http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/RSSCOMMENTS en-US hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/going-gated-alpharetta-and-milton-neighborhods-installing-gates#c54001 admin1 [Member] Hey, Mike: Aren't you glad that you can participate on this blog and correct me - or at least add more detail and flavor as a home owner in Crooked Creek. I am! That is my vision for this site: collective knowledge that is closer to the "truth" than one person's characterization. sooooo, thanks for commenting and adding your perspective.<br /><br />As far as the "plan" for CC including a guard, that was a dozen years ago. I don't know if it holds any ground now.<br /><br />As far as trying to recoup what is due the neighborhood from neglected maintenance by Fulton County, I say: "Get in line." There are neighborhoods older than CC that have been ignored longer. Every neighborhood has a claim to this money that CC is requesting and I'm not sure you can say any was every specifically earmarked for CC. Where did the $600k number come from?<br /><br />Bottom line is that maintenance of all the neighborhood streets is going to be a giant pill to swallow. There hasn't been a neighborhood resurfaced in Milton that I'm aware of. The City of Milton has $1.5M budgeted for pavement milling and resurfacing. I don't know how much roadway you can do for that amount and whether there is a focus on main roadways or neighborhoods. <br /><br />Regarding using Creek Club Dr as a cut-thru, believe me, if I lived on the street I wouldn't like it either. Bottom line again, though, is that it is a public street and people should be able to use it (and they should abide by the speed limit.) The structural problem we face is that most of our neighborhoods are single entrance so you cannot cut through. I grew up in the West where our cities were laid out on grids and you had alternative routes; in Alpharetta and Milton you're pretty much stuck on the main roadways and congested intersections.<br /><br />The plan in Crabapple was to alleviate some of this by adding connecting roads, which now exist in Crabapple Crossroads and Crabapple Station. I just wonder how long until residents in those neighborhoods want to shut off cut through traffic for the same reason you do.<br /><br />Finally, on the dues in CC, I'm not making any judgment on the amount. I think it is great that you have been able to keep dues down for so long. I will say, that with many neighborhoods now reaching the 12-14 year old mark, that improvements do need to be made. Unfortunately, getting a capital assessment passed in a neighborhood is sometimes challenging, but you are absolutely right: your home value is going to be increased by quality amenities, perhaps not by having a gate/guard, but certainly in my opinion by having quality amenities. And the HOA should promote that as a service to the homesowners to support home values.<br /><br />I've rambled on, but you brought up some good points I wanted to touch on. Thanks again for reading and commenting on my blog. I appreciate the insight from an actual resident in Crooked Creek. I hope that you will continue to read and comment again in the future.<br /><br />k.
As far as the "plan" for CC including a guard, that was a dozen years ago. I don't know if it holds any ground now.

As far as trying to recoup what is due the neighborhood from neglected maintenance by Fulton County, I say: "Get in line." There are neighborhoods older than CC that have been ignored longer. Every neighborhood has a claim to this money that CC is requesting and I'm not sure you can say any was every specifically earmarked for CC. Where did the $600k number come from?

Bottom line is that maintenance of all the neighborhood streets is going to be a giant pill to swallow. There hasn't been a neighborhood resurfaced in Milton that I'm aware of. The City of Milton has $1.5M budgeted for pavement milling and resurfacing. I don't know how much roadway you can do for that amount and whether there is a focus on main roadways or neighborhoods.

Regarding using Creek Club Dr as a cut-thru, believe me, if I lived on the street I wouldn't like it either. Bottom line again, though, is that it is a public street and people should be able to use it (and they should abide by the speed limit.) The structural problem we face is that most of our neighborhoods are single entrance so you cannot cut through. I grew up in the West where our cities were laid out on grids and you had alternative routes; in Alpharetta and Milton you're pretty much stuck on the main roadways and congested intersections.

The plan in Crabapple was to alleviate some of this by adding connecting roads, which now exist in Crabapple Crossroads and Crabapple Station. I just wonder how long until residents in those neighborhoods want to shut off cut through traffic for the same reason you do.

Finally, on the dues in CC, I'm not making any judgment on the amount. I think it is great that you have been able to keep dues down for so long. I will say, that with many neighborhoods now reaching the 12-14 year old mark, that improvements do need to be made. Unfortunately, getting a capital assessment passed in a neighborhood is sometimes challenging, but you are absolutely right: your home value is going to be increased by quality amenities, perhaps not by having a gate/guard, but certainly in my opinion by having quality amenities. And the HOA should promote that as a service to the homesowners to support home values.

