This is a very good complex with mostly older folks who own and are snowbirds. By far the current management team is the best we have ever had in the 16 years that I have lived here. I do like that the HOA requires a criminal background check on rental units......kind of a shame they can't require an IQ test to make sure that a few of the renters can actually read the rules before they move in. Just like any place else you will have a few cry-babies that think the rules don't apply to them. HOA living is not for everyone I guess. The property is amazingly clean, well lighted, gated and secure. The one thing I like the most is the rules and regulations are enforced so unlike my daughters HOA that is a crime infested nightmare a few miles north. It's also an added bonus that they have a security company patrol nightly through-out the property. There are 4 pools, clubhouse, new tennis courts, basketball courts, spa and several very nice bbq areas on the property, I have never met more friendly people in any community other than Circle Tree. A couple of downers are you can only have one 20lb dog and there is only one covered space for each unit. On the upside there never seems to be that shady criminal element that a lot of condominium complexes have. The HOA dues are $160 per month but that pays water, sewer, trash and shell insurance. All things considered the $160 is not that bad of a deal as the property is well taken care of. The location is perfect! The Mall, MCC, 24 hour Walmart and Home Depot is within walking distance. There are many Resturant's also within walking distance as well. The prices of the condominiums are rising again however there is never a unit for sale anymore. While most condominium complexes are 1/2 empty like my daughter's this place is sold out......that will tell you how much people enjoy it here....they never sell. Recently the HOA has been hosting some dinners and shows over at the very nice clubhouse. It's nice that the older folks have a couple of things to do here as some of them don't drive anymore. The HOA seems pretty reasonable so unlike my daughters HOA who fined her $150 for having an air-freshiner in her window for one day. Seriously it's not like she plastered tacky junk all over her windows or something. I have been to a couple of board meetings and the directors seem very friendly and professional. If you can ever find a unit for sale here I would recommend this complex to anyone looking to live in peace and quiet. Again there are mostly older people here like myself so younger people may not find the place so hip. x x read more

Yelp Hit With Class Action Lawsuit For Running An "Extortion Scheme" Robin Wauters Wednesday, February 24th, 2011 16 Comments View Staff Page Follow me on Twitter Robin Wauters is the European Editor of tech blog The Next Web and lead editor of Virtualization.com. He was a senior staff writer at TechCrunch until his departure in February 2012. Aside from his professional blogging activities, he's an entrepreneur, event organizer, occasional board adviser and angel investor but most importantly an all-round startup champion. Wauters lives and works in... Learn More Two law firms, Beck & Lee from Miami and The Weston Firm in San Diego, have filed a class action lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court alleging unfair business practices by local business review and rating website operator Yelp. The plaintiff in the suit, a veterinary hospital in Long Beach, CA, is said to have requested that Yelp remove a negative review from the website, which was allegedly refused by the San Francisco startup, after which its sales representatives repeatedly contacted the hospital demanding payments of roughly $300 per month in exchange for hiding or deleting the review. Sounds familiar, you say? You may be thinking of last year, when East Bay Express ran an explosive story, basically accusing Yelp of being in the 'Business of Extortion 2.0, which covered similar ground. Shortly after reporter Kathleen Richards published the article, Yelp vehemently denied everything and called her piece inaccurate. Now, the company will have to defend itself in court rather than on its company blog. The lawsuit essentially alleges that the heavily funded startup runs an "extortion scheme" and has "unscrupulous sales practices" in place to generate revenue, in which the company's employees call businesses demanding monthly payments in the guise of advertising contracts, in exchange for removing or modifying negative reviews. The case, which is styled Cats and Dogs Animal Hospital Inc. v. Yelp Inc., was filed on February 23, 2010, and is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. We have an e-mail in with Yelp and are awaiting a response. read more

