CAI is pleased to welcome Michael A. Smerconish as our 2012 “Coming Attractions” Annual Conference & Expo Keynote Speaker.

Michael A. Smerconish is a nationally syndicated radio host, newspaper columnist, author and MSNBC contributor.

Michael Smerconish

Smerconish has often been recognized for his radio work. Talkers Magazine has consistently named him one of America’s most important talk show hosts.  In 2009, prior to his syndication, Radio and Records named him the nation’s Local Personality of the Year. Philadelphia Magazine has named him the City’s best talk show host, as well as one of the City’s most powerful citizens.

In 2009, Smerconish became the first radio host to interview President Barack Obama live from the White House. The interview was televised live on MSNBC, CNN and Fox News.  Smerconish has interviewed President Obama on six different occasions.  He has also interviewed Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as Vice Presidents Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Joe Biden.

Smerconish is the author of five books, two of them New York Times’ best sellers. He donated all author proceeds from three of those manuscripts to charity. Additionally, through a promotional partnership with jeweler Steven Singer, Smerconish has raised in excess of $300,000.00 for the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Smerconish also authors a twice-weekly column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. His columns have been re-printed in various newspapers across the country.

Smerconish is also an on-air contributor with MSNBC, and has often guest-hosted Hardball for Chris Matthews  He has been a guest on virtually every television program where politics is discussed, including: NBC’s Today Show, Colbert Report, O’Reilly Factor, Larry King Live, The View, and Real Time With Bill Maher.

Smerconish became a radio and television commentator after experiences in Republican politics. While still in college he was an advanceman for (then) Vice President George H.W. Bush. At age 29, he was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to a sub-cabinet level position (Regional Administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he reported to HUD Secretary Jack Kemp).

Prior to turning to broadcasting as a full-time endeavor, Smerconish practiced law for ten years with James E. Beasley, a legendary Philadelphia-based trial lawyer, who is the namesake of the Beasley School of Law at Temple University. Today Smerconish is of counsel to the Philadelphia law firm of Kline & Specter.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and remains a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Smerconish was a trial lawyer specializing in complex tort litigation. His clients ranged from the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police to the City of Rome, Italy. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyer’s Association.

Smerconish is a 1984 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lehigh University where he majored in government and journalism.  He lives in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and their four children.

Mr. Smerconish’s appearance is sponsored by State Farm Insurance – Steve DiOrio, a 2012 CAI Gold Premier Partner.

Congressional leaders are expressing serious reservations about Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) mortgage-approval policies for condominiums-policies that are the source of mounting confusion and angst for condominium boards, homeowners and real estate agents nationwide. 

Community Associations Institute (CAI) says these policies are preventing many potential buyers from obtaining FHA-backed loans to purchase homes in those communities, putting entire condominium associations at risk and further worsening the already dismal residential real estate market.

While acknowledging the need for thoughtful and financially sound lending criteria, the 31,000-member organization has expressed public concern about past FHA lending guidance that has created continued “confusion and frustration” in the marketplace. That’s why CAI sought to bring Congressional attention to the issue.

“There seems to be an invisible barrier between FHA and condominium associations,” Sen. Scott Brown (D-Mass.) said in a recent letter to Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). FHA falls under HUD’s jurisdiction.

“While both sides have been talking to each other, it doesn’t seem like there has been any movement towards a resolution,” Brown wrote. “I hope you will consider these concerns and work to bring certainty to condominium associations in what is an otherwise uncertain housing market. An obvious first step in this direction is to start the public review and comment period on (the) recently issued guidelines as soon as possible.”

Three members of the House Committee on Financial Services have also weighed in, urging FHA to reconsider mortgage approval policies that “. . . deny mortgages to condominiums associations with special assessments or that have obtained loans to do necessary improvements.” Signed by Massachusetts Reps. Barney Frank, Michael Capuano and Stephen Lynch, the letter also asks FHA to reconsider the mortgage-approval requirement that no more than 15 percent of condominium units can be more than 30 days past due on their association assessments.

The House members also weighed in on FHA’s public review and comment procedures, saying that “additional opportunities for public input before policy changes are implemented would greatly improve the process.”

With lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recoiling from unprecedented mortgage-related losses, FHA has assumed a far greater role in the home-sales market, now standing behind at least 30 percent of new home mortgages. That makes FHA lending criteria especially critical, not only for individual homeowners and buyers, but also for a sustained recovery in the housing market.

CAI and other organizations have worked hard to get Congressional leaders to address FHA’s mortgage approval guidelines and what CAI calls the agency’s “insular approach to policy development.”

