KITV.com: Homeowners risk losing properties for unpaid association fees
(…the fees added up to just over $600….plus cost of attorneys…$3,439.14)
By Andrew Pereira — April 11, 2014
HONOLULU —It may come as a shock to homeowners who don’t take the time to read the fine print, but if you fail to pay your homeowners association fees, title to your property can be sold at auction to the highest bidder.
“The associations are generally junior to the mortgages, so we sell them subject to those mortgages and any other senior liens that may be on the property,” said Arlette Harada, an attorney with Ekimoto and Morris, which represents the Mililani Town Association.Friday afternoon at the state Capitol, Harada auctioned the title to a townhouse at Mililani Manor on Kipapa Drive for $10,000 after the owner fell more than a year behind on her dues. Although the fees added up to just over $600, the cost of attorneys added thousands of dollars more. According to the auction notice posted online, the total amount owed to the MTA at the end of January was $3,439.14. Read more: http://www.kitv.com/news/homeowners-risk-losing-properties-for-unpaid-association-fees/25445824