brown of Wisler Pearlstine to review all of the HOA documentation and the documentation that a Unit Owner receives at the sale/purchase of a Unit. We asked her to develop a simple matrix so that the HOA and the Unit owner knows what each is responsible for. I have posted the result of that review process so that everyone can have access to it. Just click here to download or review the memo/matrix given to us by the attorney.

Recently I found out that the deck stain we picked last summer is no longer available. We have identified an equivalent sold by Sherwin Williams. It is a stock color and its available in the store. Several people have asked for an update on this so here you go. The nearest Sherman Williams located here. 

Product Info:

Desk Scapes, Woodtoner - Cedar Semi Transparent

Recently I was browsing Zillow looking at the “Zestimate’s” for our homes and it seemed like our “Zestimate’s” were on the low side. The housing market hasn’t been great but the values in our development were averaging about 220k. I can’t speak for the the rest of you but that’s about a 50k drop for me.

While reviewing the details that Zillow listed for my house I noticed a number of errors. They had an incorrect number of bedrooms, bathrooms even the overall square footage was wrong. It turns out that Zillow gets it’s info from county assessment records. So if the county records are wrong then your Zillow info will be wrong and your “Zestimate” could take a hit.

This can be a real problem because banks and credit unions use websites like Zillow to appraise the value of your home for refinancing and home equity lines of credit. A lower “Zestimate” could also impact your ability to sell your home by making it harder for potential buyers to get financing. It also lowers the entry price point for negotiations as a potential buyer will use your “Zestimate” as a frame of reference for what he/she might be willing to pay. 

I made a call to the county Board of Assessment office and spoke with someone there. They pulled my property record and made notes and said they would have the assessor responsible for my house get in touch with me to verify my homes details. I also asked if this would have an impact on my taxes and I was informed that it shouldn’t. So you will have to decide for yourself if you want your records updated, but I know I do. The phone number for the county assessment office is 610-278-3761 if you want to get in touch with them. 

I know a lot of us have had problems with our AC. More then a few of us have had to have a tech come out and either recharge our system or replace a leaky valve or even replace the coils. Well one of our neighbors has done some research and found out that the coils in our units are part of a recall by York. See below for more info and Thanks to Sara for pointing it out.

-Kevin

Recall Info
You should check to see if your evaporator coils are included in the recall by York:

http://yorkcentral.net/content/media/2/20071009-Evaporator%20Coil%20Leak%20Issue.swf

Apparently the blue fin coils we have installed were a bad batch and are known to fail. We should definitely get the word out to our neighbors, since they have a 5 yr warranty.

Looks like York is reimbursing for labor too, I guess that’s why Lawler agreed to drop the price for installation for us. The technician was telling me about the blue fin coils (apparently made in Mexico). Our leak was REALLY bad.. 1/2 lb Freon a week..

I know a lot of you have been waiting a long time for the board to approve a deck stain and we finally have. Thompson’s Water Seal - Woodland Cedar Semi Transparent Exterior Stain. You don’t have to stain your deck if you don’t want to. You can continue to use Thompson’s clear water sealer to help extend the life of your deck. 

The following is what we approved. (Available @ Lowes)

http://tiny.cc/4gjye

For those of you who didn’t make it to the 2011 annual meeting held in May we reviewed some updates, things that had been going on, repairs made and reminders. Leslie from RMS Management distributed the current financial status reports. A link will be posted if you would like to see this document.

A snow assessment was discussed because of the excessive winter weather we experienced this past winter. It was decided that we would wait and see if it can be covered as part of 2012 winter budget. If not we will asses the cost as needed. (We are due for a light winter aren’t we?) 

Residents who attended were notified about that some unit owners were delinquent in Condo Fee’s and that the HOA’s management company would attempt to resolve the situation. Since then all but one account has been made current. This was becoming an issue because it was impacting FHA status and preventing a sale of one of the units. It was also preventing residents from refinancing with FHA backed loans.

An assessment to repair and replace grass throughout the development was voted on and approved. Sod will be installed as needed to restore the common areas and to fix some of the problems that have persisted since D’Arcangelo built the homes. This is planned for the early fall planting season. 

I know we mention this all the time, but in order to keep your deck in good repair you should clean and seal your deck with Thompson’s clear water sealer. The association will be posting details on stain brand and color for those who might like to stain their deck. Look for that info in the next week or so. You can pick up Thompson’s at any home improvement or hardware store. Please remember that you own your deck and its maintenance not the association.