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You are welcome to leave your comments on the various posts on the blog. You no longer have to be registered to comment. (Even regular contributors had trouble remembering their log on passwords!)

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Welcome to All Deer Ridge Owners

Welcome to all owners of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort condos in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

My goal is to help all Deer Ridge owners to have a voice in the management and operation of your property.

Click on the TITLES of any of the following subjects to read the whole posting - and see the comments made by your co-owners. You can also type any term into the below search box, or any word or term in the search cloud.

Click the big image at the top of the page to return to the front page at any time.

Investment Analysis For A Rental Condo At Deer Ridge


Will you really lose $40,000 cash if you buy a rental condo at Deer Ridge and use Ridge Management Ltd?

Click To Download!

As an owner-occupied home, Deer Ridge is an incredible value with THE best view in the Smokies and great amenities.

However, several owners and would-be owners of Deer Ridge condos have asked me if these units are a good rental property investment or not. To help answer that question objectively, I had to analyze the real moving parts of buying and owning here.

Get my complete, detailed investment analysis based on buying a rental condo unit at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

It shows what you MUST do to make money when you buy a rental unit at Deer Ridge.

Just click the picture or click Investment Analysis

Gross Negligence – Or Is It Fraud?

Legalese On

GENERAL DISCLAIMER FOR ALL PAGES AND POSTS

Note: The following, and the information on any and all other posts and pages by me about General Manager Joe Thomas, GGRC, RML and /or the Board of Directors and its members, or any related topics, are my personal opinions based on my ongoing investigation into the actions and inactions of the GGRC and RML Board of Directors and / or Joe Thomas, General Manager.

While I believe these allegations to be true based on my objective analysis, these opinions remain as only allegations until I, or others, prove things in court.

My goal is to offer all owners all the information and evidence that I have available so that everyone can reach their own conclusions.

Legalese - And Powered Wig - Off

----------------------------

Every Dollar You Pay For Deer Ridge Is The WRONG Amount!

Please read the various posts here on this Deer Ridge Owners Blog - and see my evidence and analysis which I believe shows conclusively that EVERY dollar of HOA Fees, EVERY dollar EVERY special assessment, EVERY water bill and cable TV sent out for YEARS to ALL Deer Ridge Owners has been wrong!

In many cases at least ONE THIRD of ALL owners have been GROSSLY overcharged. My calculations show that I have been overcharged more than TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS in the past 50 months I've owned at Deer Ridge.

The Board has been WRONGLY and arbitrarily ignoring the requirements of the Master Deed and the Bylaws for YEARS.

If my analysis is correct, the Board has zero choice. They MUST abide by the Master Deed Percentages.

But they haven’t.

However, if the Board knowingly ignored the clear directives of the Master Deed and the Bylaws when allocating costs to various unit types, and overcharging certain unit types on a regular basis, my opinion is that the Board and Joe Thomas may have acted fraudulently.

If they have not been fraudulent, then they have been, at the very least, grossly negligent.

Read the various blog postings - and judge for yourself.

Please Register To Log In And Leave Your Comments

Please register first - so you can participate in the discussions by making comments that reflect YOUR opinion.

When you register, please include your unit number so we can confirm you are really an owner!

You are welcome to submit as many comments as you want on any of the topics - or even on a new topic. This is the time and the place to finally have YOUR voice heard with regard to your investment at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.

I would ask that you include your Deer Ridge unit number at the end of each of your posts so other owners get to know you - however, it is not required. I understand some owners may want anonymity for a variety of reasons - but I will need you to show me that you are an owner.

I may post non-owner comments from time to time if I believe they add to the discussion. When this happens I will note that it is a non-owner comment.

Bear in mind, any and all comments you make here can be seen by all one billion folks on the Internet, worldwide!

Thanks!

"We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert." — J. Robert Oppenheimer. This includes the Board of Directors of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.


How To Fire Joe Thomas And Save GGRC Tens Of Thousands $$$ Each Year

HOA Management Versus Rental Property Management
Since there is no legally elected Board of Directors, and hence, no legally hired General Manager at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, I have begun the quest for a competent HOA management company.
This is not to be confused with a rental property management company such as RML that worries about rentals [...]

Smoking Gun: Board Minutes Show Intent To Block Sales To Non-RML Buyers

Joe Thomas was quick to unequivocally blame me personally, by name, in the recent “Annual Meeting” for being responsible for the slow sales at Deer Ridge.
Gee, really, Joe?
It has been my personal belief that through his position as Principal Broker of the on site real estate company, Joe Thomas has attempted to overtly control [...]

Guest Post: Another 1 Bedroom Owner Responds To Deer Ridge Board Attack Letter

I received this email yesterday from another 1-1 Owner at Deer Ridge in response to the blatantly self-serving attack letter by Joe Thomas and the “board.”   With this Owner’s approval, I am including it here as an example of the support I am receiving from a number of other owners who are equally outraged at [...]