My husband, Arthur & I live in Circle Tree Owner's Association in Mesa, Arizona and we simply adore it here! It's a wonderfully, quaint community that is hidden away from the rumble of the city. I like to call it the best kept snowbird secret. We didn't even know it was here until one day we were driving around and got a little lost. Then we turned the corner and there was Circle Tree! We decided just to stop into the office and see what it was like. The community manager and the office gal were just so friendly and helpful, we couldn't be more pleased. The manager, Dave took us for a walk around the property and told us all about the amenities offered here. We fell in love right then and there. We went to work on finding a property to purchase. We were blessed enough to get a unit and on the bottom floor, too! We were just thrilled!! Arthur & I only live here for half the year, in the winter time when the Arizona weather is just beautiful. We both love to play golf and the courses here are amazing. The rest of the year we take our motor home and explore the country. Every winter we always look forward to returning to Circle Tree. One of the things we love about this condo association is the quite. Since the majority of the homeowners are retired, they understand how important the quite is. I'm not a fan of complainers and I'm of the philosophy that if you can't say anything nice than don't say anything at all. Now if you complaint is a legitimate one, then please let management know. Don't take matters into your own hands and make the situation worse. Rules are there for a reason and if you abide by them, then everyone will get along just fine. The older folks seem to understand this simple rule, why can't the young people of this generation understand this too? read more

This is a good complex, very clean and very, very quiet. I have lived here for the past 7 years and I must say every day it just gets better and better. There are a couple of rental units here but the HOA screens renters so there is not to many issues. Most people here are seasonal owners who all leave in the summer and go back to their primary homes elsewhere. There is a lot to do here swimming, tennis, basket ball cookouts etc. It is kind of like a mini-resort with very nice grounds and outing areas. Not to many children live here as the condo's are mostly owned by more mature people. Every once in awhile some of them have their Grandchildren over. There is no playground, swings, of sandboxes for the children which is a shame. I think the HOA should install a few kid friendly areas for the kiddies. You are allowed one pet as long as it is not over 20 pounds which is a shame as you can't have a friend for your pet. I'm sure this rule is for a reason as they don't want a bunch of dogs pooping all over. Still it's a shame we can't have 2 dogs as my Muffin would love to have a playmate. The Management is probably the best we have had in many years, they seem to really care about the property and enforce the rules unlike a lot of other HOA'S do. My daughter lives in a condominium complex in Phoenix that is run by City Properties and the place is just a free-for -all. Circle Tree however is well kept and the few reasonable rules are adhered to accordingly. You will not see broken blinds, junk cars or garbage stuck in windows here which makes the place look so much more attractive! I am hopeful the value of the condos will go up even more than they have but as we all know the housing market hit Arizona very hard. I never see a unit for sale here so I think the market is slowly comming back. read more

This is a wonderful community with loads of amenities such as tennis courts, Jacuzzi, clubhouse, 4 swimming pools (one that is even heated in the winter time) Racquetball courts, tennis courts. The property has great lighting and is part of the City's Crime Prevention Program. Tenant screening is a mandatory requirement if you rent your unit to someone. This means if you have any kind of shady record you cant live here. Guess that's why its so unlike an apartment complex. The best part about Circle Tree is the location, I can be anywhere in the valley in 15 minutes with the 60 being so close. The maintenance staff really keeps the place looking nice and are constantly repairing or upgrading the property. The landscaping crew is amazing at keeping the grounds well manicured and clean. There are no play areas like swings and sandboxes for the children but there is plenty of other things to keep them busy like the pool. The office staff are extremely polite and professional and seem to be quite attentive to the needs of residents. I have read through the reviews and it looks like some old renters like "Renter B" may be simply disgruntled former tenants. The HOA has more rules as an apartment complex does and HOA/Condo life isn't for those who treat the property like an apartment complex. People own here and have a higher set of standards unlike apartments who collect all the rents and let folks get by with all kinds of things. All in all if your looking for a great place to Rent or Buy Circle Tree is a nice clean safe Community to consider. read more