“The letters sent by Congressional leaders are tremendously helpful, but the issues they address are still on the table,” said CAI Chief Executive Officer Tom Skiba, CAE. “And they are still adversely affecting thousands of condominium communities, millions of current and potential homeowners, and the U.S. housing market as a whole. We will continue to urge FHA to take a new, more transparent and thoughtful approach to its decision-making.”

Visit Mortgage Matters<http://dev.caionline.org/govt/MortgageMatters/Pages/default.aspx> on the CAI website to read the Congressional letters and get the latest information about the FHA and mortgage approval guidelines.

Innovative ideas, new strategies and expert guidance are the next wave in association governance and management. Gain all three, and strengthen your community, career and business at the CAI Annual Conference and Exposition, May 4–7 in Boca Raton, Fla. Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to join industry leaders at the must-attend event for community association professionals.

Last year, more than 1,700 participants enjoyed the benefits of the face-to-face networking and learning opportunities they gained at the Annual Conference. Achieve your potential by planning to attend today!

Online registration is now open. Register by March 29, and save $50 off the registration fee.

REGISTER NOW

CAI’s Gold Star Community program recognizes communities that  work hard to develop and maintain standards, encourage community participation, maintain fiscal stability and positively impact the quality of life for residents. Homeowners and managers believe Gold Star is an excellent way to evaluate policies and procedures, and assure that their associations are operating within basic industry standards.

But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what members are saying about the Gold Star program:

“As a community manager, I find the Gold Star application to be a valuable tool. I use it to determine how the association and management are operating. Is the board periodically updating the reserve analysis? Does the board adequately keep homeowners informed? Is the association sufficiently insured? The application process helps me ensure the association is meeting its responsibilities.”  –Pat Connolly, PCAM, The Wentworth Group

“The Board at Traditions at Skippack view the Gold Star program as a highly regarded standard for excellence in all facets of community management. Receiving this award confirms to our residents that their community is being managed to the highest standards in the industry. This award also makes our community much more appealing to prospective residents, resulting in strong property values.” –Tom Adamski, President, Traditions at Skippack

To request an application for Gold Star Community recognition, or to learn how CAI is working for homeowners and community associations, please call the Pennsylvania & Delaware Valley Chapter office, toll-free, at 1.877.608.9777 or click here to download an application. The current application period ends October 1, 2010. Don’t delay! Apply today! The next round of Gold Star winners will be recognized at CAI’s holiday party in December.

For a list of current Gold Star Communities, click here.

Over the course of the last ten years, CAI has from time to time engaged a national research firm to study whether or not people who choose to live in an association governed community are happy or not. The results of the latest study by Zogby International reveal similar results to the initial study conducted in 1999 by the Gallup organization. The basic finding is this – those who live in community associations are happy with the lifestyle they’ve chosen, contrary to some stories that are sensationalized in the press and that would make one believe the opposite is true.

For the complete article and information, click here to visit CAI’s national website.

The Pocono Record published an article on Sunday July 5th that sums up the reasons why the state legislature just approved HR350 calling for a study of private communities in Pennsylvania.

The article quotes Reps. Scavello and Siptroth from the Poconos, as well CAI’s Executive Director Tony Campisi regarding the need and usefulness of this study which will take place in the coming months.  CAI believes this statewide study of private communities is the first of its kind in the nation.

The study will examine the number of association-governed communities in all 67 counties in the Commonwealth and measure the amount of state and municipal taxes paid by owners in these communities as well as the impact of any effort by the Commonwealth to provide access to public funds for infrastructure improvements within these communities. CAI will assist with the study.

Click here to read the article in the Pocono Record.

Welcome to the Pennsylvania and Delaware Valley Chapter of Community Associations Institute’s new blog. We’re calling our blog @ Home – CAI’s Public Square.

@ Home will be a great place for members and non-members of CAI alike to turn to for the latest information concerning common interest communities – homeowner associations, condo associations, etc., specifically as it relates to what’s going on in Pennsylvania, Northern Delaware, and Southern New Jersey; but also dealing with national news regarding the industry.

@ Home is just one of the many ways the PA / DelVal Chapter is attempting to extend our outreach to our member and non-member audience.  You can also now follow us on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/caipadelval or friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Cai-Pennsylvania-Delaware-Valley/1842146400 or add us as a professional contact on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/communityassociationspadelval.

Our chapter website: www.cai-padelval.org continues to be the primary way to obtain information about us and our programs; however, we hope that these additional outlets will enable us to reach an even wider audience.