Are You In Hot Water At Deer Ridge Mountain Resort?

This is an open email to Joe Thomas regarding the new hot water heaters that we were all forced to install last summer.
Our old one worked perfectly – but with the new one, we are only getting less than 17 gallons of hot water out of our 30 gallon tank.
If you haven’t been here for [...]

Knoxville Law Firm Hired - Retainer Paid

We have just hired an established real estate-focused law firm in Knoxville to begin our legal pursuits against GGRC, Joe Thomas and the current Board of Directors of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.
We have already paid the necessary retainer – so watch this blog closely for upcoming developments.
Do YOU believe that ALL owners of Deer Ridge [...]

New Official Mail Tampering Complaints Filed Against Joe Thomas At Deer Ridge

This is an open letter to Luther Parker and the Board regarding what we see as ongoing mail tampering at Deer Ridge.
As a result of this blog, and the efforts of other full time residents at Deer Ridge, we were able to finally force Joe Thomas and the Board to erect private postal boxes like [...]

Deer Ridge Mountain Resort: Who IS Responsible For Multiple Violations of Article XII of the Master Deed?

The following was part of my December 4th email I sent in response to Joe Thomas’ email at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.  The brackets from this comment are so clear on this point, I thought it deserved its own posting.
Joe,
With the long running untrustworthy track record of you and the board when it comes to [...]

Deer Ridge Walkway Railing Alteration Fiasco - Vote NO!

Hot Off The Press
Watch your mail.  You will be getting a copy of the latest diatribe from President Luther Parker – this one regarding the Walkway Railing Alteration.  To read Luther’s letter now, just click Fiasco or check under Documents You Can Download located in the left column of this blog.
Joey and The Board Finally [...]

Deer Ridge Problems - The Mind Map

Deer Ridge – The Mind Map
A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea.  I use these all the time to work with my clients as a way to convey complex planning ideas.
I decided to use [...]

Tree Trimming At Deer Ridge: A Guest Post By Tina

****   GUEST POST   ***
Note:  The way blogs work is that one person makes posts and others can add comments to each of those posts.  Since I want to give ALL owners a REAL voice in the their property and investment at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, I will sometimes elevate a comment to a [...]

Windstorm Damage At Deer Ridge

Yesterday, we have very heavy winds – probably gusting t0 60 MPH.  One fatality was a 30′ tree in the island as you drive into Deer Ridge.  It was quickly cut up and removed by our maintenance staff – even while the storm was still raging.

Nature has a way of destroying things like this tree [...]

Deer Ridge Owners Mailing Labels Now Available To ALL Owners

Even though the “Board’s” own attorney told the “Board” that they HAD to give any and all owners the names, addresses and unit number of every current owner, Joey and the “Board” are bending over backwards to make it as hard as possible for owners.
Instead of simply forwarding the existing Word document that directly prints [...]

Open Letter to Chuck Sexton - Attorney for GGRC - That GGRC and Deer Ridge Has NO Current Board of Directors

*** UPDATE ***
Chuck,
I am writing you directly as a representative of several owners of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.
The reason for this direct contact is that, based on our meeting with you last weekend at the “board” meeting, the resulting conclusion of the conversations was that Gatlinburg Golf and Racquet Club (“GGRC“) currently [...]

Lawsuit Against Deer Ridge GGRC Inevitable And Moving Forward - Despite Gains At Board Meeting

On the advice of an attorney, we waited – wanting to see what might happen during the board meeting.  Now that we know, we have no choice but to continue to aggressively pursue our lawsuit against GGRC, et al.
In spite of some good gains we made for the benefit of all Deer Ridge owners during [...]

Joe Thomas Butchers Deer Ridge Trees For Benefit Of Non Deer Ridge Owner - Chapter 2

 
 
 
CLICK HERE TO SEE JUST ADDED VIDEO
ON DAMAGE DONE BY JOE THOMAS

Major Win On Deer Ridge Article XII Bylaws - Thoughts and Implications

When I pressed at last weekend’s board meeting that Article XII of the Bylaws REQUIRED a 75% vote of ALL owners for ANY improvement to Deer Ridge and that Joe’s Folly Pavilion was illegally built and funded by GGRC HOA fees, I was surprised that GGRC attorney Chuck Sexton seemed surprised by the wording and [...]

Major Successes At Deer Ridge Board Meeting - Four Total - One Major Win!

At this weekend’s board meeting, my presence was warmly anticipated by the Board making sure that Chuck Sexton, the GGRC attorney, was there while I was there.  He, unfortunately, left right after I left.
While Chuck was argumentative about many of my 17 issues, as it turns out, his presence worked in our favor in several [...]

