Join us on Saturday, April 7th at 4pm for our neighborhood Easter Egg hunt!  The festivities will be held at the corner of Harborside and Nestlebranch.  Invite your neighbor, and come for a good time!

Please bring a springtime goodie to share!

Hello fellow members of Country Villas HOA. I am not only your current president, but a local fraud investigator for one of the local police agencies in Pinellas County. It is that time of the year again when our local Sheriff’s Departments and police agencies are seeing a growth concerning new and serious real estate scams, utilizing the free online advertising service “Craigslist.” This scam to include other internet scams can be found at the following website:  http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/scamsandidentitytheft/ss/top10inetscams.htm

Suspects, are usually located in remote overseas areas which make it difficult for U.S. law enforcement to prosecute, copy ads found elsewhere on the Internet for properties for sale or rent by real estate agencies, including the pictures, addresses, and descriptions of the properties, and then re-post them on Craigslist for well below market value under their name or fake business.

Buyers who fall for the hoax send the full purchase price or a deposit to the suspect’s bank account, and wait for contracts or deeds to be delivered. Meanwhile, the “seller” takes the money and never contacts the buyer again. Suspects often receive money from several buyers on the same falsely advertised piece of property.

This is a variation of the well-known “Nigerian scam,” which entails conning people into sending or wiring money overseas.

Here are some warning signs to avoid scams such as this:

• Scam “bait” items include apartments, laptops, TVs, cell phones, tickets, and other high value items    Common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, but could be anywhere.
• Apartment listing may be local, but landlord/owner is “travelling” or “relocating” and needs you to wire money to them abroad.  Deals may often seem too good to be true: the price is too low; the rent is below market value, etc.
• There is a sense of urgency – scam artists count on decisions made in haste.

Here are some tips from Identity Theft detectives to avoid being victimized:

• Only deal with landlords or renters local to you.
• Do a web search for the renter’s name to see what comes up.
• Do a web search for the property address to see if there are other, legitimate listings

Craigslist advises the following information in order to help avoid scams:

• DEAL LOCALLY WITH PEOPLE YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON – follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts on Craigslist.
• NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service – anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer. 
• CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer “buyer protection” or “seller certification”
• NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
• AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL “GUARANTEE” YOUR TRANSACTION.
• DO NOT RENT HOUSING WITHOUT SEEING THE INTERIOR, OR PURCHASE EXPENSIVE ITEMS SIGHT-UNSEEN – in all likelihood that housing unit is not actually for rent and that cheap item does not exist.
• DO NOT SUBMIT TO CREDIT CHECKS OR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR A JOB OR FOR HOUSING UNTIL YOU HAVE MET THE INTERVIEWER OR LANDLORD/AGENT IN PERSON.  

HOW TO REPORT A SCAM:

Contact the Internet Fraud Complaint Center at WWW.IC3.gov or the Federal Trade Commission at WWW.FTCcomplaintassistant.gov/

For further information regarding Scams check out WWW.FTC.gov or contact your local law enforcement agency. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 727-582-6200.

2012 Annual Dues: 
$35.00  

Make checks payable to:  Country Villas Homeowners AssociationPlease mail payment to CVHOA, P.O. Box 560, Safety Harbor FL  34695

Best Wishes for the New Year.  As my term as President of the Association winds down, I wanted to take a minute to look back over the past two years. First, I want to savor some areas where I think the Association has excelled. Then I want to discuss my views on areas that need attention by the next group of Officers.

I believe that the goal of bringing the neighborhood closer together has been accomplished. This was done not with an outside attack on the subdivision (think Bus Depot), but rather by the activities sponsored and promoted by the Board of Directors. The events are being well attended and looked forward to by a growing group of neighbors. Especially to parents of younger children, our events offer a chance to meet likeminded neighbors in a relaxing atmosphere.

Without taking direct action against those who fail to live inside the deed restrictions, we have begun to get residents to involve the City Code Enforcement Officer to address the most obvious violations. There are areas that need more attention, but we have avoided some of the problems other subdivisions have faced in this weak economy.

