I'm somewhat concerned with the companies viability as they've lost their website due to bandwidth issues.
Living in an Airpark?
- Thread starter AuntPeggy
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I'm somewhat concerned with the companies viability as they've lost their website due to bandwidth issues.
tonycondon
Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
i'd make sure it could handle at least 100 mph wind.
I haven't had any problems getting in. Wonder whether they were poorly prepared for the consequences of getting featured in the Wall Street Journal and several TV news broadcasts?
200 -- this is in Oklahoma.
tonycondon
Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
good idea.
write-stuff
En-Route
I've lived in an airpark for about 10 years. There are about 12 property owners, must with houses and a hangar on the field. A few rare flame wars, but nothing anything worse than that has happened. All in all, I love where I live.
If you're buying in, make sure to read the covenants really closely and ask for accounting records from the HOA. Also, do whatever checking you can with the county to make sure nothing is in the works to try to close your new field down.
If you're buying in, make sure to read the covenants really closely and ask for accounting records from the HOA. Also, do whatever checking you can with the county to make sure nothing is in the works to try to close your new field down.
cowtowner
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Cowtowner
As a masonry contractor, it looks interesting...but it is NOT code compliant (meaning if you have to get a permit to build, it will more than likely be a tuff sell to the building officials)
There is also no mention on where the block is manufactured. Trucking concrete block across the country is not efficient and will eat up all your savings over traditional construction.
Their web site is a go daddy site and the whois list Indiana. Long way from Indiana Tulsa. A traditional metal building will be cheaper.
I live in the Falmouth Airpark, MA.
What a nightmare! When the developer left the jack booted idiots couldn't wait to ruin the place.
First was "complaint forms" so you could rat your neighbor out. Just like East Germany.
They sued a 90 year old man for something the HOA had expressly authorized several years earlier, our only African American, a kid who dared put up a nicer house next to a BOD member, a "New York Jew Lawyer" so eloquently put by a BOD member.....on and on and on
As the factions change, so do the 'rules'. Homeowners vote on nothing, not even changes in the governing documents (9 changes since I bought, no vote!)
The Lawyer LOVES the crazys that aspire to BOD postiions, and then embed themselves like ticks.
NEVER NEVER NEVER AGAIN
What a nightmare! When the developer left the jack booted idiots couldn't wait to ruin the place.
First was "complaint forms" so you could rat your neighbor out. Just like East Germany.
They sued a 90 year old man for something the HOA had expressly authorized several years earlier, our only African American, a kid who dared put up a nicer house next to a BOD member, a "New York Jew Lawyer" so eloquently put by a BOD member.....on and on and on
As the factions change, so do the 'rules'. Homeowners vote on nothing, not even changes in the governing documents (9 changes since I bought, no vote!)
The Lawyer LOVES the crazys that aspire to BOD postiions, and then embed themselves like ticks.
NEVER NEVER NEVER AGAIN
Hello Mike. Welcome to POA. Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm a 60-something grandmother living in New York, just waiting for the day i can retire to Oklahoma and be close to the kids and their kids. Hubby and I fly a C-172. He will shortly be a CFI, while I am temporarily self-grounded for medical reasons.
I'm a 60-something grandmother living in New York, just waiting for the day i can retire to Oklahoma and be close to the kids and their kids. Hubby and I fly a C-172. He will shortly be a CFI, while I am temporarily self-grounded for medical reasons.
docmirror
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Cowboy - yeehah!
I don't want to poison waters that have already been sailed in but my story is similar to many others. I bought in a residential airpark. My lot is one of the most valuable in the airpark. I paid a premium for it, due to the location. The biggest jackass in the whole place lives across the street and down one lot.
How big a jackass you say? He sued the whole development(yes, the one he was a member of). It took 3 years and $140k to have it defended and dismissed. It never saw the light of day in a courtroom.
The pres of the BOD has the lot behind mine(facing the view of the airpark). When I started the process of getting a house through the architectural comm it took me 9 tries. In each failed attempt, I found out the dissenting votes were from the pres(me neighbor) and two other BODs that owed their position to him. He didn't like where the house was on the land, he didn't like how high it was, he didn't like the siding/brickwork, etc, etc. All of it was according to the CCRs in place at the time of submittal. The rules changed after each submittal. It cost me $640 to get them approved.
Next, I got the bad news about the septic system. When my neighbor the prez got his approved it was about a 30 min effort. I started and much to my surprise, the rules were amended just before I started the testing. It was going to take me a few thou to get the permit.
I through in the towel. But first, I took to the legal road to sue my own prez(yes the one I am a member of). After thousands in legal fees, it did see the light of a court house. I got plenty of support from other members of the BOD, and the rules committee. I won, and was awarded a modest judgment, and the prez was ordered to recuse on the building comm and the septic changes.
