[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by Oldragbagger

If they turned management over to residents we would probably be looking to move. Prior to moving here we lived in a gorgeous planned community in Venice, Florida. When we moved in it was still being run by the developer and a professional management company because it wasn’t completely built out. The place was gorgeous, pristine, and the HOA was reasonable (although higher than what we pay here for an amenities fee.) after about a year and a half building was complete and the HOA was turned over to the residents. Eighteen months later we were out of there. Constant in-fighting amongst board members, they really couldn’t agree on the color of ****e. Things started to deteriorate almost immediately in the common areas. This resulted in some injuries in the clubhouse area that resulted in liability suits causing our fees to skyrocket. We are still on their email list and just received an email last week that they are having a recall vote on one of the board members because he spent unauthorized funds, signed an agreement with a contractor without a vote, and verbally abused a homeowner who spoke out against him at a meeting. We have heard similar horror stories from friends who live in other planned communities with resident run HOAs.

The developers are responsible for the beauty and wonderful amenities we see around us. When we came here (just this year) we looked around us and were amazed at what they have built, and how well it works. We have lived in 13 different states (including Hawaii) and have traveled extensively over our lives and I can honestly say we have never seen a place like this. It is exceptional in every way and it didn’t become that way because of bad decisions made by the developers. They have a vested interest in maintaining this place as the beautiful oasis it is because it sells homes for them and they have plans to sell lots more homes. I say, let them keep doing what they have done so beautifully up to now.

I agree with a previous poster that said that seniors are an extremely difficult group to please. I hear that from people in the outside community as well. A lot of resentment because they say we want everything for nothing and aren’t very nice when we don’t get it. I am saddened that we have garnered that reputation among our neighbors but from the complaints that seem endless about a myriad of things that, not only seem trivial a lot of times, also are things that most people in this country could only dream of but for so many here just aren’t “good enough.”

As for the complaints I see about the amenities fees…..look around you, so many amenities it would take a year to do something at each one of them. That community I mentioned previously had a clubhouse with a small fitness center and one pool. Their HOA fee this year is $359 a month. Property taxes are just as high also.

We may still be in the honeymoon phase, but there is no place else we’d rather be. And if someone else knows of another place that offers as much, runs better, is more beautiful, and costs the same or less, then they should probably go there, and let the rest of us know about it too.

your story about the infighting reminded me of a story about my mother , they had moved into a condo building after selling home in Boston , my mother went to a meeting and brought cookies with her, she came back upset and telling my father she couldn’t believe all the pleasant people she had met in building could be so mean to each other. I’ve been in a building where it’s a fight to get little things done because some people feel there not going to be around for all the changes and resist doing it , same thing here , lots of people don’t want to spend money to keep up everything , I wish the developer was always in charge there would be no need for clipboard ladies