UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A Union County woman says a dispute with her Homeowners Association (HOA) over a few hundred dollars in unpaid dues cost her family their home.
Taylor Sanders was living in Weddington Hills in 2020. She admits she owed dues to her HOA. According to HOA records, she owned $400.
“They said it hadn’t been paid for a year,” she explained.
The HOA sent her multiple letters, but she told Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke she never received them.
Then things snowballed. In February 2021, the board got a lien on her property. Then in April, it sent her a letter, saying she owed about $1,200 and that it was going to start foreclosure proceedings.
“I thought it was a joke,” she said.
It wasn’t. According to county records, her 3,300-square-foot home sold for $49,000.
She says just like that, it was gone.
“Oh my God. It’s devastating for my children,” she said. “I don’t wish this on anyone.”
Records show the person who bought the house turned around and sold it five months later for $850,000.
Stoogenke reached out to the HOA’s attorney to see if he wanted to add perspective but didn’t hear back in time for this report.
Sanders wants to warn other homeowners so they take any legal threat from their HOA seriously.
“This is just the beginning. I want to make sure I educate other people. I want to make sure they know about it. I want them to know their rights,” she said.
North Carolina legislators are considering a bill to give homeowners more recourse. For example, if a homeowner owes money, the board could still get a lien on the property and start foreclosure proceedings, but it would have to meet certain criteria first. But there hasn’t been any movement on the bill since last May.
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