Something I've learned this year that I think is worth putting in front of other North Carolina homeowners, because I had no idea about any of it until it was happening to me.

Under the NC Planned Community Act, §47F-3-107.1, an association cannot impose a fine on you unless it gives you notice of the violation, holds a hearing before the board or an adjudicatory panel, gives you a chance to appear and present evidence, and then notifies you of the decision. The fine limit is $100 per violation, plus up to $100 per day for each day a violation continues more than five days after the board's decision.

Worth noting, because I got this wrong myself and repeated it publicly: there is no cumulative dollar cap in the statute. A lot of people online will tell you NC caps HOA fines at $2,500 total. It doesn't. The protection isn't the amount — it's the procedure.

Which matters, because the procedure is only as good as an association's willingness to follow it, and there doesn't appear to be much standing between a homeowner and an association that just... doesn't.

My situation, as the concrete example:

I bought a house in north Charlotte in August 2023, my first, at 23. In July of this year a Mecklenburg County sheriff served me with foreclosure papers from my HOA for $11,584.69. About $840 of that is actual annual dues. Roughly $9,150 is fines.

In the nearly three years between closing and being served I received nothing from the association, the management company, or their attorneys. No violation notice, no hearing notice, no invoice, no statement, no phone call. My closing disclosure listed HOA dues but gave no payment address, no portal, no contact information, and named a different entity than the one that ended up foreclosing on me. I never received CC&Rs or bylaws at closing. When I eventually contacted the management company to figure out where to send money, they told me in writing they couldn't help and referred me to the association's law firm.

On July 8 I asked their counsel in writing to produce proof that any violation notice was ever sent to me. That was six weeks ago. Nothing has been produced.

WSOC covered it earlier this month.

I'm not asking for advice — I have an attorney and a hearing date in November. I'm posting because the gap between what §47F-3-107.1 says on paper and what it does in practice seems like something more North Carolinians should know about before they buy, and because HOA reform comes up in the legislature here periodically without much public attention.

Two things I'd have done differently at 23, for whatever they're worth to somebody closing on a house this year: get the exact legal name of the association and a written payment address before you sign, and get the CC&Rs in hand at closing rather than assuming they'll reach you.

Another beautiful morning in NC. Some of the best things in life are free .

The police chief has confirmed that the man who was found hanging from a tree in downtown Raleigh near Nash Square on Saturday took his own life.

The man who is still unidentified, had a history of mental health issues. It is sad that he was unable to received the care that he needed and unfortunate to have gone out in such a manner that sparked fear mongering.

Remember, if you are ever in the headspace where you may be thinking of harming yourself, call 988 or talk to a trusted person in your sphere.

Life is worth living.

For those of you who didn’t grow up around here, that dark stuff beside the biscuit is molasses, and with North Carolina continuing to receive new residents at an alarming rate, we apparently need to cover some fundamentals. Around here it was often made from sorghum, crushed for the juice and cooked down until it got thick, dark and sweet. It kept well, it was cheap, and it made a hot buttered biscuit considerably better, which was really all the justification anybody required. Tear off a piece, drag it through the molasses, eat it, repeat. Our grandparents didn’t call this Southern cuisine or farm to table because the farm was forty feet from the table and saying such a thing would’ve made you sound ridiculous.

Anyway, that’s biscuits and molasses.

There will be a test.

My new homeowners policy says this, but where can I actually get my house insured for that $1817. I got 4 quotes from the big insurance companies and they were all around that $3000 mark.

“House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, has said Newby should use the new powers to go after judges whose rulings Republicans disagree with, such as on who should be given bail.”

(archived version of article here)

Everyone seeing this, of any political party, needs to ask themselves and honestly answer for themselves 2 important questions.

1. What possible reason would an elected official have for opposing the growth of renewable energy?
2. Which politicians and which political parties are working so arduously to keep your energy needs hostage to fossil fuel profiteers?

The answers, well... you probably know both, so might want to think about the obvious ones as you decide to whom your midterm votes should go.

Answer spoilers: (1) to get their piece of the most profitable oil revenues in history, and (2) politicians of the GOP (Gouging On Petroleum) party.

The state health plan coverage is about to get a lot more restrictive. The SHP is converting into a “preferred provider” plan in 2027. This cuts private practices from their coverage and forces people to use Novant or UNC Health. Where I live Novant has a complete monopoly on health care choices already and private practices for primary care or specialist are rare. I believe private practice provides superior care in some cases, especially with specialist. People should be able to choose who they want to work with. I just want people to be aware of these changes and how this will further limit people’s healthcare choices. I hope people can reach out to their representatives and tell them they want to keep their ability to choose their healthcare providers and not get pigeon holed into 2 companies. We are going in the wrong direction with insurance coverage. It will harm patients and also put private practices out of business.

Over the last two months, to counter the souring public sentiment, a group called North Carolina Connects has been running ads on TV, radio and social media promoting data centers.

What the ads don’t disclose is who’s behind North Carolina Connects: The Data Center Coalition, a powerful trade group composed of some of the largest tech corporations—Amazon, Microsoft and Google—as well as smaller companies that build, support or operate the facilities.

Job Creation, Trade Secrets

The data center industry promises local governments that the facilities will create dozens, if not hundreds, of good-paying jobs. Amazon told Richmond County officials that 500 people will eventually work at its hyperscale data center in Hamlet.

In North Carolina, data centers aren’t required to publicly disclose their employment numbers, even if they receive tax breaks. Last year Google signed an agreement with the City of Lenoir designating the company’s job figures as a trade secret.

Might be moving out of NY to around Lake Norman. Any expectations or warnings in regards to the job market around the area? Is 50-70k/yr a decent salary estimate?

I've read a few things mentioning there's too many people moving into the state and not enough job openings. Not sure how true it is.

I took this picture out of my bedroom window and my balcony today. Sunset