Sky Ranch North Home Owners Association
 

by Jed Margolin


The Sky Ranch North Home Owners Association is the Home Owners' Association for a small community in Sparks, Nevada.

This web site is not owned by the Sky Ranch North Home Owners Association.

This web site is not operated by the Sky Ranch North Home Owners Association.

The last I heard, the Sky Ranch North Home Owners Association is still debating the merits of having a web site.

Their management company has told them that a web site would cost them $55 per month. I don't know if that includes creating and maintaining the web site. If it doesn't, $55 per month seems a bit excessive.

As far as I can tell they have been negligent by not registering a domain name, such as skyranchnhoa.org or skyranchnhoa.com.

So, I have decided (as a public service) to do it for them at no charge.

I am not a member of the Sky Ranch North Home Owners Association.

The reason I am doing this is because I made an offer on a house in their community, paid a substantial deposit, the offer was accepted, the papers were all signed and filed, a closing date was set, I had gotten a quote on homeowners insurance, and a quote from a moving company for moving me to that house.

Then, at the last minute, they sent me a copy of the CCRs as required by the contract. The contact called for them to send me the CCRs (not necessarily at the last minute) and gave me the right to terminate the contract and get my deposit back if, as a result of the CCRs, the property did not meet my needs.
 

The two major problems I had with the CCRs were:

1)

Article VI

Use
Section 1: no residence in the Covered Property shall be used for any commercial business or professional purpose whatsoever, provided, however, the Declarant may utilize a portion of the Common Area or one or more Residences which it owns for models or display purposes related to the selling or marketing on a commercial basis the Residences in the Covered Property or in the Total Development Area. The Association shall have the right to provide or authorize the use of the Common Area as it deems appropriate for the enjoyment of the Members, provided such use in not for single commercial operation of any sort exceeding seventy-two (72) consecutive hours in any calendar month.


I have a small company called pNambic Systems and I mean small. (I am the company.) I do some engineering consulting but mostly I am mostly an independent inventor.  I have no employees. I do my business through the Internet and Telephone. In the past 13 years I have had one visit by one client. My patents and some of my work are on my real web site www.jmargolin.com .

I can understand why they do not want someone running a business that involves visits by clients (attorneys, doctors, accountants, hair dressers, etc.), a child daycare facility (traffic), or which involves manufacturing products (because of noise, truck traffic, etc.) but this prohibition includes everything, even teachers grading papers at home. (Teaching is a Profession, and teachers are Professionals.)
 

2)

Section 7: No external, radio or television antennas, satellite dishes (except with the written approval of the
Association), outdoor clotheslines, or wood or other fuel storage ere permitted; and further, all refuse  containers. woodpiles, storage areas, machinery or other equipment or items are prohibited from being stored outside a garage or dwelling home unless the same are obscured from view of adjoining streets or portions of the Covered Property to a height of six (6) feet. Any fence or other screen required shall be approved by the Association. This provision does not apply to Declarant.


I have been a ham operator since 1961 and for most of the time since then have not been without a rig and the capability of getting on the air. For most of the time it has included the ability to operate on emergency power. I don't operate very much anymore and favor a simple longwire antenna. My call sign is WA2VEW.

I am also into satellite technology.  I have a 3 meter dish and two 5' dishes. I was willing to give up the 3 meter dish but not the smaller ones. After all, in this community a large number of houses sport the pizza dishes used by Dish Network and Direct TV. Their dishes are generally mounted so it looks like a giant mutant snail has crawled up the side (or front) of the house and died. My dishes would be in the backyard, on the ground.
 

I expressed my concerns to my realtor who relayed them to the Association Management who, presumably, relayed them to the Association Board.

Unfortunately, the Association Board refused to give me a straight answer on anything, even the longwire antenna. Everything from the Association Board used weasel words like probably, will generally be allowed, and on several items I was advised to submit an Architectural Review Form.

As a result, I was forced to cancel the contract since I was looking for a home, not a cemetery plot.
 

As of this date I have not received my deposit back. I'm sure this is an oversight and that the check will arrive in the mail any day now.

In any event, because no one should have to go through the kind of crap that I have had to go through, I am posting the CCRs and other material for the Sky Ranch North Homeowners Association. If you are thinking about buying a house in that community I suggest you read them before you give anyone any money.
 

Skyranch North Homeowners Association CCRs

Skyranch North Homeowners Association Rules and Regulations

Skyranch North Homeowners Association Article of Incorporation

Board of Directors Meeting - June 29, 2005

Board of Directors Meeting - August 24, 2005

Board of Directors Meeting - October 24, 2005

Sky Ranch North Balance Sheet  Jan 2005 - Aug 2005

State of Nevada Real Estate Division - Before You Purchase Property in a Common Interest Community ...


Jed Margolin
Virginia City Highlands, NV
January 9, 2006


January 20, 2006

I received my deposit back.

If members of the Sky Ranch North Home Owners Association would like to send me the minutes from their meetings I will post them here. I will require some kind of proof that these are the real minutes and not a gag. With Home Owners Associations it can be difficult to tell the difference.

I would be happy to post their new CCRs if they ever have new CCRs.



 
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