lauramoncur wrote:

QUOTE:
I took the walk you described. Here is a map of where I walked, just in case I got it wrong:

Walk in Founder's Park

I noticed three houses that I thought weren't up to the HOA standards, including the one you mentioned on the corner of Lumina and Bluerock.

What I also noticed, however, is that for every house that isn't PERFECT, there were at least FIVE homes that were absolutely lovely. I think it is very disrespectful to the owners of the majority of the homes in that area to call it a ghetto or slum.

Ironically, Mike and I considered that house on the corner of Lumina and Bluerock before we chose our current place (it used to have a sign, but doesn't now). We decided against it because the house was too big for us. The lack of landscaping barely came into our decision to pass it by. In fact, the idea of being able to choose the landscaping ourselves was appealing to me.

Not once did a panhandler ask me for money, which is something that I couldn't escape when I took a walk in my neighborhood in Sugarhouse.

If that's the ghetto, then call me ghetto-fabulous, 'cause I luv it, baby!

Thanks Laura, had I known it just took a quick walk through to get the stamp of approval for our area, I would have called you 3 years ago.

First thing Monday morning, I'm going to the HOA and demand they stop wasting their time on the 9 homes that are in chronic fine status. Then I'm going to call that totally unprofessional appraiser that came to our home several months ago and tell him he was wrong about the cost impact those homes have on the nice ones surrounding them. Had we known you were coming for a visit, we would have made an appointment for the panhandler to meet you on his favorite corner, although he prefers to knock on doors witout an appointment.

I'm so please you are ghetto-fabulous while you sit up in the areas that still have enforcement from the HOA. Make sure you stop by to visit now and again so your fabulous status doesn't slip.

Next time you visit, ask the people that live around the house on Bluerock and Lumina what they think. I'm sure "fabulous" doesn't come into the conversation.

I'd also suggest attending the community BOD meetings, become involved, and hear problems and solutions from residents, rather than producing assumptive articles with links to one of your many blogs.