Grand Prairie ISD

HOA fees - INCREASE AGAIN!!!!!  I agree that the community is a nice place to live and that the property is in a lot better shape than it used to be back in the 80's but the HOA fees are ridiculous!  Do you know what our Manager makes a year???? It's riduculous!  Yes, the way the economy is nowadays, you shouldn't be getting any raises and I guarantee you Mike gets a raise evey year - with our money!!!!!! Even if he didn't get a raise, with the salary he makes who nees a raise every year. If I made what he makes, I wouldn't care if I got a raise every year or not, and who approves his income? Us?  I doubt it!  Also, the HOA fees are riduculous!  We should be living in Highland Park for what we pay and now they're rasing them again????? I would prefer to pay my own water, cabel and security if it lowers our HOA fees. There so called "Special Assessments" are penalties that we are still having to pay for all the damages the previous board of directors and manager did back in the 80's. It's like we're the one's getting punished for what happened 20 years ago! When does it end????? I think it's riduculous how the BOD makes decisions without informing us first or at least letting us vote!  Why should the board make all the decisions when we're the one's who end up having to pay for all of it???? Our HOA fees are so ridiculous that they're going to have a lot of foreclosures on their hands soon if something is not done soon!  I don't think the 2 older woman are wrong at all - they probably feel the way I do! And I doubt there are only 2 who feel this way. Did you not go out our meeting when we were all against the high HOA fees? No, there are not just 2 out there are about 100 of us who feels this way! 

Amazing, another idiot! Go out and price the extended basic cable......80.00 a month, pest control....40.00, water 100.00, security system 24 hr...39.00, outside ins.....50.00, trash pick up....30.00  these things are covered by HOA and these costs are for someone just calling for an individual home......What other HOAs cover the extended basic cable? Then you have outside lawn care, the 2 pools.....wow are those free to maintain? NO. Get your facts right and start comparing apples to apples for what you pay. Yes a special assesment is going on......so take those 4 payments a year extra that you pay and add them up.....if you were in your own home and needed a hardy board fence and new roof what would that cost? Would those companies let you pay it out over a 5 year term at 4 payments a year with no intrest? Has your special assesment gone up when your regular HOA dues went up? NO! Do you think that the cable has stayed at the same cost since 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008? NO, they increase the cost so yes your HOA dues went up, by what 2%! When the city goes up on the water bills how do you expect the association to pay for it? If you don't like it then move, get yourself a condo over at Quail Run that was built at the same time and has not been maintained over the years and check out the dues and also CHECK WHAT IS COVERED. Also ask them how they paid for new roofs back in the late 90's.......they assesed evry home owner a 1 X charge of what the cost of the roof replacement was......8400.00 and guess what? It was do and payable in 30 days......so if you didn't have the cash, or didn't go out and get a loan, they could foreclose. READ THE DOCUMENTS. The Las Brisas board did not do that to us, we got to pay it out, wow....when they could have assesed everyone the portion for that condo due and payable in full. You bring up the property manager? This man actually works for the association to control cost, talk down the contractors, gets good deal on quality work that lasts, he has saved this association over and over and so what ever he gets paid he earned it and then some, vacations, the man lives and breathes Las Brisas. It is really sad as he babys way to many and goes above and beyond for this community. Did you know that Barker Management has only had one, that is 1 price increase for his fees since 1996? When we looked at other management companies, they were higher in price and all had a yearly increase in the service charges. That is standard. But yet Barker had 1 price increase of 250.00. You may not actually realize what you are getting for your money, so go shop around apples to apples and then come back and rethink what you wrote. You need to get your facts in order before throwing out half truths. 

Let me also throw this out when you go look at other HOAs and condo associations asking them what they charge and does it include 2 pools, extended basic digital cable, pest control when ever needed, water, 24hr alarm systems, trash pick up, outside insurance, yard maint., outside lighting, ........ ask if they are FHA approved! Las Brisas as well as only 1 other condo community are the only ones that actually got approved. The process is amazing and is very strict, but yet the board and management company got it done for the well being of the community.

Complaining, sound to me by uninformed homeowners who do not take the time to actually ask questions, compare etc. Board meetings, heck it takes having two cause people don't go saying all is good. 12 went to the last one! OUT OF 301 homes......