Rarity Bay Master Thread (Fairfield Glade, Loudon: sales, rentals, crime)

[thumper610]

Morning all,

I was wondering if anyone has info on Rairty Bay activities. Do they have a men's softball league, do they play cards, games? How is the food in their restaurant? Do they have Sunday brunches, brunches on holidays? We are traveling out that way in April and want to have all the info on the community first. Also, are there any other gated communities in the area that are not 55+ communities?

Thanks for any input.

[SkyNSea55]

If you want social activities, try the neighboring community of Tellico Village.
You can sign up for a Discovery Tour to check out the area or just stop by the Welcome Center.
Far more of an active community than Rarity Bay. Not really a need for a gated community in the Loudon/Vonore area. Crime in both communities is relatively low. And although the population
in Tellico Village is mostly retirees, there are many residents still working and of younger ages coming in.
Owned a home there for nine years. If you have any questions please feel free to PM me.

[Beretta]

Hi,

I changed the title to the correct name, Rarity Bay. Wishing you the best of luck!

Beretta

[TheShadow]

You can look at www.raritybayliving.com for info on the community. We live in Tellico Village, our south entrance is about 3 miles from the entrance to Rarity Bay. We are non-age-restricted and have more clubs and varied amenities than Rarity Bay. We also have businesses such as banks, restaurants, churches, a grocery, a hardware store, a gas station, etc within our community, Rarity has none. We allow Rarity Bay folks to buy memberships in our recreation club because they prefer our fitness center. They do have a lovely clubhouse with Sunday brunches, lunch, and dinner, and a beautiful golf course. We have 3 golf courses, all different. We also have restaurants in our golf clubhouses, and a lovely Yacht Club (which serves only dinner). The two communities are quite different. Tellico Village is more forested and has more variety in the size and price of homes and, to me, seems much more open and friendly. Rarity is gated, more open land, cleared of trees, seems to try to appeal to the horsey set with all the equestrian facilities. It just seems like Rarity caters more to the super high-income retirees, but Tellico is geared more to a wider variety of folks. Both are upscale communities, but TV is just more into the fun side of retirement. We have every type of club and sport you can imagine. Yes, TV has a men's senior softball team. I don't know if Rarity Bay does or not. You can check Tellico Village out at An Active Senior Living Retirement Community | Tellico Village.

Other communities in the area include: Wind River, Tennessee National, and up on the Cumberland Plateau (about an hour away) Fairfield Glade. You can check out all these communities (and more) at Search for the best master planned Eastern Tennessee communities

[TheShadow]

Oh, and like TennesseeFan said, we have the Discovery Package which allows you to rent a home in Tellico Village for a few days, get a tour of all the facilities, even a lake tour if the weather cooperates, and meet with a realtor (or not, your choice) to tour available homes. You could do this and then visit all the communities in the area while you are here. Late April-early May is a beautiful time to visit as all the trees are leafing out and blooming. Just follow the instructions on tvpoa.org to set up a Discovery visit. If you'd rather do this on your own without the tours, etc, you can find a short term rental in the community through Key Rentals (keyrental.com).

[grampaTom]

We just moved to the Kahite neighborhood of Tellico village. You owe it to yourself to check it out!

[mtnpath]

Seems like several registered users here live in nearby Tellico Village but few (if any) actually live in Rarity Bay and can provide direct info on Rarity Bay of the sort that only those who actually live there can provide.


If anyone here (or who is reading this) actually lives in Rarity Bay, please respond to the OP's questions. I would benefit from knowing the answers to those questions as well.


Thanks!

[Exrvi]

Hi thumper610,

Been a while since I have been on City Data.

I have lived in Rarity Bay since 2004. I also own a lot in Tellico Village.

Both communities are great, but they are different in some fundamental ways.

TV is much larger than RB - about 7,000 versus about 700 or less in RB so they are going to have more facilities and activities than we, but we probably have easier access to the amenities here - eg golf tee times, boat slips.

TV's developer is long gone, so the residents are in charge of governing the community. RB still has a developer who controls the Board and most everything else.

RB has more stringent design guidelines than TV which can be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective.

TV has been relatively "peaceful" while RB went through a difficult period when the former developer was sued for fraud by his partner, who received a significant settlement from the prior developer (including all property he owned in RB plus the declarant rights). He sold to an investment group (that includes his son in law) who are now in charge. The new developer has gotten off to a shaky start, and although some people here are not happy I think the majority want this new developer to succeed and they appear to be trying to find the holy grail - a win-win outcome.

There are plenty of things to do here. I've always said that if there is an activity you want to pursue you will find others here who will do it with you, if you like. As a previous poster suggested, go the the RB web site. I know they are rolling out their new marketing plan which (I believe) includes a Discovery Package like TV.

If you have any specific questions, let me know and I'll try to respond.

Jeff

[TheShadow]

Tee times in Tellico Village are easy, especially in the afternoons. There is a computerized system, but I never use it. We often call the pro shop in the morning for same day tee times. We try to avoid league days (Tues-Thurs), but they are finished by a little after noon. Lots of open boat slips here are available. Covered slips are another matter. They are few, and the waiting list is long, but they are proposing to build more soon.

[TennTitan]

When you ask residents and property owners about Rarity Bay, the opinions will be so varied, you will wonder if they are all talking about the same community.

There are so many great things about the beautiful location, and most of the residents, that some would wonder why anyone would not want to live in Rarity Bay. Like living anywhere else, your experience can be soured by just one, really bad neighbor. As long as that neighbor lives right next door to you, the enjoyment that you seek will be lessened. I don't have a bad neighbor, but there are other problems that have lessened my enjoyment in this community.

As member Exrvi stated in his post, a new developer/declarant did, indeed, get off to a, "shaky start." I agree, but my opinion is that this company, Salem Pointe Capital, (SPC), has shown to lack the competency and experience necessary to manage their assets. Unfortunately, when residents, and the resident Board, had the opportunity to alter the governing documents at a time when all assets were held in Receivership, the current situation was not contemplated.

An unknown number of residents are currently threatening to file a lawsuit. When the declarant first took over, it was the community's resident Board of Directors that was considering a lawsuit. Those two entities reached an agreement, for the, "good of the community," but residents had no vote. Everyone is concerned that a lawsuit will impact sales and property values. My understanding is that once a lawsuit is filed, prospective purchasers are required to be informed.

The declarant has enormous power. SPC can unilaterally amend the governing documents. The Club can raise your fees, without limits. Residents have hardly any voting power. The declarant will maintain this control for as long as it holds any piece of property, if I understand the Master Declaration, correctly. This month, SPC will forcefully gain majority rule on the community's Board of Directors.

Property owners who are also Club members, of record, when SPC took over, who may never visit the community to use the privately-owned amenities, pay the same monthly rate as a resident who uses all that is available. There is no longer an, "inactive," status for those owners of record, in which a property owner pays a reduced fee.

If I was considering a move to Rarity Bay, I would have to pass. I tell my friends the same thing. If someone is so wealthy that they no longer care about the cost of living in Rarity Bay, then I heartily recommend Rarity Bay. You will probably be happy as long as you don't question the expense, and any of the decisions that affect you. I strongly recommend that if you do develop some negative feelings, you would do well to keep those feelings to yourself.