Doris Sussman Goldstein
Doris Sussman Goldstein, the writer of CondoWonk, is a Florida attorney recognized nationally for her work with Seaside and other New Urban communities. She combines a deep understanding of condominium theory and practice with a journalism background and hands-on experience as president of her own building in Los Angeles.
Her writing challenges conventional wisdom and seeks solutions, particularly for the preservation of aging condominiums as an affordable housing public policy issue.
How I Got Here
Condominiums, especially older condos, are buildings I know and love.
Harvard Law School
When I was accepted to Harvard Law School, my husband and I bought a unit in a brick courtyard building at the height of Boston's condo conversion trend. Erected in 1929, the building was already fifty years old. We were in our twenties and, with a little help, able to afford it. From my first year, I knew I wanted to be a real estate lawyer—a specialty known affectionately by its practitioners as "dirt law."
Solo Practice
We moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where I started work as an associate at a large law firm, drafting condominium and HOA documents for master-planned communities. Looking for better balance between work and family, I left and started my own solo practice out of my house. It was 1986, well before other attorneys were working at home in sweatpants.
Seaside
In a major stroke of luck, my first client was Seaside—a new community on the Florida Panhandle that looked like a small town but operated entirely through private covenants. Recognized for its charm and pedestrian-friendly design, Seaside became the first example of a planning philosophy now known as "New Urbanism." My representation led to other New Urban clients all over the country.
Los Angeles
My husband and I moved to Los Angeles, close to our grandchildren. I became president of the twenty-six-unit condominium building where we live. Constructed in 1986, it's about the average age of a condo in this country. Like the courtyard building in Boston, it has tall ceilings and large windows in a neighborhood where we can walk to almost everything.
I thought my experience writing condo documents had taught me what I needed to know about running one, but being president was frustrating. Again and again, I couldn't find information I needed.
The Birth of CondoWonk
CondoWonk was born from my discovery that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power routinely overcharges condos for common area electricity. In our building, bills always got much more expensive in the summertime. Almost all our usage fell into the top tier.
I wrote to LADWP and asked: is there any way to change the tier schedule? They told me that condos could use a particular commercial rate, A-1A, that doesn't have tiers. It's not on the LADWP website, or anywhere else online. You have to know to ask for it.
I started CondoWonk to put that information online where other HOAs could find it. Before law school, I was a newspaper reporter. I knew how to research and ask questions and write a story.
By the time of my follow-up article two years later, the rate had been saving our building five thousand dollars per year—about twenty percent of its electric bill. Other readers reported savings as well. If you search for LADWP condo electric rates, CondoWonk is on the first page.
Where We Are Now
are condominiums
of U.S. condos
HOA reserve interest
Condominiums represent the most affordable path to home ownership in most states—a critical part of the affordable housing stock. But condos from the boom years of the nineteen-seventies and eighties are rapidly aging.
During the boom, the concept of reserve funding became widespread. But as buildings aged, reserve funding failed. The theory was flawed: low interest rates and high taxes mean reserve funds can't keep up with inflation. Now, the insistence on reserve funding is actively harming buildings by taking away from current repairs.
It's Time for Plan B
We need to pay attention, before the quiet disintegration of these buildings takes away people's homes and investments, as well as critical affordable housing.
What I Bring to This
Most attorneys spend their careers in a single state. I have experienced, in a way that few have, how different states' laws deal with condominium issues.
As a member of the Florida Bar, I became intimately familiar with condo and HOA laws there. I participated in the Florida Bar Committee on Condominiums and Planned Developments. In addition, I worked in cooperation with local counsel in other states to create New Urban communities, becoming familiar with statutes in various jurisdictions.
Only California and Hawaii require an affirmative vote of a majority to approve special assessments, even for needed repairs. Those who know only California law take it for granted. I don't.
Credentials
- Harvard Law SchoolJ.D. cum laude
- University of FloridaB.S. Journalism, high honors
- New Urban CommunitiesAttorney for the developer of Seaside and others, 1986–present
- Published AuthorA Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Architects, Planners and Developers (John Wiley & Sons, 2008)
AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell. But as a journalist deeply embedded in my subject matter, my most important credential right now is my lived experience as part of my condominium association in Los Angeles.
How I Research These Articles
Most articles are inspired by a problem I've encountered in my building. I check what's online, but I get my best information by talking to real people—asking questions and digging to learn what I need to know.
- Interviewed five electricians plus the executive director and board chair of Plug-In America
- Spoke to commercial providers of third-party charging systems for multifamily buildings
- Talked to the Canada-based manufacturer of the load management device we ended up using
- Watched the electrician install and troubleshoot three chargers in our building
- Observed the city's electrical inspector and successfully challenged a gratuitous requirement
I invite differing views and corrections. Substantive corrections will be noted at the bottom of an article or discussed in a separate article or in the Mailbag.
What This Site Is Not
Not Legal Advice
I'm not, and never have been, licensed in California.
Not Looking for Clients
I'm not trying to build a business.
Not Monetized
No advertisers, no sponsored posts. Product mentions are based on personal experience.
Let's Connect
CondoWonk started as a way to share information. Along the way, I stumbled upon serious policy issues. Journalism is a solo occupation—influencing policy is not.