I agree with the last posting. I saw the signs and I stopped to talk the guys to see what it was all about. They were both very friendly and they want the homeowners to have a true voice in our community. Did you know if Centex adds the new addition they are proposing they will keep control of our HOA. I got that from Jennifer in the sales office. What those guys want is for the homeowners to have at least 3 of the five positions on the Architectural Review Board, which is what Maryetta and Tony was appointed to. They don't want full control of the HOA or to get rid of it.

I agree that you should stop and talk to those guys. They have done more research and talk to far more people than most of have. While i was there I saw more neighbors in full support than negative responses. Didn't see any negative responses!

 What meeting are you talking about?  The only HOA meeting I am aware of is the one we had last summer.  The one where we had just the barest minimum of participants to even hold people most of you only care when you get a letter saying you did something wrong.  

Nothing you do is going to change the fact that Centex/Pulte is going to control the HOA until they are finished here.  Otherwise, you have people doing things detrimental to the neighborhood and can hurt sales.  Suck it up people.  Follow the rules, and when centex is gone start applying for changes.  Or move away.

As a first-time home owner and person in my mid-20's, I am severely disappointed in the lack of maturity some members of this community have & continue to show (on both sides!).

Might I make a suggestion?

Gather the facts, analyze the situation, form your own opinion (not your neighbor's), and if you have something to say, then perhaps you should avoid internet-based conflicts & participate in meetings so that you may be properly heard.

Arguments on the web rarely ever result in positive compromise, even in the few occassions that they result in any action whatsoever. This holds especially true when participants are allowed to post anonymously.  If this is the best we can do, then perhaps the best course of action would be to remove the online forum and force members who wish to stay informed to attend meetings rather than lurk and obtain second-hand accounts.

If this is what my wife & I have to look forward to in the coming years, I'll be making my stay as short as possible, as this is NOT the type of atmosphere conducive to starting and raising a family. It's such a shame; the location and convenience of schools made this an ideal subdivision.

Please don't make us regret the single largest investment we've made in our lives together.

"Please don't make us regret the single largest investment we've made in our lives together"

Agreed wholeheartedly.  Currently I have no facts regarding the anarchy situation that appears to be developing, but this forum has certainly opened my eyes to the lack of ethical communication techniques required for individuals in this community to lead its Homeowner's Association.  Personally I wouldn't want someone with a "it's not fair..." attitude leading such an organization.  Life's not fair - get over it.  Roll with the punches and make the best out of what could be a less than desirable situation.  My wife and I just finished putting up a fence - no problems at all - but there were no problems because we stood by the guidelines presented to us and obtained the proper documentation for our lot.  Much like the previous post indicated, having the correct information can save a whole lot of heartache.

Being a computer technician and somewhat experienced in web development I contacted a HOA member some time ago regarding a community-sponsored forum like this one.  I was informed such a forum generally leads to a place for people to merely complain and show their lack of respect to the homeowner's association - I suppose they "hit the nail on the head" there.

If we can't have constructive discussions here, I agree that the forum should be removed.  Being in the same situation as the previous poster (married male, mid-to-late 20's) I can't imagine living in an area where the community is so torn.

Agreed wholeheartedly.

Thanks for the response. I'm glad to see someone with similar sentiments participate.

My wife and I just finished putting up a fence - no problems at all - but there were no problems because we stood by the guidelines presented to us and obtained the proper documentation for our lot.

We actually did the same in November.  We even installed it ourselves, yet we didn't hit a single problem (besides the awful amounts of fill - rock, tires, bricks, shingles, etc., but that's another story).

Being a computer technician and somewhat experienced in web development I contacted a HOA member some time ago regarding a community-sponsored forum like this one.

I'm a software developer myself and got through college on web dev contracting. I kind of laughed when I found out our forum was one long comment thread, but it seemed to be serving its purpose until now. I think if we do choose to keep a board, that we should relocate to an actual forum where moderation should be paramount and topics kept on-point. We could start with activity-related threads, removing any and all potential conflicts to the HOA meetings. Then we could perhaps eventually open up to community discussion (it's just apparent we're not ready for that yet).

On an unrelated note, I've got the riding itch - would anyone be interested in getting a leisurely bike ride together to Jack Daniel's or somewhere? 231 makes for a nice trip down.

Freedom of Speech in a Representative Democracy

Sometime in the near future we will be electing an entire HOA Board made up completely of homeowners. They will make decisions that will affect the future of our entire community.  

We are on the brink of becoming an autonomous self-governing community and we are about to have a huge responsibility handed to us. Therefore it's important for us to completely understand the function of the HOA because soon enough we will be running our community through our elected representatives. An important point missed so far in this discussion is that we need to find five reasonable people who care about this community to serve as board members and represent us.

I hope those of you who are reading this appreciate that what is happening is that a representative democracy is in the process of being born.  Probably the closest thing to a real government of the people, for the people and by the people, than many have ever experienced, unless you have lived in a community with a HOA before.  The direction of our community takes once  when we take control of our HOA will be in our own hands. We all hope for the best.

We are also witnessing  freedom of speech, an essential element of a effective democracy.

Before the internet there was no such opportunity for a new community to observe the unfolding of its future with such transparency. We are truly blazing a new trail in this community and I believe it is a good thing that we are having such a dialogue about our HOA.  At the very least it's raising the consciousness of those reading the posts about the differing points of views on neighborhood issues.

Above all remember that we are all neighbors and all part of a community made up of individuals. Hopefully we are inspiring some caring and reasonable individuals to come forward and lead us as elected HOA Board Members when the time comes. It would be the greatest tragedy if we don't find any such individuals.

