My name is Alan Soden and I'm running for one of the open seats with the McIntyre HOA Board of Directors.

Your house is probably the biggest investment you will ever make in your life, and home value appreciation is often a major part of a person's retirement plan.

 I believe the primary role of the HOA Board should be to protect and increase our home values. Ensuring dues are directed towards achieving that end is the Board's primary responsibility. I don't think we should build a clubhouse.

 First I do not believe a clubhouse will increase our home values at all - zero percent return on investment.

 Second this is exactly the wrong time to take out long term debt due to the economic crisis, gas prices, and job instability.

Third a 12% delinquency rate in dues is terrible. I think it is higher than that now. I'm in banking - 12% delinquency puts companies out of business.

Fourth what happens if the HOA defaults on the loan because of delinquent dues? I'll bet you a lien will be placed against every home in McIntyre and the board could be sued.

We need to put our HOA in order before we take on any debt. Eliminate late fees (or reduce them to something reasonable) to encourage people to catch up. Revoke voting rights and pool use and anything else we can for those who are past due. Place liens.

If we have enough money to build a clubhouse - you may be paying too much. The money should be used to increase neighborhood home values or be given back to you and the dues reduced to what is needed.

I suggest dues are not too high and they should be used to improve our community and increase property values. I bought in McIntyre because I thought the prices were right - not over inflated. This means we have a huge opportunity to make sound investments and increase our home values dramatically over the next 3 years.

With the Lowe's, the Super Target, the mall, the new beltway, our proximity to 77 and downtown - add to that the age of our homes and the average square footage - all the elements are in place for this neighborhood to be one of the most desirable communities in the area.

We need to get Centex to step up (BJ has done a fantastic job with this), and I think the next thing we need to do is invest in landscaping. Realtors and homebuyers need to be impressed when they drive through McIntyre. I guarantee you they are not right now.

Once we get our finances in order, I think we need to get proposals and bids from landscape architects to come in and overhaul our neighborhood to increase drive through and curb appeal. I guarantee this will cost much less than a clubhouse and have a dramatic return in the form of increased home values.

I understand only 30 people attended the meeting where they discussed the clubhouse - unfortunately I was one of the people who was guilty of missing that meeting. I decided that will not happen again, I'm getting involved.

I think that for large projects like this one we should require a supermajority of eligible voters to agree - maybe 60% to 75%. I bet we have less than 50% even voting.

We need more people to get involved. Come vote on October 28^th.

 Hello in response to you posting I as a home owner I agree with allot of the points you have made especially in focusing more on the upkeep and maintenance of the community as far as landscaping goes.  Far too many homeowners and renters do not have a clue about maintaining a property and landscaping. It does not make sense to have a beautiful home on the inside or all the newest electronics in your home and the outside is not tended to.  I too believe we are all sitting on a good investment with all that is being built and developed around us and not too many people realize that. This neighborhood could be a well sorted after community if people put half the effort in maintaining their properties. It would be ashame to be labeled  as  the Northlake area is beautiful except for that Ghetto community Mcyintre. More focus needs to be done on parking violations, landscaping, safety, increasing our commities participants, decreasing the amount of bad quality renters. Building a clubhouse right now for these out of control teenagers I believe is just another thing for them to destroy it starts at home parents need to be parents to help better this community.

I agree with someone of the things mentioned in the above post.  I was one of the ones who brought knowing the area would "boom" within 3 to 5 years. And 2 years later the area is growing! Our community is definately a work in progress and the people that volunteer devote alot of time to make this community what it is today. 

Personally, I think anyone who runs for the board should be a member of one of the committees 1st before they jump to becoming a board member. I'm sure the "core" group of volunteers throughout the past couple years would agree also. I'm all for new meeting new people, that have the same goals of seeing this community grow into a highly desirable community in the northlake area!

Damien

Hello,

"Curb Appeal" is the first thing that helps home values.  Since moving here almost 2 years ago, I've served on the Neighborhood Watch as well as other committees when needed.  For the last almost six months I've been a Board Member and have actively been involved with helping with this issue.  First of all the Board has been very active in pursuing Centex with alot of issues that they left unfinished such as streets, trees, lights and other things.  Thanks to BJ our President and Peg, they finally got Centex to give McIntyre $10,000.00 for Neighborhhood Beautification.  This information was explained in the previous Newsletters.  Once we the money is received it will be used for more flowers, trees such as Crepe Myrtles and anthing else that will bring color and appeal to McIntyre.  Along with that, in September new Landscapers were hired to replace the old one because the Board found that they were not doing a good job.  The new Landscapers are at work to take care of the all the common areas, bushes and the Townhouse properties.      

 Unfortunately, at the same time, some residents of the single family homes either don't understand how to take care of their properties or they just don't care.  These are daily struggles that Pinnacle and the Board deal with.   Letters are sent to these homes and a process begins to get them to take care of their properties.   It would of been better if Centex included all maintenance of properties for everyone instead of just the Common areas and the Townhouses.  Many communities have this built in before you buy and "Curb Appeal" is taken care of.  But it is what it is.  The Board continues to stay on top of this issue through letters and information on how to take care of their lawns.  But it is not just lawns and trees, some residents continue to do things such as park their cars on the lawns, have large blow up pools in their backyards in the summer, have excercise equipement in their backyards and allow their dogs to run loose.  These are all negative appeals to the community.  As a volunteer Board, these are just a few things that Pinnacle and Board deal with daily.    

 As far as the Clubhouse is concerned, a survey was put out last year asking everyone what they would like for McIntyre.  The Clubhouse was number one.  We were trying to give the Community a place that could used for many things such as meetings, children's parties, movie nights etc.  But due to these economic down turns this has been put aside for now.

McIntyre is one of the larger communities in this area and has great potential to be better for our families as well as the values of our homes.  It all comes down to personal responsibility.  Residents and Renters have to care about where they live and get more involved in their community.   We need help from everyone, even if you can't be on a Committee just be alert to your surroundings and report it.  

That's why I would like to get re-elected to the Board.  I believe McIntyre has a good future ahead and I would like to continue to be a part of helping with that. 

mcorless

HOA Secretary