This is a campground as well as a place for people to join with a seasonal trailer. My family and I purchased a seasonal spot in 2020 and recently sold it. My hope is that by sharing my experience, I will save others from going in without a clear vision of Sandy Pines. Although the amenities and recreational choices are amazing, the management of this campground is some of the worst that I've ever experienced. There are SO many rules, however these rules are not consistently enforced leaving you often confused. Communication is lacking and you will not hear back when you reach out regarding permits, questions, or even when your trailer sells. Here are some examples of my experience: 1. My close friend hired a company(Bos Built) to put a deck on her trailer. The company entered the park 7 days in a row with multiple vehicles and built her deck without her present. On the 8th day this same company was going to come in to put vinyl plank in a room in my trailer. When I called to get them a guest pass to enter the park, I was told they wouldn't allow the company to enter without me being present. I explained my confusion by this and they were not willing to listen and in fact told me that I was wrong about my friend not being there(I was on vacation with her in North Carolina when they were building the deck). I reached out to the park president about the inconsistency and was given no resolution. 2. I joined the rules committee after my flooring experience to hopefully understand how the rules are developed and discussed. The handbook(rules, regulations, bylaws) is 79 pages long. There is not a chance that these rules will ever be less with the current board and committee. Every concern regarding a rule brought to the committee in my time serving was met with immediate resistance to any change. Reasoning always fell back on liability. Some examples of rules discussed- the contractors in the park without member present(liability, safety), a pontoon boat with a See-Doo switch engine(liability, way to dangerous), electric bikes/scooters/etc(need to add a rule to eliminate due to liability), lot clean up(SERIOUS discussion with zero tolerance for even a fist size amount of mildew due to it taking away neighbor's ability to be happy). There will be no change so be aware of rules before buying a seasonal lot. 3. While serving on the rules committee, we as committee members were asked to drive around on our golf carts and look for those that didn't clean up their lot and text/email security so they could write tickets. Yes. They wanted us to spend our time on vacation tattling on others. Everyone on the committee happily did this except me. 4. I got a site cleanup citation for having extra patio blocks stacked beside my deck($100 fine). I really was unaware of this being“trashy.” The patio blocks were there when I bought in 2020(it was not mentioned at closing/inspection) and I did not get cited in 2021 or 2022. This year I did. Inconsistency continues, as my neighbor across the street had patio blocks in the driveway. They did not receive a citation.They mail you a paper to your home address telling you that you have a citation, but it doesn't include a date. Like snail mail it. You have 2 weeks to clean it up or they fine you again.($200 and 2 points, 6 points gets your card access removed). While I called immediately upon receiving the citation in the mail to determine the date of citation, it had already been 2 weeks. 5. We knew it was time to go. We listed our trailer using Kent from sales to help us. On Thursday, July 27 I got a call from Kent with an offer. We did counter offer, but didn’t hear back from Kent. I assumed the potential buyer didn't take my counter. On Monday, July 31 I was at a public event downtown where we live. I was approached by a friend who told me my trailer sold(she knew someone who knew the buyer). Another person also approached me telling me it sold. Kent didn't tell me. I emailed him that night and he confirmed that yes it sold(offer accepted on Saturday, July 29 and money put down/contract signed the morning of July 31), he's just been busy. When I expressed the unprofessionalism of finding out through the grapevine, he accused me of just being emotional. I emailed the president, Jeff on August 1, but he didn't even respond. I emailed him again on August 14 and he responded without an apology but stating that Kent was extremely professional and did nothing wrong. Kent will receive 6% of my sale, even if he is not professional and doesn’t communicate the actual sale with me. I am not alone in my feelings. The facebook group for members is full of people sharing similar experiences to mine. Perhaps join that group if able before purchasing a seasonal lot.