I will never ever build were anyone has any kind of control over what I do and how I do it(counties notwithstanding). If you cede control to some petty dictator, shame on him and shame on you. I don't know why it turns out that way, but it often does. The prez was just ousted from the BOD, and he's several thousand dollars poorer for his effort, but I'm not building there so maybe all-in-all he 'won'. Me? Well we bought a nice lakefront home(no CCRs, no HOA), and are looking into an amphib. I built a boat ramp with lots of lateral space, should I need it for wing clearance, and the world is once again spinning in greased grooves.
How big a jackass you say? He sued the whole development(yes, the one he was a member of). It took 3 years and $140k to have it defended and dismissed. It never saw the light of day in a courtroom.
The pres of the BOD has the lot behind mine(facing the view of the airpark). When I started the process of getting a house through the architectural comm it took me 9 tries. In each failed attempt, I found out the dissenting votes were from the pres(me neighbor) and two other BODs that owed their position to him. He didn't like where the house was on the land, he didn't like how high it was, he didn't like the siding/brickwork, etc, etc. All of it was according to the CCRs in place at the time of submittal. The rules changed after each submittal. It cost me $640 to get them approved.
Next, I got the bad news about the septic system. When my neighbor the prez got his approved it was about a 30 min effort. I started and much to my surprise, the rules were amended just before I started the testing. It was going to take me a few thou to get the permit.
I through in the towel. But first, I took to the legal road to sue my own prez(yes the one I am a member of). After thousands in legal fees, it did see the light of a court house. I got plenty of support from other members of the BOD, and the rules committee. I won, and was awarded a modest judgment, and the prez was ordered to recuse on the building comm and the septic changes.
I will never ever build were anyone has any kind of control over what I do and how I do it(counties notwithstanding). If you cede control to some petty dictator, shame on him and shame on you. I don't know why it turns out that way, but it often does. The prez was just ousted from the BOD, and he's several thousand dollars poorer for his effort, but I'm not building there so maybe all-in-all he 'won'. Me? Well we bought a nice lakefront home(no CCRs, no HOA), and are looking into an amphib. I built a boat ramp with lots of lateral space, should I need it for wing clearance, and the world is once again spinning in greased grooves.
zaitcev
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Pete Zaitcev
That doesn't mean much and is essentially normal for small businesses that do not have a nerd on staff. Hey, I know how to create elastic cloud bandwidth, what about you? For me, it would only be concerning if they lost their domain, but even that happens pretty often. Some registrars are in league with the squatters and give you very poor reminder to renew, if any at all.
zaitcev
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This house looks one forest fire away from being eliminated. But perhaps I lived in California too much.
alaskaflyer
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You are right. But unlike the unfortunate creatures in the posts above ours, there is no CCR, no HOA, and not much zoning there. Just four neighbors who live in relative harmony through courtesy and common sense. So I could cut anything down I wanted on my own lot so long as I wasn't rude about it
Actually it has already been "firewised" by a previous owner, all the underbrush has been cleared. Mostly white spruce and deciduous on the lot which isn't really that dangerous. It's the black spruce and brush that is extremelty dangerous in this country.
We're still deciding if we want to move forward. Have been given the courtesy of the right of first refusal. Helps when the seller is my coworker and friend
Tom-D
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You are right. But unlike the unfortunate creatures in the posts above ours, there is no CCR, no HOA, and not much zoning there. Just four neighbors who live in relative harmony through courtesy and common sense. So I could cut anything down I wanted on my own lot so long as I wasn't rude about it
Actually it has already been "firewised" by a previous owner, all the underbrush has been cleared. Mostly white spruce and deciduous on the lot which isn't really that dangerous. It's the black spruce and brush that is extremelty dangerous in this country.
We're still deciding if we want to move forward. Have been given the courtesy of the right of first refusal. Helps when the seller is my coworker and friend
You should buy Ramjet's cabin right on the strip at Denali air. it's 10Ac and a really nice house.
e-mail me and hook you up with his numbers.
Attachments
Hello Aunt Peggy!
I am a merchant mariner but commerical fished many years in AK, out of Dutch Harbor.
I have owned a C172 and then a C182 but sold them years ago.
I was the 4th house built in the Falmouth Airpark, and it used to be a real blast! Some of the neighbors were a little uptight, but holy smoke when the Developer left!
Like Lord of the Flies!
You NEVER want to elevate any neighbor in power above anyone else. Without the checks and balances of REAL government, it quickly becomes pure tyranny. James Madison et al were bloody geniuses when they wrote our Constitution....I feel like I live in some 3rd world kleptocracy or something here.
So....we are selling out of this airpark.
Hopefully you get to OK and back in the cockpit!
Mike
I am a merchant mariner but commerical fished many years in AK, out of Dutch Harbor.
I have owned a C172 and then a C182 but sold them years ago.
I was the 4th house built in the Falmouth Airpark, and it used to be a real blast! Some of the neighbors were a little uptight, but holy smoke when the Developer left!
Like Lord of the Flies!
You NEVER want to elevate any neighbor in power above anyone else. Without the checks and balances of REAL government, it quickly becomes pure tyranny. James Madison et al were bloody geniuses when they wrote our Constitution....I feel like I live in some 3rd world kleptocracy or something here.
