. "1"^^ . "1"^^ . "2013-10-30T00:00:00"^^ . . "22"^^ . "0"^^ . "Buying a home in the Club West HOA in 85045 has proven the worst mistake of my life. The HOA is managed by FirstService - located 45 minutes away.\n\nWe moved in, in July, after cleaning up the horrific mess left by the previous owners. During that time, we lived in an apartment where we dealt with far less intrusions than we do now in a home we supposedly own. Literally, on the first day I put the key in the mailbox, there's a \"citation\" about weeds, addressed to the previous owner. We had planned on clearing that up as soon as the ink dried on the deed.\n\nThe next month, I get a photograph of my all-rock lawn. Frankly, if Sara Pedroza and Brenda Brunette insist on serving these citations, the least they can do is take a photograph larger than a postage stamp. This letter is informing me my \"irrigation system\" is exposed. Okay - do you mean the black plastic tube that is used to water the tree and shrubs on the property? Because they only stick up about 3 inches, and they need to be exposed in order to work.\n\nMeanwhile, if you walk around common areas, all you see are several feet of exposed irrigation line, uncovered access points to pipes, rusted metal fencing, peeling/chipped retaining walls, dead shrubs, litter, dog crap, and even a trench leading down a side hill to the green belt, filling with water from below and surrounded by bees.\n\nOur parcels are very small, yet we have the same \"shrub/tree\" requirements as all the other CW homes that have more yard space. I share a 3-foot space with my neighbor. There are already three, 3x2' shrubs. The space also houses cable, electrical, and gas lines for both homes. \nSo, now we get citation number 3: because there isn't enough crap on that side of the yard, we have to plant another shrub there. Never-mind the boxes clearly marked DO NOT DIG, SHOCK RISK.\n\nI spoke with a gardener and he could not believe the requirements for such a small space. One side of my lawn is covered by a Palo Verde (which is native and nice). According to the gardener, the tree should have two to three times the space that is allotted to fill in. Since WE ARE in a DESERT, I'd love to remove my tree and have a Xeriscape garden (cacti and succulents) on my side so the PV can fill out. NOPE! If I remove the tree, I'll get yet another citation.\n\nSince moving in I have dealt with people smoking pot behind the home, cars peeling out where kids play, vandalism (broken solar lights, spray paint on my property), people walking up my driveway and letting their dogs pee all over my entry and shrubs, parties, kids stealing and destroying personal items, and now, some wanna-be redneck in a pickup that gets off by jumping the curb to a vacant dirt area behind several homes, so he/she can do \"donuts\" at high rates of speed (which besides creating a ton of dust, is an accident waiting to happen when/if this guy loses control and drives over someone or through a home's retaining wall).\nAnd the cherry is the constant intrusion from this HOA which appear to enjoy making people's lives miserable in homes they've worked very hard to purchase. It's gotten to the point where I want to put my home up for sale and leave because of Club West and FirstService.\n\nAnd they aren't cheap: $600 a year for what?? My husband produces an area publication that's mailed to several thousand residents. He just finished a piece on the holiday lights - the money isn't all going there...this HOA has no community pool like they have (THREE) in Mountain Park Ranch, where the dues are half! Is all this money for that club house?? Because the only people I ever see using it are the HOA board themselves. And, what are they doing to fight the freeway? Wow - talk about a major violation of the CCR's!\n\nI've maintained a home on a 3-acre lot for 12 years without complaint, also lived in apartments...and have NEVER dealt with such interference. My yard is well kept. They cite for petty crap that they don't even maintain on their own common areas. It's as if it's personal and I have spoken with many who feel the same. We have worked diligently to improve upon the home in the short time we've had it...I'd like to thank CW/FirstService for the very warm welcome to the community, and for giving us absolutely NO time to settle in. They have taken any joy of living here out of the equation and replaced it with buyer's remorse. The only thing FirstService does is breed suspicion among neighbors, and create an atmosphere of hostility...as no one knows why - all of a sudden - they are getting so many citations and they wonder if it's their neighbors flipping them in! In reality, it's the overzealous actions of the community manager and her lap dog.\n\nAnd forget about contacting these people. You can't find contact info for the president, Paul Moroz, or any of the directors. It's easier getting through to the White House than to the property manager and her asst. Google FS's ratings in other U.S. cities -poorly rated from San Diego to the Carolina's."^^ . .