Winterizing Your Home

This is the time of year that most of us start preparing for the holiday season.  In addition to the home decorating that may be done for the holidays, we also need to prepare our homes for the winter season.  If we fail to winterize our home, the cold temperatures of winter can cause some inconvenient problems.  These problems can also turn into costly repairs.
by Van Cobbs

The Right Fit

When the Indian Rocks Property Owners Association recently began its search for a new community manager, the board immediately asked one of its members to prepare a detailed job description and invited volunteers from the community to serve on the search committee.
by Michael E. Packard
PCAM®, CPM®, CCAM®

Board Basics

Association board members are elected by the membership, typically at the association’s annual membership meeting. Following the election, an organizational meeting is required to establish the officers of the board. Boards generally have four officer positions: president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Some governing documents allow for the combination of the secretary and treasurer positions.
by Leslie Freed
CMCA®, AMS®

Homeowners Roles and Responsibilities

Purchasing a new home is a very exciting time and one that requires an enormous amount of thought and consideration. Not only does the home itself require thoughtful consideration but the neighborhood in which you live is equally as important. Living in a community association requires some education about the various obligations and requirements as well as the benefits.
by Heather Graham
PCAM®, CMCA®

Partnerships in Community Management

Partnerships are a voluntary mutual agreement between two or more parties in which everyone works together to achieve a common goal or undertake a specific task which involves sharing risks, responsibilities, resources, competencies and benefits.
by Bryn Cushman
PCAM®, CMCA®, AMS®

House Rules Creation and Enforcement: Three Keys to Success

Imagine, if you would, a community association where all residents were considerate, caring, responsible and respectful to one another. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And, in an ideal world, that is what all community associations would experience. The reality, however, is that while many association residents do try to be thoughtful neighbors, many others (at least on occasion) forget that they are living in a unique community environment.
by Susan Nichols-Afuso,
PCAM®, AMS®, CMCA®

Tips from the Trash Police

Contrary to popular belief, trashcans are not yard art!

Most managers and board members have experienced the age-old problem of dealing with the common deed restrictions relating to trash and trashcans. Almost every set of governing documents that I have dealt with over the years contains provisions that address refuse and refuse containers, particularly storage of the containers used to hold refuse. Your governing documents likely require that containers used for storage of refuse must be stored so as not to be visible from the neighboring properties, common areas or streets within the community.
by Sherrill Schafer
PCAM®

Top Ten Condo Defects

Look around and inspect your home for any of these top ten condo defects.

You may be surprised at what you find. You may also want peace of mind and have your home professionally inspected by an experienced home inspector.
by Association Times' Staff Writer

Tips for Avoiding the Pitfalls of Email

In this age of instant communication, email is playing an increasingly important role in the day to day operations of community associations. Boards, managers, homeowners, attorneys and contractors routinely use email to pass along information quickly and efficiently. Quick and easy communication is a good thing, right?
by Trisha S. Taylor
Attorney at Law

Reserve Now Or Pay Later

Overseeing the community’s finances and developing budgets that enable the community to maintain and preserve market values of both the residential and common area property are important responsibilities of the association’s board of directors. A funding plan for the future repairs or replacement of major common area components (e.g. swimming pools, asphalt surfaces, concrete areas, roofs, vehicular access gates, monument signs, etc.) is a very important part of the overall financial management of an association.
by Leslie Freed
AMS®, CMCA®

Association Conflict, Us Versus Them?

It seems, based on the outcome of past Legislative Sessions here in Arizona, that Homeowners Associations are a hotbed of conflict with tyrannical boards of directors demanding indentured servitude from the Association’s members. Those of us who work with Associations on a day-to-day basis know that in most cases the opposite is closer to the truth. Directors are often reluctant to exert too much pressure on members of the Association, and many spend hours debating the level of corrective response to apply in a given situation. Some will even practice blatant avoidance of an issue in the hope it will just go away.
by Ken Bade
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

Fire Prevention in the Home

What would you do if all of a sudden you found yourself in the midst of a fire involving your residence? Have you taken the necessary steps to be ready; do you have the proper equipment for notification, the equipment to fight a minor fire, is your family ready and prepared to escape; and have you done your due diligence to check your home for fire prevention?

Smoke is responsible for three out of four deaths. The installation and the maintenance of your home smoke detectors can save your family’s life.
by Jan Svoboda
AMS®, Real Estate

Who's Responsible for Transition from Developer Control to Home Owner Control in an Association?

Property Management Companies form crucial relationships with Developers and Builders. These relationships are nurtured and perfected while the Communities under development are managed by an Association Manager within the Company.

