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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?
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.
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!
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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.
Three Ways To Cut Your Electric Bill At Deer Ridge Mountain Resort
The cost of electricity has been going though the roof. Yeah, I know, you heard it here first.
But, have you wondered why your electric bill at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort is so high? Well, we’ve identified three possible reasons.
#1: Apparent Theft Of Services
One of [...]
Summary: Do you realize that HALF of all HOA fees collected each YEAR from ALL Deer Ridge Owners are illegitimately used to pay the $152,000 a year negative cash flow of RML???
No wonder we never have ANY reserves for Deer Ridge – and the illegitimate “board” tries to force all owners to fund an illegitimate $353,500 [...]
In response to their meritless, retaliatory $1 Million defamation lawsuit against me, I have now filed a $3 Million lawsuit against Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, AKA Gatlinburg Golf and Racquet Club HOA and Joe Thomas, Luther Parker, Larry Ohm, Margie Duncan, David Barone and Tom Reise, all as individuals.
The lawsuit against GGRC et al is [...]
Well, the illegitimate “board” is at it again – continuing their ongoing attempts to coerce and intimidate ANY and ALL owners who dare to object to their abuse of power and attempts to continue their illegal fiefdom by breaking both Deer Ridge Law and Tennessee State Law.
This time, it is yet another mailing to the [...]
You can now download one document that is a complete scan of one Deer Ridge owner’s notebooks of all his documents related to GGRC and RML from 1987 through 2009.
This may or may not be comprehensive – there were probably other documents during that time frame that didn’t make its way into this notebook.
To get [...]
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 [...]
The following comment was added by Deer Ridge Owner James Goebel regarding the David Barone / “Board” “Suspension of Membership” Letter that Joe Thomas and the illegitimate “board” are using to attempt to intimidate owners who refuse to pay the equally illegitimate Asinine Assessment.
I appreciate Jim speaking up – and wanted to upgrade his comment [...]
Did you get a letter in the mail from GGRC regarding your “Suspension of Membership” on Deer Ridge?
If so, don’t let them intimidate you with their threats. Don’t let them illegally take away YOUR rights as an owner!
A LOT of owners are refusing to pay this illegitimate “special assessment.” So, a lot of other owners [...]
Joey and the “board” are running scared – scared that the owners will all find out just how few of them are paying their illegitimate Asinine Assessment.
Joey and the “board”are trying all they can to block both Neil and I from having access to the GGRC books and records that the laws of the State [...]
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,
[...]
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
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 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 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 – [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
CLICK HERE TO SEE JUST ADDED VIDEO
ON DAMAGE DONE BY JOE THOMAS
*** 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 [...]
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. [...]
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Help Us Fight The $1 Million Lawsuit If you believe in free speech as much as we do, we need your help - no matter where in America you may live.
The Deer Ridge HOA board and individual board members have filed a $1 Million Lawsuit against me in their ongoing attempts to stop this blog and have its contents removed. Click Press Release for details.
This power clique wants to continue to block free speech on this property and to keep their illegitimate secrets hidden from other owners.
They are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars of other owners' money on legal fees to keep themselves in power while they continue to break both Tennessee state law and Deer Ridge property law.
We need your help with the legal fees that will be required to force them to abide by the law - and insure that Deer Ridge Mountain Resort is entitled to free speech like the rest of America.
If you would like to join with others who believe in free speech and believe that all of the 305,000 Home Owner Associations across the nation should be protected from tyrannical boards that ignore the laws, please click the
Donate Button below.
Even a donation of just a few dollars would be very greatly appreciated as a way of showing that we have financial support from thousands of Americans for these important issues!
Thanks so much to all of those of you who have already contributed!
Please help us broadcast this Press Release to others you know who can spread the word. You are welcome to link to this site from Twitter, Facebook or other sites.
With your help we can fight and win this $1 Million lawsuit - and keep this blog active - and an inspiration and model for other HOA Abuse Blogs across the nation.
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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Owner Comments