So....we are selling out of this airpark.
Hopefully you get to OK and back in the cockpit!
Mike
Tom-D
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10 months per year, you couldn't set the place on fire with a flame thrower.
Am I correct in thinking that the HOA bylaws are written by the developer, and the homeowners never get to vote on them?
Everskyward
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I think it depends on the HOA. The ones in my subdivision were written by the developer but I think they can be changed by a vote. I can't recall that there has been a vote in the 18 years I have lived here, though, and I have never had any conflict with the HOA.
HOAs seem to me to be at least quasi-governmental. I think there needs to be a bill of rights for people who are subject to them. Or maybe the Supreme Court needs to decide that they are fullfilling governmental functions, and therefore ARE governments.
Everskyward
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You can always decide to live someplace without an HOA. You know whether there is one or not before you buy and they don't keep the covenants secret.
Well, the covenants may not be secret, but the criteria the 'architectural review committee' uses often are.
I dont think I would build in a development with an HOA, I purchased an existing home in a HOA and except for the annual cheque I have no interaction with them.
The HOA business ranges from professionally managed and benign to despotic. Unless you have a confidant inside of the development it is difficult to figure out which type you are dealing with.
woodstock
Final Approach
Just some observations:
A friend (who is already a control freak) is on the BOD for his HOA. He jokes about dicking around with people he doesn't like. I don't know if he is kidding or not, but given his personality I wouldn't put it past him.
A neighbor of mine is on the current BOD in my HOA. My HOA is mostly pretty laid back. This guy came in and started making positive changes - which is good because no one else was really stepping up.
However, he's also doing a few things which favor himself - mostly petty stuff, I wouldn't call it unethical per se. Shall we say "not seeing himself in others"...
A friend (who is already a control freak) is on the BOD for his HOA. He jokes about dicking around with people he doesn't like. I don't know if he is kidding or not, but given his personality I wouldn't put it past him.
A neighbor of mine is on the current BOD in my HOA. My HOA is mostly pretty laid back. This guy came in and started making positive changes - which is good because no one else was really stepping up.
However, he's also doing a few things which favor himself - mostly petty stuff, I wouldn't call it unethical per se. Shall we say "not seeing himself in others"...
Well, with all these negative comments about HOA, it seems reasonable to say that the airpark where we bought was established over 40 years ago by a bunch of American Airlines mechanics. It doesn't have a HOA that covers us because our house is on the other side of the street from the runway. Those who do, kick in some money every year for mowing and maintenance. That's it.
We have visited with a number of neighbors and the son of the original owner, who have filled us in on some of the details about this unique home. At first, the old man bought a trailer and moved it onto the lot to live in while he built the sheet-metal hangar. Then he bought an airplane. Later, when a new highway was going up, he bought one of the little houses on the right-of-way and had it trucked to the site to replace the trailer. Then, he found a small chapel that was going to be torn down and had it trucked to the site where he attached it to the little house. Finally, he remodelled the whole thing into a wonderful home. So, the vaulted ceiling in the "Great Room" is authentic. The kitchen was once a kitchen and living room. There is geo-thermal heating because he didn't want to pay high heating bills.
When Hubby commented that there was enough length to the taxiway that he could land on the taxiway in back of the house, the airport manager quite firmly requested he not do that. Otherwise, there are no rules about home size or construction except for Tulsa County rules and apparently they don't much care. We can build if we get a building permit in Tulsa. We have been told we can have some livestock, 1 horse or 1 cow or a few chickens or couple of goats. This is also county-governed, based upon the acreage owned.
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HOAs seem to me to be at least quasi-governmental. I think there needs to be a bill of rights for people who are subject to them. Or maybe the Supreme Court needs to decide that they are fullfilling governmental functions, and therefore ARE governments.
Wow, That is actually quite brillant!
The AARP proposed a bill of rights for folks in HOAs. It is often older people who are ripped off.
Winnona Blevins was 81 when she was evicted from her paid for home. She owed 800 dollars to the HOA.
When she realized that she had not paid the dues (they were being sent to her deceased husband), she wrote a check but the HOA refused it.
She was evicted by the Sherif and her stuff was put on the street.
The lawyers who make money off these places actually have a lobby, the Community Associations Institute with 57 chapters across the country. In MA this lobby is staffed by a lawfirm with over 3.000 CIDs as clients.
They oppose ANY bill that would provide State oversight or protections to homeowners.
Wow, That is actually quite brillant!
The AARP proposed a bill of rights for folks in HOAs. It is often older people who are ripped off.
Winnona Blevins was 81 when she was evicted from her paid for home. She owed 800 dollars to the HOA.
When she realized that she had not paid the dues (they were being sent to her deceased husband), she wrote a check but the HOA refused it.
She was evicted by the Sherif and her stuff was put on the street.
The lawyers who make money off these places actually have a lobby, the Community Associations Institute with 57 chapters across the country. In MA this lobby is staffed by a lawfirm with over 3.000 CIDs as clients.
They oppose ANY bill that would provide State oversight or protections to homeowners.