[Frangyomory]

UP MAYO !!! Garry Owen!!!!

You will have to look into the Irish clubs once you get here from the land of fruits and nuts!!!! :joke: :joke:

[chuckinca]

Fran:

That seemed a bit on the negative side

Linda, "A rose by any other name is still a rose" "If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck etc. then it must be a duck. I am very, very sorry to sound so negative but, my wife and I really fell in love with The villages. The way that it is, not the way we are afraid it may become. We live in a "bundled community now" we have a golf course a huge tennis facility a three hundred boat marina and a country club of some thirty thousand square feet. Bundled means everyone that lives here pays the same amenity fee, whether you use the amenity or not, sound familiar? When the developer turned this community over to the home owners all heck broke loose. With 1200 homeowners came 1200 different opinions on how this community should be run etc, etc. You can cut the hostility around here with a knife. It has gone from paradise, to a haven for vitriol. Doesn't mean that the same thing will happen at TV but, We are not sure, anymore, whether or not to take the chance.

Beartrack

[golfnut]

frangy, "UP MAYO !!! Garry Owen!!!!", I don't get it, need more information, thank you.

[another Linda]

Originally Posted by golfnut

I predict this thread could get interesting....

Isn't that like the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."?

[rdkent]

golfnut - I can't answer for the UP MAYO but Garry Owen is the 7th Cav motto.

[ewstanley]

I am not a fan of HOA-s.
I agree with Beartrack about HOA-s elections being a popularity contest.

[redwitch]

I've lived with good HOAs and with bad. No question, if it is bad, it is awful. The one thing that saved us from the bad was that the Bylaws stated that no one could be president for no more than two consecutive terms. This pretty much made it that when we had a truly Board, we could (and did) get rid of the prez and her cronies -- fortunately, the next group got rid of a lot of the junk rules that were created. It took a couple of years to recover from the backlash but we ended up with a great crew and a great HOA.

There are ways to curb all of the self-interest issues. A lot depends on how the Bylaws are written. When the votes are public, it does create a lot of bad feelings. Our meetings were such that if you wanted to have something added to the agenda, it had to be written and approved by the Board. Open forums were only conducted twice yearly. This really did save on animosity between neighbors.

[Russ_Boston]

There have been many posts in the past which explain the CDD setup that will be in place for all of TV once the developer has finished.

Search for CDD.

[cabo35]

Very interesting thread. The first question that comes to mind is what is the criteria for the developer turning over control to property owners? Is it a timeline or is it buildout of a section? Is it at his whim? What exactly is included in the new responsibility, ie: roads, sewers, traffic controls, landscaping in common areas, etc.? I have talked to many "in the know", but seldom get the same answer twice. I am not suggesting that there is a sinister motivation, but homeowners need to be on the same page as the developer and the developer needs to be a more open with homeowners. It appears to me that the "notice" was sprung on the homeowners without educating them first and that is not right. Please correct me if I am misinformed.

I am not alarmed at the turnover to property owners as we expected that to happen at some point during ownership. When it actually occurs suddenly, it can be startling. Frangyomory has it exactly right with paying attention to the releases by the developer. I also believe a strong property owners association is in our collective interest. It is especially important because of the unique complexity of TV. Three counties, a municipality, extensive common areas and facilities.

Does the POA retain an attorney or professional property manager to insure that the interest of property owners are preserved when as Fran states, the developers disperse or otherwise engage in transactions that impact property owners?

My wife was president of a board that had many similarities to the Villages. It was a new oceanfront community that developed into several boards (one for each section) and a master association board where each section had a representative. There was a mix of private homes, condos and townhouses. The master association took care of common area, multiple pools, beach, recreation areas and parking issues. The boards took care of their section or units. We also had an on premise manager and small staff that responded to day to day issues. The original manager was the developer's man. Not the best situation. Subsequently, the association intereviewed candidates and appointed his successor. Accordingly the property owners were better served. The point is that we were apprehensive, suspicious and concerned with the unknown as we went through the metamorphosis to self government as the community grew. Today it is extremely well managed and a very desirable property.


Do not be overwhelmed by these complexities. With patience, monitoring and support for those who communicate our interests, this too shall pass. Life in the Villages is good. Be of good cheer. Have a great day.

[efrahin]

Well, that is it for Paradise. I dont understand, the place is being run good now, it will be hell later. I felt like a bucket of ice water fall on me when I read all this about Home Owners Assn. It will not be the same. We are retired people that do not want to waste our time with this kind of garbage. I am uncertain now if I want to move to TV.

[Russ_Boston]

Many of these concerns were well addressed in a previous post a few months ago. 'Villages Kahuna" had some great posts that we don't need to repeat here.

The original topic can be found here: https://www.talkofthevillages.com/sm...ic,2248.0.html

[gowens1]

You people are scaring me. After living through the "cityfacation" of Deltona and now a few years later seeing what a bureaucratic monster it has become, I may not want to move.
gary
Deltona, FL

[gfmucci]

If the great majority of active homeowners in The Villages have the same vision, for a quality, professionally managed community, they can make it happen. What happens in a smaller HOA or condo situation typically is that there is a vocal minority, or maybe even a majority, who want to cut costs, want to do certain things themselves that should be left to professionals, who want to be penny wise and pound foolish to save a buck...and the place slowly declines in the midst of continuing acrimony.

There's a trusim in the realm of condominium management...a complex is never as well maintained as during the period of intial sales and control by the developer. From then on, the penny pincher unit owners take over and operations and maintenance decline.

It seems to me that there is great momentum among Villagers to maintain a pristine, optimally maintained, professionally run community, no matter what form of government or management is selected to do it. The residents will demand it and, as Captain Kirk would say, they will "make it so."

[Hancle704]

"The amenity fee is just for use of recreation facilities."
Think you would get different information about this if you check with POA of The Villages.(The original resident group.) They will tell you that a substantial portion of our Amenities fees goes to payment of the bonds that were used to purchase the Rec Centers, Gate houses, pools etc. from the Developer.

As I understand things as they relate to Villa Communities the local CDD's have been responsible for common area maintenance, road re-sufacing, etc as these Villa roads were never turned over to the Counties. If the Developer decides to leave, the CDD's will pro bably continue to exist as they were created under State Statutes and have a legal standing independent of the Developer. Clarification of the real facts might best be obtained through attendance at one of the CDD Classes conducted by District Administration and at the POA of The Villages Monthly Meetings. You probably wont get answers at the VHA Meetings or in their monthly Daily Sun newspaper insert