I've rambled on, but you brought up some good points I wanted to touch on. Thanks again for reading and commenting on my blog. I appreciate the insight from an actual resident in Crooked Creek. I hope that you will continue to read and comment again in the future.

k.]]> http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/going-gated-alpharetta-and-milton-neighborhods-installing-gates#c54000 Mike [Visitor] You need to get your facts straight. The plan for Crooked Creek has always included a guard at the front (Hiway 9) entrance and a card reader at the back. Guests would come to the front entrance to check in with the guard. Guests can be registered either online or calling the guard.<br />Your point about taxpayers paying for the roads in CC is somewhat valid. However, the county has done little to no road repairs in my 12 years in CC. All we are asking is the city (with money from the county that was never spent in CC) to live up to their committment. Then, we will own the roads. Basically the money is to recover past usage, not future. Then the residents will support the roads. Crooked Creek, nor any primarily residential street, should not be used just because getting from west to east Milton is challenging. It should be noted that not only is the traffic excessive but (in order to make it just as timely as going around CC) the average speed on Creek Club Dr. is probably 35-45 mph. Trust me, I live on that street. <br />The increase in homeowner's dues is double, however, for quite some time ours have been less than comparable areas and this simply brings our in to line with similar, gated communities. Even if the gating only increases my home value by 2% it will be well worth the extra cost (e.g. if I sell in less that 10 years I will still reap more value than I pay). Your point about taxpayers paying for the roads in CC is somewhat valid. However, the county has done little to no road repairs in my 12 years in CC. All we are asking is the city (with money from the county that was never spent in CC) to live up to their committment. Then, we will own the roads. Basically the money is to recover past usage, not future. Then the residents will support the roads. Crooked Creek, nor any primarily residential street, should not be used just because getting from west to east Milton is challenging. It should be noted that not only is the traffic excessive but (in order to make it just as timely as going around CC) the average speed on Creek Club Dr. is probably 35-45 mph. Trust me, I live on that street.
The increase in homeowner's dues is double, however, for quite some time ours have been less than comparable areas and this simply brings our in to line with similar, gated communities. Even if the gating only increases my home value by 2% it will be well worth the extra cost (e.g. if I sell in less that 10 years I will still reap more value than I pay).]]> http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/is-crabapple-getting-fresh#c53999 James [Visitor] I think a Barnes and Noble or Books a Million would be terrific in this location. http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/bloodhound-unchained-brings-out-the-entrepreneurial-realtors-applying-web-20-technology-to-real-estate-in-alpharetta#c53998 Jan O'Brien [Visitor] Kevin, It was great to meet you at Unchained and I hope all is well for you and your family after the storms that ripped through that part of Georgia last week. You pose a great question here. My opinion is ultimately it is about you, your service, the trust, confidence and relationships you build with your customers. As a broker-manager, I find most agents believe their clients will follow them anywhere. And I find that is true for the agent that delivers that level of service and has built the trust and relationships. I also believe that a brand name can add additional value to the overall experience for the customer/client. Continued success to you, Jan http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/bloodhound-unchained-brings-out-the-entrepreneurial-realtors-applying-web-20-technology-to-real-estate-in-alpharetta#c53997 Greg Swann [Visitor] Beautiful. Bless you. Thank you. http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/searching-online-for-a-home-in-alpharetta-what-would-you-like-your-search-engine-to-do#c53996 admin1 [Member] softRealty has been good and is continually getting better. You can search on more parameters than with other solutions and softRealty just added FMLS data to their house data...(they have both GA MLS and FMLS now.) http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/searching-online-for-a-home-in-alpharetta-what-would-you-like-your-search-engine-to-do#c53995 John C [Visitor] Kevin- great to meet you at RETechSouth. How have you enjoyed the SoftRealty search thus far? http://www.alpharettarealestatehomes.com/the-f-word-for-real-estate#c53993 Michael Bergin - Your Realtor in Alexandria, VA [Visitor] Interesting isn't it. No matter what, people want a "deal". In the hot market it was all about flipping and now it's about foreclosures. Great article on the perils and rewards.<br /><br />Michael
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