While HOA's are not for everyone, this one does a pretty decent job. Years ago, this wasn't the "clean, quiet and safe place" it is today. Unfortunately, poor past management and horrible board members coupled with differed maintenance was the norm. In the past five years or so, the HOA and the new manager has really cleaned the place up. New pools, tennis courts, updated clubhouse and a major overhaul of the landscape have really turned things around. If owners rent their units, their tenants must be screened and they disallow felons and sex-offenders, which was a major problem for this HOA a number of years ago. There are a number of rules here, none of which are unreasonable. Years ago, there were some rules, but no-one ever enforced them. The HOA dues are also very reasonable coming in at $165 a month, which includes water, sewer, trash, insurance and the general upkeep of the massive amount of amenities. There hasn't been any special assessments which is incredible for an HOA this size. The location is the selling point for this complex. The US 60 is around the corner and you can be anywhere in the Valley in under 20 min. Circle Tree is also close to hospitals, the mall and is located in the up and coming Fiesta District. For a safe, clean and quite type of living I would highly recommend this community. If you want to work on cars and have party's , this may not be the place for you. read more

This is a good place to live and play. We are a retired couple and live in Canada, we come to Arizona every winter to escape the cold. Each time we come back we are amazed that the property continues to improve, its always like a surprise. This year new tennis courts and a lot of landscaping was done. It's not the Ritz-Carlton but it does live up to the slogan "Resort Style Living." A couple of our friends came down with us this winter and were shocked as to how nice the complex was for the price we paid for our unit. So shocked they purchased the last unit for sale in building 9 as their "winter retreat." We went to a fab Snowbird Potluck dinner at the Clubhouse hosted by another Canadian couple, what a ball we had! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that on our income we could have purchased a condo so reasonably in such a nice complex. I'm sure the word has spread quickly as all we ever see in the parking lot is Canadian license plates. I hope the local's don't mind lol. The HOA fee is a little high at $160/monthly but I guess you get what you pay for. There are a lot of items such as 3 swimming pools and a lot of grounds work that surly is costly to maintain. My wife and I couldn't be happier here at Circle Tree Condominiums read more

My condo association, Circle Tree is the BEST place I have ever lived & by far the best investment I could have made. I truly love living here. I hate to tell people this....but I'm of the "older" generation and Circle Tree is filled with my age group. Most of us here are retired and either live here year round or are snowbirds. I especially love the quietness. Us old people tend to not make a lot of noise and we would appreciate if these youngsters would think of that the next time you go stomping around. The landscaping is just wonderful here, & new flowering plants were just planted last week. I like the mix of grass and rock. We do live in a desert and I think a lot of people forget that. I get a lil mad when people complain of the dead grass of bushes. The people working here really do a good job and try their best. They are very friendly and if I ever have any questions they always answer it. My favorite thing to do here is stilling on my balcony, drinking my tea in the morning and watching the birds. I wish this place only had retired, quite owners like me. The renters that complain can just pack up their stuff and move elsewhere. Don't bash this community, grow up and gain some prospective. read more

Don't buy here. The manager Dave Cameron Russel is a certified con artist and pretends to be an ex-police officer. He creates 99% of the fake reviews on every website you can find. He never did anything for the HOA except for creating illegal rules to ban owners from living in their own homes. Who would ever agree to be kicked out of their over home if they unfortunately got a criminal charge. Might as well flush your $145K down the toilet before buying here. This HOA is out of control with all their rules and excessive fines. Dave is a nut job and gets kick backs from the contractors he uses and embezzles money from the HOA. A $190 per month HOA fee is excessive no matter what they pretend to cover, unless you are living in New York or California, which you are not, its a dump there with homeless people digging through your trash and breaking into your cars. *Update: Circle Tree pretends not to allow felons or sex offenders to live there. They have had one living there for many years. Check their Facebook page and you will find Charles Merrill as one of friendly neighborhood sex offenders. read more

