That means for a house the government assesses as being worth $100,000, they hit you with a $1,300 per year tax bill.  

It is a disaster in our monetary policy where the Government prints $$$.8- Inflation: What does that mean?

These are utility fees accessed by a municipality or other government entity.

In fact as the owner, I have more credibility.

I am trying to gain some experience and build credibility with smaller multifamily so I can graduate to larger properties.

If you're starting at square 1, and don't have wealthy friends, family or contacts that are willing to take a bet on you personally, then it will be hard to establish credibility with people you haven't met since you don't yet have a track-record. 

I, for one, will start asking to see a government id to ensure the name on the application matches the person handing it to me.

NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) administered through FEMA is the government option and has had a monopoly for 50 years and due to this has driven up the cost. 10 years ago the president and both houses signed into law that the market is now open to private flood insurance companies (usually backed by Lloyds).

Does the use of a realtor give my offer more credibility, is it illegal or unethical not to use a realtor? 

Seems like the HOA is bullying this homeowner just because they keep referencing a section in an article of the governing docs that states it's the owner's responsibility.