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.

"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.


Guest Post: Neil Blair: Compare Deer Ridge Operation and Politics To This Property

The following is also a comment left by Neil, C-208, about another property he owns.  This was an email he sent tonight to the entire “board” and Joey.”
Judge for yourself:  Which property is operated better?
Please bear with me… And Yes, WAY, WAY Down the Thread, after my Rant,
[...]

Do NOT Make Your Deer Ridge March 1st Assessment Payment - It Is NOT A Valid Assessment

I strongly recommend you do NOT make your March 1, 2010 OR your 2011 “special” assessment payments to Deer Ridge.
Based on an independent legal counsel review of our Master Deed and Bylaws, his legal opinion is that this “special” Deer Ridge assessment is invalid for at least FOUR reasons:

The GGRC Master Deed and Bylaws do NOT [...]

Independent Legal Opinion: GGRC Board Guilty Of Numerous Violations / $353,500 Assessment Is Null And Void

Independent Legal Opinion:   GGRC “Board” Guilty Of Numerous Violations / $353,500 Assessment Is Null And Void
The following is a copy of an email sent to Luther Parker, other “board” members and Joe Thomas on February 18, 2010 describing the legal findings of a real estate law firm concerning Gatlinburg Golf and Racquet Club – GGRC [...]

Deer Ridge History 1987-2006 - New Downloadable Document For All Owners

We have a new, major document you can download from the “Documents You Can Download” Section in the left column of this blog – or by clicking Deer Ridge History 1987-2006.
This document is a complete scan of one Deer Ridge owner’s notebook of all his documents related to GGRC and RML from 1987 through 2006.
This [...]

Deer Ridge Board - You Better Learn A New Latin Term - Ultra Vires

As I noted in my post, Deer Ridge Board Abuse Of Power Continues – Vote For Walkways Improperly Done, Joe Thomas and the Board have continued their abuse of power.
As the previous post says, the Board is REQUIRED to gain the approval of at least 90% of the mortgage holders of all loans on all [...]

Deer Ridge History - Historical Documents And Smoking Guns - Coming Soon

We have just been presented with two massive notebooks of historical documents on Deer Ridge that date back to about the time the property was built!
This 11″ stack of papers make absolutely fascinating reading – board minutes, incorporation papers for RML, annual meeting presentations, promises, excuses, provisional hiring, political force outs, side deals – the [...]

Deer Ridge Board Abuse Of Power Continues - Vote For Walkways Improperly Done

Once again, the Deer Ridge Board continues its abuse of power by directly violating the Master Deed with respect to the vote on the walkway railings on February 6, 2010.
The First Phase Vote
Neil and I attended the Special Meeting for the Walkway Railing vote.  The ending ballots by owners were 77% in favor.  This means [...]

Major Wind Storm - Another Deer Ridge Tree Lost

Major foundation shaking wind storm at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort today.  Unfortunately, lost another major tree on the small island at the front of the property.  This is the second major tree lost in the island this year alone.
Are we doing something wrong where this year we have lost two major island trees in four [...]

Open Letter to Luther Parker and the Board - Special Meeting for February 6, 2010

Open Letter to Luther Parker and the Board regarding the announced Special Meeting for February 6, 2010 concerning the waste of $49,000 of owners’ money to replace perfectly good walkway railings.
Luther, David and the Board,
Pursuant to the GGRC Bylaws, I am required to submit the attached proxies to the Secretary at least one day before [...]

Walkway Railings Vote - Vote No Or Send Proxy

If you have not already done so, please vote NO – check “NO – I DO NOT approve the alteration” on the walkway railings vote that is coming up in the special meeting on February 6th.
You can download a copy of the ballot / proxy by clicking Ballot.
If you prefer, you can name me as [...]

Deer Ridge Mountain Resort: Open Letter To Luther, GGRC Attorney Chuck Sexton and Board - Walkway Railings Test Requires Vote First!

The following email was sent to Luther Parker and the board of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort on January 2, 2010.  It was also sent to GGRC attorney, Chuck Sexton.
Luther,
You and Joe Thomas and the Board are hereby put on notice that any walkway railing “test” is a DIRECT violation of the Article XII of the [...]

Deer Ridge Board: What Part of No Do You NOT Understand?

Joey And The Board Are About To Trample YOUR Rights Once Again
Readers of this blog know that I have been pushing hard for the Board and Joey to abide by the rules of the Master Deed and Bylaws.  Readers also know that one part of that push has been with regard to Article XII – [...]

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 2010 Budgets BOD Minutes Etc - Hot Off The Press

The JUST released Deer Ridge Mountain Resort 2010 Budgets and Board of Directors Minutes are now available as a Document You Can Download.  Please click CROCK to download your own copy of this very special document.
At least, I assume these are supposed to be the minutes of Deer Ridge AKA Gatlinburg Golf and Racquet Club, [...]

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

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 [...]

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.  [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Class-Action Lawsuits - Coming Soon To A HOA Near You

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 [...]

RML Is Illegal! Pavilion Is Illegal! April Annual Meetings Are Illegal! More Major Flagrant Master Deed Violations

*****  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 [...]

Homemade Gnat Trap - Get Rid Of Those Deer Ridge Gnats, No See Ums, Fruit Flies

If you spend time at Deer Ridge,  or just about anywhere else in the Gatlinburg area, you know how there seems to be gnats galore swarming everywhere.  They really get pesky when they get inside your unit – especially the ones that bite.
We found the following video on YouTube.com that really works great!  No sprays [...]

Do You Know How To Cut Off Your Water At Deer Ridge?

I didn’t know the answer until today – even though we’ve owned here for over four years.

This morning, we had to have our hot water heater pulled out to redo the plastic piping discharge from the A/C unit.  It was wrongly installed years ago so that the discharge spilled over into the pan that sits [...]

Postmaster Says We Have A Right To Demand Individual Mailboxes

UPDATE!  – FORMAL COMPLAINT FILED WITH POSTAL INSPECTORS – SEE BELOW

The Board and RML need to understand that this property is trending toward more and more full time residences – and the property’s operation needs to reflect this. We are not sure if our mail is being tampered with – but we seem to [...]

The New Deer Ridge Owners Site – Please Post Comments and Suggestions On Blog Here

Hi all,
I am in the process of changing this site for Deer Ridge Owners so that it is a blog instead of a static web page. That way, all owners who register will be able to make comments and discuss issues – and have a voice that I hope will finally be noticed by the [...]