What to read in the Chestatee welcome packet before you offer

Most buyers skim the packet or skip it. That is a mistake in a covenant community. The packet is the one document set the association itself publishes for new owners, and it answers questions no listing will.

What it is and where to get it

HMS offers a Welcome Packet (covenants, bylaws, rules, policies) as a public download; the copy read for this research is titled Welcome Book updated 2026-04-06.src HMS marks the Chestatee welcome packet as updated April 6, 2026.src The management company’s page links the download, and the association’s portal is where current owners find updates.

A reading order that saves time

1. The welcome letter.It is short, and it is the clearest statement of what the association does not manage. The association's own welcome letter says the golf course, the sewer system and the marina are not managed by the homeowners association; they have a separate owner.src
2. The covenants and every amendment.The original declaration was recorded in Dawson County deed records at Deed Book 266, Page 2src. Amendments change the answer, as the short-term rental amendment shows. Short-term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO and similar) are expressly prohibited by an amendment to the covenants, whether or not the owner lives in the home.src
3. The parking policy.It is a daily-life rule, and a buyer with a boat trailer, an RV or a work van will meet it first. The association parking policy prohibits parking on all Chestatee streets and roads and sets limits on RVs, trailers and commercial vehicles.src
4. The amenities and who can use them.The Lodge, Pavilion, Square, pool, tennis, pickleball, basketball and bocce are not open to the public; use is limited to owners, family and accompanied guests.src
5. The role-based contacts.The association publishes role-based board email addresses: president@, vicepres@, treasurer@, secretary@, cmrc@ (modification requests), landscaping@, structures@, roads@, recreation@ and waterfront@ chestateepoa.com.src
6. Anything about the lake and boats.The covenants speak to lake use, docks and slips. The covenants bar private docks and boat access to Lake Lanier except docks and boatslips originally installed by or for the Declarant.src

What to underline

• Every sentence that begins with “no right to”. At Chestatee the covenants use that phrasing for golf and for boat slips.
• Every amendment date. A later amendment overrides an earlier covenant.
• The Modification Request process and who approves. It is the association’s gate before any exterior work.
• Anything that mentions the Developer or the declarant. A Partial Termination of Declarant's Rights was recorded March 24, 2023 (Deed Book 1625, Page 67), shifting more control to the owner-run association.src

What it will not tell you

The packet is not a market analysis, a price list or a promise of anything. It also will not answer these, which you must ask elsewhere: the current dues amount and what it covers, whether the club offers owners anything, what the slip owner’s terms are, which school the district assigns, and which utility supplies drinking water. We did not determine the school or the water provider, and the look-ups page says who to ask.

Check what you read against the record

The packet is a convenience. The recorded documents are the authority. Your closing attorney or title company can pull the declaration and amendments from the Dawson County record and tell you whether the packet reflects them. If the two disagree, the recorded version governs.

Ask the manager to confirm in writing

When you finish, send the management company one email. Say which packet you read, by its date, and ask them to confirm it is current and to name any amendment not in it. The management contact is on the directory. A reply in writing is worth more than any conversation.

If you want a plain-language walk through the packet with someone who reads covenants every week, that is part of what the brokerage behind this guide does. We do not interpret law; we help you ask the right question of the right office.

Gold Peach Realty is the brokerage behind this guide. If you want a second pair of eyes on the paperwork for a specific home, call (770) 283-1223 or read how Gold Peach Realty works with buyers and sellers.

Related questions

Last checked 2026-10-20. Written by the Chestatee on Lake Lanier Editorial Team. Rules, dates and contacts change: confirm with the office we link before you rely on anything here.