After 5 Years Here...
It is almost hard to believe that we've survived 5 years at Cresswind Charlotte. The house is still standing (phew!). We've enjoyed our time here for the most part, in large part due to fantastic neighbors on our street. But even that was been marred by a new couple moving onto our street showing a total disrespect for their neighbor's properties. But they have been marginalized and the HOA has finally found a spine to enforce at least a few of the many, many rules. Thank God for small favors!
The patio that was severely cracked the day we closed, finally succumbed. We're having a sunroom added to our home and that concrete slab, which might otherwise been salvageable for a floor, has been completely torn up and is in the process of being replaced by new concrete. The garage door, which was also problematic from Day 1, has finally failed, requiring a call into the garage door people who will be out in the next few days to fix or replace that. You might think that a garage door would last more than 5 years but this is the level of quality here in Cresswind.
Just recently, we found out that our HOA now interprets the community regulations such that, should you plant flowers in any of the garden beds that Kolter planted shrubs in, and a shrub dies, you have materially altered Kolter's plantings and negate the HOA's responsibility for maintaining the shrubs in that garden. We found this out when one of the shrubs died and, since we planted a few primrose in that garden to add some color to the bland landscaping of Kolter, the HOA now claims we have altered the garden & it is our responsibility to replace the shrub. Oh, and the cost to replace one 5-gallon shrub? $320.00. Said with a straight face no less! Since we haven't just fallen off a turnip truck, we'll go to Lowes next spring, buy a beautiful 5-gal replacement for $30 and plant it ourselves.
Speaking of the HOA... the monthly fees for 2022 were $250/month. For 2023, they went up to $260/month. For 2024, they are going up to $300/month. Seems Kolter didn't put any cap on fee increases when they wrote the community rules, so the HOA management group can charge whatever they want. Neighbors had very unkind comments when this news came out, especially after the HOA management group indicated that they were going to replace all of the gym equipment (less than 5 years old) and that they were considering putting in a Peloton bike. Talk about wasting residents' money! We're already wasting money paying the salary of a "compliance officer" whose only duty seems to be sending out useless tips on a weekly basis. [I could take a ride through the community and come up with pages of compliance violations.] I suspect that the current HOA management group won't be long for the community once Kolter pulls out next year. Right now, the residents have no say on the management company and its management of the community - it answers entirely to Kolter. It will be interesting to see how things change once the management company is answering to the residents. [Old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times.]
The mood in the community continues to be mixed. There are a LOT of residents who are upset with Kolter and the management of the community. There are also residents who are tickled pink being here. As for us personally, we have come to grips with the fact that Kolter was less than honest with us when we committed to building here. [We were the fifth residents to close back in January 2018.] The bit about planting flowers negating the HOA's responsibility was greeted with a, "That's Kolter for you, what else is new?" attitude. We simply refuse to get sucked into the negativity - life is too short - and we look forward to Kolter pulling out of the community and turning it over to us, the actual residents. That will be the biggest change. But the problems with construction quality apparently continue - I've heard enough complaints to realize that this is not an isolated problem, but is rather mainstream.
I continue to be asked by residents why I don't put up a "community bulletin board" at this site, and the answer is quite simple: This site is a reflection of our own experiences at Cresswind, and that includes our observations and communications with other residents. There are plenty of other venues out there for folks to air their greviences. The purpose of this site has always been to provide our experiences here at Kolter Cresswind Charlotte so that other, prospective residents can learn from our experiences in the hopes that they will not make the same mistakes we have, take with a very large grain of salt statements made by Kolter's marketing & sales force, and to know what to look out for before they close.
Outside of Cresswind...
In terms of the vicinity, we are experiencing a welcome growth. When we moved here in January 2018, there really wasn't much of anything nearby except for a couple of dives and gas stations. In the last 5 years, we have gotten an Arby's, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy's & Bojangles, a third gas station (Exxon Mobil), a 2nd car wash (because apparently you can never have too many car washes!), medical offices, an oil/lube shop. One of the dives and several adjacent abandoned homes have been torn down to make way for an expanded shopping area which will feature a Publix grocery store adjacent to the Cresswind community. The hospital, opened in October 2018, is starting an expansion already, and we have a new Atrium Health Urgent Care center, too. We are looking forward to having the Publix open in late 2024 - it will be great being able to ride a bike to grocery shop! Two dentist offices have opened at the entrance to Cresswind, and a 3rd should be opened soon near the McDonalds. A new self-storage facility is being constructed adjacent to the 3rd dental office for those who have too much stuff and can't part with it. [Kolter homes for the most part have very little closet & storage space.] All this within 1 mile of the entrance to Cresswind! From our perspective, this is a very welcome change!!!