Joe Thomas Butchers Deer Ridge Trees For Benefit Of Non Deer Ridge Owner

***  UPDATE   ***
With the help of three other owners, we were able to investigate who it is that is benefiting from Joe Thomas butchering our trees.  If you watch the following video you will see that Joe Thomas cut himself a deal by cutting the trees owned by ALL Deer Ridge owners.
The ONLY property [...]

Deer Ridge Board Meeting Motion - Fire Joe Thomas For Cause

During the Board meeting this weekend, I made the following motion before the Board – while looking directly at Joe Thomas:
Considering the following actions, inactions, mistakes and gross negligence of General Manager, Joe Thomas, why has the Board not yet fired him “for cause?”

Complete lack of fiscal performance by completely missing budget targets.
Ineffective ability to [...]

Deer Ridge Owners Beware: You Will Be Frisked By The Police If You Attend Board Meetings

Yes, I am serious.
Your Deer Ridge Board of Director led by Luther Parker and Joe Thomas, the General Manager are SO paranoid that they actually had a police officer blocking entrance to this weekend’s Board and Budget Meeting.
No “regular” owners were allowed to attend the meeting – until they were literally frisked and all of [...]

Owners Beware: Your Trash Is Being Read By RML Personnel At Deer Ridge?

It has just come to our attention that our trash is actually being opened and READ by RML personnel.   We are investigating whether this goes all the way to the top or not.
We have heard unsubstantiated reports that Joe Thomas has special software to intercept and read what is being sent and received on the [...]

Inspection Report - Building A and E - Another Failure By Joe Thomas At Deer Ridge

***  Updated Post – Now With Photos By Inspector ***
The following is an inspection report dated November 9, 2009 that was ordered and paid for by Todd Novak, one of the permanent residents and owners here at Deer Ridge.
Todd has been very concerned about the deplorable repairs that were completed by Joe Thomas’ chosen contractors.  [...]

Recording HOA Board Meetings At Deer Ridge Mountain Resort In Gatlinburg

Twenty Percent Of US Population Live Under HOA Rules
Here is an interesting stat:
“Today, according to the Community Associations Institute, nearly 60 million Americans live in a planned development, condominium complex or some other form of housing governed by an association.
The number continues to grow. Firm statistics are hard to come by, but anecdotal evidence suggests [...]

Six Weeks Old - Some Blog Statistics - And A Legal Update

Some Blog Statistics
I started this Deer Ridge Owners Blog about six weeks ago.
During that time, we have had:

38 posts with 82 comments, six pages and 20 different categories.  (I am getting a LOT of other, mostly encouraging, email from owners and others who support our cause – but who prefer, currently, to remain anonymous.)
We have [...]

Documents You Can Download: Deer Ridge Monthly Newsletters - October 2005 to August 2009

I just added a new Deer Ridge document that you can download:  The Monthly Newsletter for Deer Ridge Mountain Resort Home Owners’ Association between October 2005 to August 2009. 
There are a few missing newsletter but most of them are there.  If anyone has any that are missing or predate our ownership, they can mail [...]

We Are * In Play * - As They Say On Wall St. - Attorney Contacts Commenced For Deer Ridge HOA Lawsuit

The dance has begun.   I contacted 28 area law firms today.
These were ones where I checked out their web sites, their areas of practice, etc. to help make sure there  is a mutual match between their focal points and our specific needs.  It’s a slow process – but one that I hope will help us [...]

Seeking Legal Representation - RFP - HOA Lawsuits

*****  Major News Flash! ***** *****  Major News Flash! ***** *****  Major News Flash! *****
The following is a standard, automated email that I plan on sending to 200-400 law firms in Knox, Blount and Sevier Counties with the goal of soliciting the best legal representation in our upcoming class action lawsuits concerning Deer Ridge Mountain [...]

Open Letter To Luther Parker and Board: Joe Thomas Accosts Owner In Laundry Room

At approximately 3:45 PM on Friday October 16, 2009, Employee,  and General Manager of GGRC, Joe Thomas accosted my wife Janet in the laundry room of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.
Janet had been talking with Janice, head of housekeeping, while she did laundry.  A few minutes after Janice left, while Janet was alone in the laundry [...]

August 2009 Ridge Report - RML Results

I don’t know about you but “The Deer Ridge Mountain Resort website, www.deerridge.com. performed extremely well during the month of August” doesn’t seem to jive with

41% decrease over last year’s Room Revenue for August
Nor with the 43% drop in Room Nights.

This is especially true when you remember how much of a drop there was [...]

Deer Ridge Owners: We Are Getting Charged HOW Much For THAT?

Want to see what your $22,000 for Holiday Decor bought you for your investment at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort?  The following video was taken ONE WEEK after the decorations were first put up.

Last December, we were all mailed copies of the budget for GGRC and RML for 2009.  But how many of you REALLY looked [...]