When we purchased our first home in Desert Ridge we were “snow birds”. Each time we arrived a certain neighbor would fill us in on happenings around Desert Ridge. Most with a negative slant. It got to the point we thought of selling our condo.
Even though the real estate crash was several years prior property values were still far too low, selling was not an option. So I decided to attend a Desert Ridge Community Association Homeowners meeting just to see what these charlatans were up to. Loaded with all these accusations, I listened and waited for my opportunity to pounce on the board.
My opportunity never came. What I discovered was a board dedicated to preserving the integrity of the property values in Desert Ridge. A board that was well organized, a meeting that was well run, board members that openly answered all homeowner’s questions and discussed items on the agenda. I left feeling that maybe my neighbor was misinformed.
Several days later she approached me to break more bad news about how the board was up to new tricks. The trick was about granite replenishment, which was one of the topic of discussions at the meeting. Except her take on the story was 180 degree different than what I witnessed. I explained that I was there and the information she is spreading is not accurate. Determined to prove me wrong she cited several other sources all of whom proved not to be present at the meeting.
Over the next couple of months I returned to the meetings I found the same. Now that is not to say that every decision made by the board pleased individual home owners but they did provide a rational reason why the decision was made.
The point of this story is communications can be a dangerous tool. I relied on bad information and almost sold a home at a significant financial loss. Instead, we moved here to become part of this growing community. And so I got involved.
Today we are subject to so much information and when we rely on information that is not substantiated we can jump to some very costly decisions. That is why we of the Communications Committee have spent so much time working on a revitalization of the Desertridgelifestyles.com website. The goal is to be the hub of communications for the Desert Ridge community.
We will post up to date information, provide relevant information and outbound communications to alert residents of any important information.
Desert Ridge is a growing and thriving community. The Villages at Aviano and Sanctuary at Desert Ridge neighborhoods will add over 400 new households to our growing community once they are completed and built out. The dog park just south of Pinnacle High School is scheduled to open next spring/summer, Deer Valley Road between Black Mountain Boulevard and Cave Creek Road and the south side of Pinnacle Peak Road from Tatum to 40th Street are will be expanded with additional lanes. New restaurants and establishments will be opening on High Street and at the Desert Ridge Marketplace…stay tuned to these forthcoming announcements and much more via the Desert Ridge Lifestyles Magazine, desertridgelifestyles.com website and community eblasts.
We urge you to keep in touch. And if you hear something of concern, please check with us. We’ll provide all the facts we have. That way when you post, and communicate with your friends and neighbors, we can all be on the same wavelength.
Rob Reichstein
Communications Chair
Desert Ridge Community Association
