Lakewood Homeowners Association adding to residents woes

Is anybody else out there facing the prospect of Lakewood Trails Homeownes association taking possession of their homes because of unpaid dues? For years the board let people slip on paying their dues, now that people are facing financial ruin by losing their jobs and their homes, Lakewood HOA are circling like sharks and suing people for back dues. Is anybody out there like me who fell behind due to unforeseen medical costs...tried to catch up only to have my check returned? Then I received a registered letter.....I was behind $180.00 now I face a $770.00 bill or lose my home. What can we do????

I blame that crazy nut with the bad hairdo who is the President - she's lawsuit happy. She's wasted a lot of homeowners dues by suing residents. It's been told to me by reliable sources that she's a machinegun toting mama whos got it in for the residents. She has a very unhappy home life and puts all her frustration and anger into running the Board like and policing the residents like a nazi commander. We need to replace her! What has she done anyway?

OMG, I just saw your blog! Yes, that is happening to us too! We got a little behind and tried to catch up, only our check was returned and we got a registered letter saying we had to pay a lot of money or lose our home. I don't understand why the HOA is doing this now, when for years people didn't pay their dues for one reason or another...now that people are worried about buying food, losing their jobs and homes the HOA adds to it by suing us? There are so many empty houses in Lakewood Trails now does the HOA really want more on their hands? I agree that people need to pay their bills, but if you just don't have it what can you do? Who can help us?

Wow, I really feel sorry for the residents of Lakewood who have to pay legal costs, late fees, etc. to their HOA. Why don't you just do away with it? Go to court and get out of it.

The only one that can take your home away from you
is the mortgage company not the HOA,and that is usually when your way behind on your mortgage payments.

resident wrote:

The only one that can take your home away from you
is the mortgage company not the HOA,and that is usually when your way behind on your mortgage payments.

Wrong many builders have taken homes remember a few years back when the neumann homes sub in plainfield threw a woman and her kids out because her ex did not pay the hoa.

I think the residents should file a class action suit against the HOA and disband it. Then they won't have to deal with the greedy association.

Is there not a Board for the HOA? Is there not elections or appointments made that place these people on that Board? I do not and have never had to deal with an HOA so I'm curious....can't you just replace these people?

I was recently looking at housing in Minooka and could not believe the amount of money paid to this HOA and for what? A pool? Most of the residents have their own pools. You do not get mowing or snow removal. There is no consistency in the townhomes and they look like crap. As you drive down Ridge Rd. you might see a fence here, a pool there, a patio over there, a deck every now and then. It looks like crap. I would have thought that an HOA would be able to keep some consistency but they approve everything. What do they do, where does your money go?

And then there is the ridiculous SSA that Lakewood and Prairie Ridge homeowners pay...did you not understand this when you bought your homes? I can see how Neumann and Lakewood may have made this look more attractive than it turned out to be but every year there are at least 100 homes in the paper for deliquent SSA payments; just one more way they threaten to take your homes.

Rise up, get together and disban that HOA; at the very least overhaul the Board!

Kudos to indifferent! Right On! Yes we have had this board for years and they have done nothing except sue residents for the wrong type of fence, or the wrong height, or putting an addition on a house. They've done nothing about the delinquent association dues for years and now when the people are facing foreclosures, job losses etc., now they take the people to court and double the dues owed due to title searches, attorney's fees, etc., then they slap a lien on your home!!!!! Shame on them!!!!! As if people didn't have enough to worry about. I say get rid of the HOA president and the rest of them too! We all signed on because Lakewood made the offer so tempting. Little did we know..........

I am in the same boat and it sucks we went into this not even knowing about the hoa! this is our first house and when we got our first bills 7 months after we moved in, we were already overdue, and now 3 years later we are really overdue!! Confused!! Then I just had to go to court for this and the lawyer group that my account got turned into totally lied or did not know what she was talking about and those are always the best ones, the ones that argue their lies because they do not know any better! And then she told the judge that her wages are 235$ an hour!!! The judge laughed !! I just want thus nightmare to end ! I need help and any info my next court date is the 29th of this month. I requested a payment plan and I am so tempted to call the hoa to see if tehy approved my payment plan! I am either going to court to sign a payment agreement plan or to sign over my house!! I CANT BELIEVE THIS. REALLY!!! They are going to take my house over 2000$!! If they take my 2000$ then I can't pay this months mortgage that I have yet to pay just in case they deni my request!!! This so sucks we so need to get rid of all of them!! I have never been to the pool and I will never go to the pool and what the hell kind of pool costs 60,000$ a year to run?? That's crazy!!! We already pay a arm and a leg in both our taxes $8000. Isn't enough I need to pay people to charge me for putting my garbage out in front of house on Tuesday or for having a boat in my driveway that I pay for!! We are living like prisoners
we are all big kids now!!! We need to not pay to have people charge us for our " wrong doing" I am just so pissed!! Grrr sorry to keep going on!!! Help me!!!

Well it's me again I got the balls up to call them and of course there is no reply!!!! I have to go all weekend and possilbly until the 29 th before I find out if it's approved!!! I am going to ne bald by then!!! Why can't we all get rid of them?? Is there any possile way? What do we do? I will get this started!! Some how and some way!! This is ridiculous to leave people on the edge like this!! They could have enough sense to know that this is a big stress issue!! Now ok iw why people do bad things no one should have to go through all if this because if hoa!! My mortgage is always paid!!! They are useless to me!! Sorry I needed to get that out!!

