The West Highlands community is very aesthetically...

The West Highlands community is very aesthetically pleasing, and there are a lot of great people who reside here. However, before you buy in this community, do your due diligence.

The buying process was great, and the builder s representative (Dahlia), contractors, and project managers were wonderful. The owners (Steve and the others) and the HOA Management are a nightmare to deal with. Steve makes the HOA rules, and his sons are the HOA s Board of Directors. The Advisory Committee is a group created, appointed, and removed by the Brocks to do their bidding. The homeowner s and residents of the community have no say in who represents our interests. I m sure you see where this is going. I m sure everyone has complaints and gripes about their HOA, but hopefully in the past your HOA has listened to your concerns and implemented actions that are both swift and fair for all parties involved when the grievances are serious.

Prepare for your HOA fees to increase without having any say in what happens in your community. There is a park, and a small dog park newly added in 2020, but other than that, there are no other community amenities and no firm timeline when you may expect those. Homeowner s are fined arbitrarily, meaning a fine for the same infraction with different homeowners may be completely different amounts. There is no set schedule or listing that details how much a homeowner will be fined, and how often, for a specific infraction. The HOA/The Brock s fine whatever amount they want.

There aren t any committees that homeowner s can take part in, through election, and effectively make change or have suggestions/feedback heard and acknowledged. Financial information is not always readily available (as of today, latest financial information available is June 2020). As an auditor, that is concerning to me as many of us have made repeated requests to have this information be made available, with no response. Our annual meetings are a means for the owner s to provide an overview of their latest and greatest, but without the opportunity for residents/homeowner s to ask any questions or provide any feedback. There is no way for homeowner s to file or air legitimate grievances or present concerns, other than through a Facebook group with other homeowner s experiencing the same frustrations. Prepare to not have a say in how things in the community are done, what you pay for and how much, and to be possibly intimidated for daring to advocate for yourself.

Aside from the HOA, we do have a security patrol that is essentially useless. They are here to protect the builder s and owner s interest and to enforce parking rules. We hear gunshots often throughout the week, and is typical for an inner city community, there are car break-ins from time to time.

As a warning to you, before you decide to buy, do your research and decide what you re ok with, and what you re willing to put up with prior to buying. As a whole, as expensive as homes are in this neighborhood, you will not get what you pay for here. If you decide to tour the neighborhood, and you see someone who lives here, ask them their honest opinion about living in the community, but also ask the tougher questions too.

The HOA website is westhighlandsatl.com.