Our membership numbers have remained at a level only slightly off past years. I think the visible activities of the Board contribute to a feeling that dues are well worth the price paid.  Let me remind all residents that your dues are used to pay for the activities mentioned above, the lights at the front of the subdivision and mowing along Highway 580. In our recent history, we have not been required to defend the subdivision from external or internal forces that would reduce the value of each home in Country Villas. Your dues and a strong Association contribute to our ability to defend the value of your home when necessary.

While each person who worked with us deserves our thanks, we all must recognize that the work done by Mary Morzenti and Clare Stevens has kept us moving in the right direction. These two have been stabilizing structure to an otherwise relaxed, loose organization.  Mary’s institutional memory is so valuable to us. Clare has kept the bills paid, the emails answered and the events on schedule. As best they could, they advised and nagged me to be a competent President.

Mark Waters, Past President, has provided special service by taking on the Merchant Program after the person recruited to do the job fell by the wayside. But his most important contribution has been the counsel he provided to the Board and to me. He has kept “the vision-thing” on the table at all times. He has been there for us through it all.

Special praise goes to EJ Stevens. It is his outline we are following on all our activities. From the sandwich board signs, to preparing of the food and drinks, to the setup on the day of the event, to the way we interact with those who attend his example is there for us. We have missed him while he has been away serving our country. America’s gain has been our loss.

 His and Clare’s work with the webpage has been an important part of the Board’s more visible presence in the community. He has reached out to new members at every turn.  We welcome him home after his time on active duty!

 Others have worked side by side with us along the way, but these four have provided the leadership for the success we have had.

The areas of weakness all seem to fall at my feet, but I want to list them so that the next Board can build on the success of the last few years and address unfinished business to make for an even stronger organization.

We need to address violations to the deed restrictions. Our lack of action is the most frequent reason people give me for not being a member. We are not going to sue anyone to enforce the restrictions, but we need to go on the record in support of them. Notices of violations should be sent out monthly to remind residents of the rules. The notices should include the possibility of referral to Code Enforcement.

 Our Board meetings have been too rare and too unstructured to be effective. Future meetings should be predictable as to when they are and what to expect while there. The next President should lead in selecting a time and place where attendance will increase. The content of the meetings should cause members to want to be present.

I support adding one more event to our schedule in order to provide an adult only opportunity for neighbors to meet each other. Too often, when I have mentioned events to neighbors, they have replied that since they had no children, they didn’t think our events were for them. Something as simple as Wine and Cheese could fill that gap.

As we look to the Annual Meeting, there will be an election of Officers to carry forward the Association. Here are the positions to be filled: 

• President: This person will provide leadership and direction for the Board of Directors, as well be the spokesperson for the Association.
• Vice President: This person will serve as part of the Board of Directors and assist the President as needed. He/she usually chairs one of the Committees (see below).
• Secretary: This person keeps the records of the Association and corresponds on behalf of the Board and Association. He/she prepares newsletter and dues notices.
• Treasurer: This person keeps the funds of the Association, pays the bills and collects the dues. He/she keeps the membership roster.
• Director: These members, along with the Officers listed above, make up the Board. The number is flexible, but usually we have three or four. Some Directors chair committees such as Merchants Program, Community Activities and Website Maintenance. Other committees may arise.

All residents, whether property owners or renters, are eligible for membership. Only paid members can vote at meetings, but everyone can participate in all activities.  We hope you will become more active in the Country Villas Home Owners Association. If you’d be interested in finding out more information or serving in one of the offices or on one of the committees, let us know by sending an email to ronwalker209@yahoo.com.

Sincerely,

Ron Walker
President

 P.S. As a reminder, be sure to visit our neighborhood website at www.countryvillas.org, to find the very latest on neighborhood events, as well as information on our Merchant Program, sales and services offered by residents and friends of the neighborhood, and copies of the By-Laws and Deed Restrictions.  Also, be sure to “Like Us” on Facebook!

• Ability to subscribe to the website using a News Reader. Click on the RSS icon on the bottom left to subscribe.
• Events Calendar. All events which are posted to the site are added to the calendar on the right side of the site.
• All news, articles, and events will be posted to our new Facebook page. Find us on Facebook by clicking on the icon to the right.
• Much more.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us using the contact page. Please check back soon as will be updating the website further.