In the first stage of development, the Common Areas are established. The Manager has typically been through the bid process for the Contractors who are now maintaining the Community Common Areas. The parcel of land that was dirt and sod is turning into a Community, or better yet a Home Owners Association. This is the time the Manager MUST begin making contacts, and nurturing the homeowners who have purchased homes.
by Michelle Glover
AMS®, CMCA®, PCAM®

Odd Man Out

There’s always one. At least one person in every community that makes your job that much harder! There is one person that, no matter what you do, isn’t satisfied that you have done it good enough or fast enough. You can stay up hours after a meeting to complete the minutes, email them to the Board, and do five of the ten things on the “To Do List” by 9am the next morning following a meeting. . . and they wonder why you didn’t do the other five things first. You can take five steps forward for a good deed done, and then go tumbling down the hill when that one person spreads misinformation within the community about you. You won’t ever be appreciated by them, but you continue to try. Why?
by Cheryl Jepsen
RA®, PCAM®,  AMS®, CMCA®

The Landscape Calendar: Protection for Your Property

It is very important to protect, maintain and enhance the value of an association's landscaping. A key factor in maintaining the community's appearance is to always have a landscape calendar in place. This is beneficial for planning and budgeting purposes. In planning out the year using an annual calendar, one should program the specific items that need to be done per season, in addition to the routine maintenance. As part of this plan, one should also plan for the cost of the items to be done. With each season, certain items should be reviewed to provide the right plant materials and types throughout your property.
by Stella Placentia

Marketing the Community Association

It's no secret that sales of existing homes and condominiums across the country are declining. Statistics from the National Association of Realtors indicate that sales of existing homes fell 8.5% in 2006. Projections indicate this trend will continue in 2007 and beyond. The reports also show that listings are staying on the market longer and are selling for lower prices. When faced with these depressed market conditions, it becomes ever more essential to market your community association. Whether you are a manager, a board member or a homeowner, marketing your community can help improve sales and increase sales prices.
by Craig Koss
AMS®, PCAM®

Controlling Your Association’s Operations

Whether you are a Board Member, Community (portfolio) Association Manager, or Site Manager, establishing control and ascertaining responsibility is critical in creating a successful community. Often, control is applied inappropriately and can negatively influence management's effectiveness. Administering greater control to the degree of micromanaging can reduce the productivity of one's staff. If you find yourself constantly sitting in your site manager's office, calling or sending e-mails frequently to check on daily operations, or stepping in to supervise employees during the workday, the degree of control you are seeking may be too much.
by Linda Morabito
AMS®, PCAM®

Consistency – Key To Success

The purpose of this article is not to focus on the similarities of retirement communities and or associations with large retirement populations, rather to focus on the differences. Working with the elderly can be rewarding, enlightening, exhausting or frustrating, but it is never boring.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing for a customer is inconsistent service. McDonald's prides itself on providing consistent products and service. When you eat at a McDonalds in Pittsburgh or Paris you know that your double cheeseburger will taste the same, be the same size and be served in the same packaging. There is comfort in knowing what to expect.
by Gail VanDyke
PCAM®

Manager Musings... Did I Say That?

During a board meeting I like to position myself so that I’m able to make eye contact with all the board members, so instead of sitting shoulder to shoulder, sandwiched between board members, I will generally sit at the end of the table, off to the side. This allows me to see all the board members and actually read their body language. It also allows me to send the board members non-verbal communications without the audience noticing.

I learned the importance of body language at just such a board meeting many years ago. I was in my usual position politely listening to a homeowner who, during the open session, was aggressively over-exaggerating his maintenance situation (my opinion, of course, due to his body language).
by Kim Merrigan
AMS®, CMCA®, PCAM®

Time Away From The Office - The Need To Plan Is Crucial

It serves nobody well, including clients, for staff to forgo vacations because of workload or over committing. Taking a break from a hectic job or work environment has many more positives than negatives, and it's important to balance personal life with work realities. Preparing the operation to run smoothly while staff is away will allow them the break necessary to come back relaxed, reloaded, and ready for action!
by David Gauvin
AMS®, CMCA®, PCAM®

Fiduciary Duty of the Board of Directors

Among many other obligations, an Association, acting through its Board of Directors has the absolute duty to manage, operate, maintain and repair all common areas and to keep them in a safe, attractive and desirable condition for the use and enjoyment of its owners. In fulfilling this obligation the Board of Directors also has the duty to prepare a budget and establish assessments for the Association adequate to meet the financial requirements necessary to maintain the common areas.
by Mark Southall
PCAM®,  AMS®, CMCA®, COS®, CPM®

Greening Up Our Community Associations

It serves nobody well, including clients, for staff to forgo vacations because of workload or over committing. Taking a break from a hectic job or work environment Going green has become mainstream! It is no longer considered “weird” to show your concern for the environment, and those who are concerned are no longer thought of as part of the “lunatic fringe”.

As Community Managers or Board members, we are in a prime position to have an effect on the environment. Collectively, we can make a significant difference.
by Donna Cawthorne
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

How Do You Communicate?

During our busy days and evenings, we try to fill the hours with as much as possible to sustain our business and personal lives. Our companies have provided us with tools to produce reports, statements, formats for resolutions, rules and regulations, newsletters and notices for violations. It is up to us to use these tools, as well as our communication skills, to be successful in our business lives.
by Linda Garrett
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

Time Management in Today’s Fast-paced Environment

When given a task, most companies check their calendar for an estimated completion date…..at my firm, we check our watches.

