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Bringing Ideas to the Board

If you live in an HOA and are not on the board, your voice can still be heard! While it is easy and quick to call or email your management company, presenting your idea(s) at a meeting is the best way to share them. This is because, in every Homeowner’s Association, the Board of Directors holds the decision-making ability. Before you present your idea at the next board meeting (in the agenda as “Other” or “Discussion” or “Comments,”), contact the board secretary and ask if your idea can be featured as a main topic of the meeting . This way, your presentation will be anticipated, and you can ensure that your preparation pans out. If you were to present on the spot during an open forum, you may not have the time to share all your ideas because other homeowners are hoping to speak as well. Preparing to present at a board meeting is like any other presentation in that a good idea needs a spokesperson. When you’ve come up with the idea, that spokesperson is you. If you can imagine the co...
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Why Borrowing is a Good Idea

When a community association has a big project on the horizon, it’s vital to review how it will be financed. Typically, this discussion takes place with the board members and community manager(s). Some special projects, like repainting and landscaping, are done to keep the association looking presentable. If an association doesn’t have the budget to repaint, for example, this project can be put on hold and budgeted for the next year. However, when a project is necessary for safety or compliance, like roof repair, the association needs to decide how it will be financed. If the board comes to the consensus that there aren’t enough funds in the association’s operating budget or reserves to cover the project’s entire bill, they’ll investigate special assessments as an option. Special assessments—even though they’re a one-time fee—can be tough to swallow, so securing a loan is another option. When lending rates are very low, a loan is an attractive option. Through a loan, a lender...
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What does an HOA community manager do?

Every homeowner’s association benefits from a knowledgeable and dependable HOA manager . In this article, we will help to distinguish between the different types of community managers and explain the general responsibilities that they fulfill. Types and Credentials of HOA Managers Unlike the volunteer roles upheld by the Board of Directors, community managers are paid employees. They are either an employee of the management company, or they can be directly employed by the association. We can distinguish between HOA managers by looking at their location of work and certifications. In some larger associations, HOA managers fulfill on-site duties during business hours. Typically, the association has a management office that homeowners can visit, and there are often assistant managers and/or administrative staff working in the office as well. Oftentimes, managers are responsible for a portfolio of communities in an off-site position. Off-site managers are still dedicated and active in m...
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How Much do HOA Management Companies Charge?

How Much Does an HOA Management Company Cost It’s important to remember that homeowner assessment fees (aka HOA dues) cover various costs, like insurance, municipal services, common area insurance, maintenance of common areas, and anticipated future expenses among many other expenses. The management fee is a small portion of the assessment fee. Additionally, various factors including community location and size, the scope of services, management expertise, and state, local, and municipal laws, can impact management fees. What Factors Influence HOA Management Pricing The community amenities and age play a role in the amount of time required to professionally address issues and to operate in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. In addition, the size of a community impacts management fees. For example, larger communities may have a are lower fee because administrative efforts are conducted on a larger scale. However, communities with large common areas (clubhouse, pool, multip...
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Preparing a Family Emergency Plan

Natural disasters affect thousands of people every year, and with the increased risk of various natural disasters such as wildfires in the summer and autumn months, floods and landslides in the winter and spring months, and earthquakes all year round, it’s a good idea to think about having an emergency plan in place. Below are five tips that you and your family can utilize to implement a plan quickly and effectively. 1. Discuss Possibilities Have an open discussion with your family about the types of emergencies that could happen. These include severe weather like thunderstorms or high winds, natural disasters like earthquakes and fires and even civil unrest like rioting or acts of terrorism. 2. Designate a Meeting Place Designate a meeting place in the event you cannot return home. It’s a good idea to choose both a neighborhood meeting place and a place to meet outside of your neighborhood in case you can’t access the area surrounding your home. If you have pets, ensure the meetin...
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Does an HOA Need a Management Company?

What Are the Risks of Self-Managed HOAs? The ideal scenario is that every single Community Association (HOA) has a management company, but that isn’t always the case. While it’s possible for Board Members to self-manage, many associations eventually transition to some type of management service (accounting, administration, or maintenance services) or full-service management. This is because there are several risks involved in self-management, which include problems with legal compliance, lawsuits, and escalated conflict between homeowners and Board Members. These problems can be prevented with a reliable community association management company because their managers are experts in interpreting and abiding by the association’s legal documents and ensuring that the Board Members are held to the highest ethical standards. It’s also important to remember that having a management company does not revoke the need for a Board of Directors. All community associations need a Board of Director...
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Strategize with Us

As a management company, when we work with your Board of Directors to review and update your community’s strategic plan, we always want your input! In this article, you’ll learn about what a strategic plan is, what its advantages are, and the type of information that’s used to review and update it. What is a strategic plan? A strategic plan outlines a particular community’s priorities and projects for the immediate future and for years to come. It can also accommodate revisions as changing circumstances dictate—without conflicting with the vision behind its creation. Essentially, life is unpredictable, so a strategic plan is designed to be flexible. It also helps determine what this year’s budget will include and suggests what future ones might feature. What are the advantages of strategic planning? The strategic planning process has many advantages. It stimulates ideas to make good use of association resources, identifies responsibilities, assigns work, coordinates effort...
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