The gated community of Bent Tree, Georgia is located 5 miles east of Jasper off of IH 575/515. The community offers 18 holes of golf, 4 outdoor tennis courts, two indoor courts, a horse riding stable and a 100+/- acre lake for boating. They also have 2 outdoor swimming pools and a dog park and hiking trails.
The homes in the community range from getaway cabins to luxurious homes high a top its many mountain tops. You can see Atlanta, Stone and Kennesaw mountains from some of these mountain top homes! (on a clear day!) 
There are about 100 miles of paved roads in the community, and thankfully NO gravel or dirt roads that we in the mountains tend to end up in during rain storms!
Bent Tree is a non-debt community…meaning that all amenities must be self-supporting with the community not incumbering any financial responsibilities to maintain, support or improve them. During the down turn, when so many HOAs went out of business, this was a plus, keeping the community healthy and viable.
Now the darker side!! The HOA fees popped up from $1600 to $2860 to outset the losses that the golf course runs. The Club House was closed, except for special events. The HOA must maintain large back up funds to handle weather problems that Mother Nature throws at us from time to time…creeks washing out roads, trees toppling over, those type of events. Improvements are on the back burner because maintenance must be managed first. All residents are now paying for golf and tennis whether they play of not. Many gated communities have this type fee structure, because, even if you do not use the amenities, you benefit from their availability through home appreciation.
Bent Tree struggles because of the age and price of many of their homes that have to support the increase HOA fee. The average home in Bent Tree now is below $275,000…so many are in the Low $100,000, some even below that. . Bent Tree was founded in the 1970s and homes were built in that era; an era that saw no Building Inspector in Pickens county at all! Homes that are Functionally and Economically obsolete are also paying the increased HOA fee.
In an attempt to maintain the privacy of the sub-division, Bent Tree has recently implemented a closed gate system. Any real estate agent bring customers or clients into the community must have those people ride inside that agent’s car. They do not want unauthorized people driving unaccompanied through their neighborhood. They do not have any way to monitor who leaves the community so they are limiting who goes in. If you are showing the community, please be aware of this, especially if you have clients with children in car seats, pets or physical disabilities … and either make arrangements during business hours for a special dispensation, or plan to show another community.
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