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?
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
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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.
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"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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 – 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 [...]
**** 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
*** 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 [...]
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 [...]
CLICK HERE TO SEE JUST ADDED VIDEO
ON DAMAGE DONE BY JOE THOMAS
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 [...]
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 [...]
*** 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
*** 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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
***** 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
This is an email I received from Luther Parker and the Board of Directors in response to all of my emails and posting on this blog:
You have presented a number of issues and concerns (via emails) that you would like the Board to consider. We think these could be best addressed in a face to [...]
We have pretty much decided that Small Claims Court is, well, too small…for all of our claims we keep uncovering at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.
Based on our research, we are now aggressively pursuing either one and probably two class-action lawsuits against GGRC, RML, and individuals who we believe have been guilty of either gross negligence [...]
***** Major News Flash! ***** ***** Major News Flash! ***** ***** Major News Flash! *****
Yep….I am still having a good old time plowing through the Master Deed and Bylaws of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort (AKA GGRC and RML.) Such fun! But I have found THREE more pivotal, and ongoing violations of the Deer Ridge documents [...]
Just did a quickie analysis on the $1,000 across the board assessment done by the Board a few years ago.
As you can see, the Board was either grossly negligent OR fraudulent in charging ALL owners the same amount for that assessment – instead of applying the REQUIRED Master Deed Percentages:
$ 1,000.00
Assessment
84
[...]
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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!
Deer Ridge Litigation Fund Do you, as an owner at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, believe we are ALL entitled to have access and be able to copy the books and records of our Homeowner's Association?
So, do I.
But, apparently, Employee Joe Thomas and President Luther Parker and the Board disagree - and are doing all they can to block access, publication and candid discussion of the Asinine Assessment, special deals and favored treatment - at the expense of all Owners.
What ARE they so afraid of us finding out?
Maybe it has to do with the HUGE $10,000 overcharge for my HOA Fees, special assessments, water and cable TV bill - which, in my personal opinion, is due to fraudulent intent or at least gross negligence by the Deer Ridge Board of Directors and / or General Manager Joe Thomas. Please see the posts for details.
We have no choice but to file a lawsuit against GGRC and RML in order to finally, once and for all, make it clear that OWNERS do have a right to all the information about our property and our investment at Deer Ridge.
If you have thoughts and ideas and suggestions, please post them here on this blog.
If you have any clout with the Board, convince them to stop the charade - and let the owners have the information that all owners own!
If you want to help cover the legal costs to get us the right to see the bids for $50,000 for nuts and bolts - and the other background documents for the $353,500 Asinine Assessment, please click on the Donate Button below.
With enough in donations, we can hire BOTH an attorney AND a forensic accountant for the whole process through the Court in Sevier County to make absolutely certain we win EVERY point - and never have to fight Employee Joe and the Board on this stuff again.
Even a $100 contribution will help show that you are in favor of an open and FULLY transparent homeowners' association at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort!
Thanks so much to those of you who have already contributed!
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