Amazing Property with Every Amenity one could ever ask for. The complex is a little older (built in the mid 80's) but talk about well maintained. Living at Circle Tree is like living at a Resort the way it is all laid out. Clean, Clean, Clean they Clean 24/7. My mom came over and was totally shocked that I bought such a nice place for such a reasonable price. Home Depot, Walmart 24 hour and restaurants are within walking distance......how can you beat that.......I don't even really need a car anymore. Finally after 10 years of living in crappy apartments where I worried about my girlfriends safety I'm now at ease in this quiet gated community I call Home. No more trashy Mariachi Music blaring at all hours, no more police raids on the drug dealers apartments and no more trashy neighbors. I finally have a place where I'm not embarrassed to bring my friends and family members over for dinner or a drink. My last apartment looked like an auto body repair shop.....junk cars everywhere! Circle Tree is where I plan to live for years to come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Hi my name is Kittie :) I just wanted to take a minute and express how I feel about my condo association....I Love it here!! This place is the cat's pajamas!!! Everything about this place is excellent & well cared for. Just by walking onto the property to can tell management cares. :) Most people here are homeowners like me and they live here too. I think it's important to have more owners living here than making them rentals. Rentals tend bring down the spirit of the community. Just last month at the Clubhouse there was a potluck for all the snowbirds. :) Yes I do live here all the time but I'm from originally from Canada and I wanted to meet more people from my home country. It was a fantastic function and I look forward to the next one. :) If anyone is lucky enough to purchase a unit here, be very grateful! This place sells quick! Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my post. I really do love my home very much :) read more

This is a great complex to live in. I rent here with my boyfriend. I haven't had any problems. I had my vehicle towed once but it was my own fault. I didn't bother to read what I signed until it was too late. My boyfriend said that when the landlord showed it to him she said it was a good and bad thing. But, the good outweighed the bad. It seems using the parking as an indication of who belonged on the property or not helped to keep out intruders. It is quiet and the four pools are kept clean. I do wish other renters and owners took side pride in where they live. I see people drop trash from their cars in the parking lot. Just walk a few steps and put your trash in a container and it would make the whole place nicer for those of us that care. read more

I was one of the lucky ones to finally get my foot in the door and purchase a unit here this year. For 11 months I waited for a unit to finally come on the market.....talk about a bidding war but YEA ME I'm finally in.! This is a beautiful place to live!!!!! So clean, so quiet....there are a lot of retired folks here and I love it. The HOA staff are so nice and helpful it's almost hard to believe this is an HOA. of course the older crowd aren't to rowdy lol. I would recommend buying here but you rarely find a unit for sale....I just lucked out. Ramada areas, BBQ areas, 4 pools (one heated year round),racquetball, new tennis courts, jacuzzi and lush green rolling lawns gives you the fuzzy feeling that your living in some sort of resort. read more

Best Kept Property! Talk about your well kept property! Recently we purchased a condo here as our second home , we live in Canada. The property is amazingly well kept and the HOA staff are incredibly helpful. Not only is the property clean....it's quiet. We look forward to spending many winters here at Circle Tree. I am just floored at how many amenities there are in this community, there are 4 pools 1 of which is heated year round, new tennis courts, heated spa, basketball, racquetball and a huge clubhouse. The office staff are extremely polite and helpful as well. read more

Circle Tree is probably the best place I have lived in 20 years of renting. Very nice HOA who treats everyone the same......tenants, renters and homeowners alike. The grounds are simply amazing! Green grass, tennis courts, pools, basketball clubhouse, raquet ball and BBQ areas. This place is like one stop shopping with every amenity one would ever need. Security patrolled, gated and tenant screenings on rental units are a huge bonus. Several of my friends have even moved here after coming for a visit. The peace and quiet is worth the higher rent I pay for my unit. read more

Excelllent community! HOA dues are a little steep at $160 a month but the property is very clean and very safe. The maintenance staff is great and are always out and about improving something. Office staff is pretty friendly. They really could use a playground for the few kids that live here. Overall it's a quiet place with nice mostly older folks. read more

I have lived at Circle Tree for the past several years and love it here. Talk about a clean property with an awesome staff. I highly recommend this community of you are looking for an affordable, clean and crime free place to live. read more

Very nice community with excellent staff. The complex is very clean and extremely quiet. I have lived here for 10 years as a renter but always treated as if I was an owner. The grounds and absolutely beautiful. read more

Super clean place, but its a little expensive to purchase a condo there. I only rent a unit but am looking for the prices to drop before I purchase. Its a good place to live. read more