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| Dorie says "Just keep swimming!" |
At one of the meetings yesterday, I was accused of being a plant for the owners. One man actually said I couldn't possibly be writing this blog myself. When I assured him that I wrote every word, he said, "You might be typing it but the words are coming from the lawyer." I guess I should take it as a back-handed compliment. However, since that's the same thing that Mr. Constantine, the attorney hired by the HOA, accused me of, I think I'll just consider the source.
Perhaps part of this is my fault … maybe I haven't been clear about my motivations and background. I am an accomplished writer and trained in thinking rationally and creatively. I have published five non-fiction books on thinking, creativity, innovation and effectiveness. For fifteen years I had my own consulting firm helping primarily Fortune 500 companies develop an organizational culture that supported innovation and creativity. I did this until my husband died almost 7 years ago.
The Mistake: I love the Central Coast and was very excited to find my place in Mesa Dunes almost a year and a half ago. I now realize that I made a serious mistake when I moved here. I thought I had looked at the finances involved pretty carefully but now I realize I didn't project forward far enough.
My space rent … assuming a 3% per year increase … in 20 years will be $1,715!
(If you would like to calculate yours, go to http://www.investopedia.com/calculator/fvcal.aspx)
Recently it began to dawn on me that I have a significant problem … I'm on a fixed income, most of which is Social Security. There's no way I'll be able to pay $1,715 per month when I'm 85. In trying to figure out what to do, I was starting to look at Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, and so on for places where I could live on my income. But, I don't want to become an ex-pat.
When the conversion came along, I thought it might offer a way to stabilize my monthly expense so I jumped in with both feet and started this blog. At the time, I didn't even know that such a thing as a conversion existed. But, I've been a blogger since blogs first began and have been using them as a way to do research and communicate with others since the late 90s.
It was natural for me to start this blog as a way to gather all the information into one place and to create a forum where people could ask questions, share opinions and get to know each other better. All of the initial information came from the owner so it makes sense that it makes up a lot of the blog. Over time, however, I've begun to read code (and put links to it on the blog), talk to people in other parks, talk to the banks who might lend to us and gather information wherever I could find it … including from the HOA and park management.
It is my belief at this point that conversion could be a good thing for a lot of us … if the price is right … and that I see very little downside for the majority of people who decide not to buy their land. I also believe that we can negotiate with the owner to help prevent anyone being severely impacted by this change. However, that means civil conversation and negotiating in good faith … not declaring war and going to court.
So the bottom-line answer is that I am NOT a plant of the owner … I truly just want to figure out how we can all benefit from this change. This blog is an open forum … you are invited to add comments or send me something you would like posted if it's too long for a comment. I only ask that you identify yourself and be respectful of others and their opinions.
Joyce Wycoff, jwycoff@me.com