I know exactly what you are talking about. I just paid to get the lien on my house removed. My husband got really sick and we got a little behind - I was only behind two payments and they socked me with late fees, attorneys fees, title search fees and repair and maintenance of the common areas. So my $180.00 shot up to almost $800.00. The sad thing is I paid the past due amount and sent in an extra payment and they held my check for over three weeks before they decided to return it and turn us over to the attorneys. I figured it was because they got greedy. Why should they accept my measely check when they could hold out for more!!! I am very, very angry about this. I will also volunteer to help get rid of our HOA or at least the greedy board members. People are in dire straits and they are adding to the distriess with this. You can't do this, you can't do that or you will get sued by the board. I know for a fact that the president of the board and she is a miserable excuse for a human being taking her anger and unhappiness out on people who have boats in their driveways, adding additions to their homes, putting in fences that are a might too high (I would want a high fence too if I was on a walking path or next to Ridge Road!), etc. wasting our money on legal fees. I feel for you because I was in the same boat you are in! My husband had to go without his medication and we paid several bills late so we could come up with our lien money. Feel free to vent anytime - we should get a petition going to free us from the HOA!

Omg you have to pay to get the lein removed??? That's probably another million dollars!! WTF!! I am moving!! This is crazy! They should have left well enough alone! I think we should not have to pay dues if we are not taking advantage of the pool! I mean come on what else do they offer?? NOTHING! I have no kids and I am paying 3500$ a year on taxes for schools when does it come time that we ever get a break!! I just want relief!! I have to get another job to pay for this! And then the SSa taxes another 2000$ for what? I was never told about this at closing it's not
even in my closing papers! WHATEVER! I thought Minooka was going to be a quiet and nice and cheap place to live!! YEAH RIGHT!!! what a joke! I wonder what the other side if Minooka pays I bet it's nowhere in the ballpark of what we pay but yet still I bet they take advantage of all the stores that we are paying for!! It's just not fair and I want out!!!

What happens is that the HOA attorney goes into court and puts a lien on your house for the amount you owe PLUS all the legal fees, title searches,etc, etc., and then they send a copy of the lien to Grundy County and to your mortgage company. When you pay up and it's about double what you really owe., then they'll send you back the lien that they have had struck from your account, and YOU have to send $36 plus a copy of the stricken lien to the county, plus a copy of the stricken lien to your mortgage company so they can know that the lien has been struck from your record. Then and only then will you be able to swim in the dirty pool and gaze at the unmown grass and dog shit that litters the common area that you were charged to "repair." Sounds like fun huh!? I say let's IMPEACH the president of the Board and get someone in their with the ability to make clear headed decision not based on malice towards the human race! Perhaps if she wouldn't focus so much on the clubhouse and suing the residents we would have money to actually mown the grass, replant the dead or missing trees and hire adequate staff to take care of the "common" areas!

Don't we have a village trustee living here and is on the board of HOA.Ihope no one voted for him in this side of town is this true.If so he sounds like a Briscoe.Lets see where he lives.He had sign all over the place.

I'm not sure but what would we do with just knowing where he lives??? I want more satisfaction!! Lol I want to know why if we don't use the pool why we have to pay I mean come on what else is there to have to pay an association for?? F the pool I have my own!! My realitor told me association would be gone once all the houses were built..... Well I don't see many open lots but I do see this huge bill and another court date to go to!! What a joke!! I seen the lawyer that I was in court with driving by my house!! What the hell is that all about? Can we say CRAZY!!!! this is all a much bigger plan than we think I think they are up to something!! But I could be wrong!! This is not a glamorous town to live in they are putting up all these places by the highway I don't want to shop with the truckers I know damn well our money is where they are getting this from before we all got here there was nothing and bow we have 2 dunkin donuts what's thAt all about who in the he'll even wanted 1! I moved here so we would be in a small town I should have stayed in downers grove the taxes are actually cheaper!! What a joke!! But what can we do we are just trying to make an honest living and F us because we have new house so we must be rich!! All I have to say is WE made Minooka what it is today and it's not fair that everyone benifits from it without having their taxes go up!! I know a family from on the other side of Minooka across 80 and they have a new house and guess what they come to our pool WTF no hoa for them but whatever!! I am so pissed!! This town and this area SUCKS!!

What was his initials??

Yes we do have a village trustee living in Lakewood. He's the vice president of the hoa. He ran for the U.S. Senate, but lost. I've never been very impressed with him. I think he just goes along with what the president says. I've never seen him try to assert himself at any of the meetings I have been to. There was once a woman on the board who unfortunately resigned because of the ridiculous behavior of the other board members. She's the one who should have been running it. She was smart, level-headed and rational. I say we look her up and see if we can't get her to run again. I think her name was Missy or Melissa or Mary or something. Better yet, abolish the board we have now, go to court to get us freed from the HOA and close the dirty pool and clubhouse!

Sounds like a deal to me!!!!

i live in plano il . there are 2 sections of town that have lakewood homes . if you dont pay it they can sue you and add fees on you signed a contract which apparently you didnt read well. even if you pay your mortage on time you still will loose your house