Always remember that  Centex may have built the homes, but we are building this community together as neighbors.

Mark Stout

Thank you Mark.  Wise words.  Maybe this discussion is the catalyst that gets homeowners to the HOA meeting in August that will step up and become board members. 

Mark, seems that you have a great insight on what is going on in Blackman Farm with one exception, Centez/ Pulte HAS NO PLANS to share control of our HOA until the new annex is  completed. This new bulid will  be over 200+ homes.   Some things to think about are: do we want a letter sent when a home owner has a few cigarette butts in his yard, or have a letter sent for weeds waste high in undeveloped lots? Where are our priorities?  Anyone wishing to discuss these issues are welcome to stop on the corner at the house with the sign .       

P.S  I can live with what homeowners want even if this is having  everthing the way it is now; then so be it. (No more posts from me.)   I like the face-to-face discussions; stop by for a chat like it used to be .

FOOD FOR THOUGHT ~~When Blackman Farm homeowners want to sell their home they can put (1) sign in the window; Centex/Pulte have signs in the yards:  FAIR_____UNFAIR____?Keep in mind, peope only keep homes between 5 - 7 yrs.  COULD YOU BE NEXT? 

If you agree this is a LOT one-sided, contact your HOA Management Co. (Ghertner) and Centex Rep. (Lorilei Gentry) to express your dissatisfaction .

ALSO, attend the NEW ANNEX MEETING on JUNE 17, at City Hall at 7p.m.  Centex/Pulte want to add 200+ homes next door to us with streets connecting to this subdivision.

THIS MEANS, we would probably have another 3 - 4 years of their CONTROL  over our HOA.

3 Questions

1. Did you sign the HOA compliance and convenant form?

2. Did you decide to purchase a home governed by Centex?

3. What would happened if we didnt have these compliance laws in place for our properties?

Obviously , you have alot free time. Would you like to mow my yard as Im afraid I just recieved a letter from Centex

Great point Pete ! Only one thing...the letter is from Ghertner..LOL. Most people forget THEY signed the covenants. Of course most never bothered to read them. What would our neighborhood look like with "relaxed " rules if  it looks this way with the so called "strict" rules. They are not that hard to follow. You want to decorate, we all have back yards. Take the time to drive around and really look at some of the yards.It doesn't take that long to maintain the bed or the lawn.No one was forced to buy in here.

Came here from a neighborhood in NC & am thrilled with the HOA's standards. This despite getting a letter due to a college flag out front. Following policy for the public interest is part of being an adult owning a home, or a driver on the interstate staying w/in the speed limit. I don't want chain link fences or cars up on blocks to devalue my property, the economy is doing that on its own.

The practice of a developer not turning the subdivision over to residents is not unusual. Guess whom will pay for the streets to be paved once all the lots are built? Yeah, it's Centex/Pulte.

On a lighter note... any stay at home moms interested in starting a play date?

I was really hoping that by now the disruptive signs would have come down.  Do these two men not know they are incredibly stupid and causing a headache for all the good neighbors that have common sense?? 

Well what is 'stupid' to some may not be for all community members.  My husband and I picked up a handout from the info box and did not find anything 'stupid' about it. Rational adults review all arguments and make their own decisions based on the facts.  Also rational adults usually refrain from name calling.

I would love to read all of the facts- arguments from both or all sides.  I admit, I am not what you would call well informed of the debate.  I would welcome more posts from the poster above, or anyone else regardless of their view point.

I don't think people realize that the HOA does not have the funds to maintain the neighborhood.  There are people that refuse to pay there dues.

So some people refuse to pay the HOA dues?  Do you have supporting evidence? Perhaps you could help me and others who read this forum where you learned of the deficit.  The last literature that I received from the HOA indicated that they had a more than meager reserve.  Of course, this mailing was so long ago that it may be outdated.   If what you say is true, then I am sure there is a process laid out to deal with homeowners that do not pay. 

 By the way could the black man with the signs in his yard please put your trash cans away.  Everyday they are on the corner for everyone to look at.  

Well dear poster YOU could ask him.  If not, it has been written several times on this forum the process of reporting such offenses. For the future,  I would refrain from calling someone 'the black man with the signs'.  It rubs certain people the wrong way.

Where is this house with the chicken coop?

Fact : 3 times in 4 years fence guidelines changed; yes, Centex has the right to change them. Doesn't that seems excessive? In fact if the "Poster" had read and had taken time to stop on the corner they would have a better understanding of what is going on. There are 18 houses on the alley I live on facing Blaze; 3 houses have off-set fences, 2 straight off the corner,and 13 without a fence. The request for the fence was turned  down  when there are already 3 the way I want to put mine. AGAIN, no one needs total control; there has to be HOME-OWNERS involved. If you have read the covenants,  it has language for variances.  The person calling someone stupid is in my opinion the one with a bigger problem than I do with a fence. 

@John:  Did you get a permit from the city that signed off on the way you want your fence built?

When/where is the next HOA meeting?

They are usually always held the end of August.  This may be the one meeting that we actually have enough people show up to hold it.  Turnout is always extremely poor in the past.  I hope we have every single house represented at the next meeting.   A letter will be sent out with the date the month before.  Sometimes they are held at Blackman elementary or hotel conference room locally.

We live on Blaze Drive by the playing field and last night our car was broken into.  We had two brand new car dvd players and our GPS taken.  Be on the look out!  I'm calling now to file a police report.