Time management is, and always will be, a vital part of one's success. The ability to respond to an email, a phone call, produce meeting minutes, follow up on a bid or any number of tasks that confront us on a daily basis, is the key to maintaining, and obtaining, business.
by Dustan Goodell

Practical Painting

Green lawns, healthy plant material and beautiful, blooming flowers will surely increase the curb appeal of your community and home. It’s all about what one sees when visiting a property. Curb appeal is greatly affected by not only the landscape but by the condition of the building’s paint. Cracked, flaking or peeling paint will decrease curb appeal and usually represents deferred maintenance. Often, associations only realize their painting needs when there is major paint failure. Usually, when it gets to this point, painting the project is a huge expense and a monumental undertaking for the Board of Directors.
by Lucinda Hoe

Charting Your Way

If you have been involved with or responsible for association-related maintenance or replacement matters for any length of time, then you have been involved with decisions based on tough questions such as: Is this an association responsibility? Is it owned by the association or the homeowner? Is it considered common or private? Is this a limited charge for that homeowner or included in the budget as an association service? Do some or all of these questions sound familiar?
by Steve Castle
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

The Virginia Tech Experience and its Message to Community Association Life

I walked the memorials at Virginia Tech on Sunday, April 29, 2007 and felt strongly the impact of each of thirty-three lives. We were there to pick up my twenty year-old son and immerse ourselves in the experience of bringing home a living child from a horrific nightmare.

If you know the buildings and drill field of Virginia Tech, you will never be able to picture them in the same way. Even the trees are draped for mourning on the drill field with banners of orange, maroon and black.
by Philips Adams
CMCA®, PCAM®

Super Director

How many of us have experienced the Board member who wants to control all aspects of the association’s operation, from finances to personnel to housekeeping? This “Super Director” just won’t accept that there is a division of responsibility in the operation of the community.

So now the question becomes, how do you handle such an individual and keep the association out of trouble?
by Linda Alexander
CMCA®, PCAM®

Swimming Pool Maintenance & Operations

You are a community manager and your community has a swimming pool. You have absolutely no experience overseeing the pool operations. You ask yourself, “what is most important: Safety, Water Balance, Meeting Local Health code.” All items are vital and interrelated. How are you to proceed to maintain this bathing tub?
by John Cox
AMS®, PCAM®

Protecting Homeowner Personal Information

How prepared is your association or your management company in today’s high technology world of information? Have you taken the time to evaluate if association data is in compliance with the latest privacy laws in regards to homeowner personal information? More and more personal data is being stolen from “secured” files, by individual(s) who are well versed in breaking through firewalls, security login, and password protected files. If a homeowner’s personal information were lost or stolen from the association database, what is the contingency plan?
by Patti Jo Lewis
AMS®, CMCA®, PCAM®

Who is Responsible? Surely Not Me!

During my past twelve years in the community association management profession, I can honestly say that I believe that one of the most often asked questions posed by a homeowner to an Account Executive has been: “Who's responsible?”
by Al Denys
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

Consistency is Key to Community Success

If there is one aspect of serving as a volunteer Board member for a community association that can be the most difficult, it is covenant enforcement. It's not the process of inspecting and sending letters that is difficult, but the thought that you are, figuratively, slapping the hand of one of your neighbors.
by Kenny Durbin
CMCA®, PCAM®

Community Maintenance Evaluation/Inspection Form

Facilities management is one tangible aspect of community association management and it is interwoven into the financial, risk and communication threads of the community. When reviewing the condition of physical assets of a community, it is important to note the current conditions of each asset so that appropriate repair or replacement is scheduled and fund planning occurs to accommodate the needed work.
by John Cox
AMS®, PCAM®

After the Recall – Turning Things Around

Occasionally, after all the efforts to convince some board members (even if they are a minority) to communicate well and be reasonable with the members of their community, there will be those whose actions prompt the members to attempt a full recall of the board. If the recall is successful, it can create a very tense situation within which it will be difficult, but not impossible, to operate.
by Jeff Gourlie
AMS®, PCAM®

Building Communities Through Committees

To begin the committee selection process, it is advisable to hold an open meeting describing the types of committees available and their purpose. In order to guide each committee, a board member should hold the committee liaison position - - thus, serving in an advisory role to the committee.
by Emma Deatherage
AMS®, CMCA®, PCAM®

Understanding the Balance Sheet

If your eyes glaze over when you hear debit or credit, you are not alone. The word “balance sheet” can even make me a bit drowsy. I will try to help you understand what the balance sheet is all about with out causing your head to explode.
by Dave Breder

Company Loyalty – Whose Job is it Anyway?

In my position as Vice President for a large community association management firm, I have many opportunities to demonstrate loyalty to my local company. While recently working with a number of fellow employees on a communication skills training program, the topic of company loyalty came up as a behavioral technique.
by Philip Adams
CMCA®, PCAM®

Improving Your Association Board Meeting

Board meetings play an important role in the life of a community association. Whether such meetings are conducted monthly or quarterly, each meeting is extremely important. Board meetings are one of the most basic avenues used for initiating official actions of the association. The organization and tone of your board meeting most likely reflects how well the community association as a whole is being managed.
by Vicki Ward
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

Volunteerism

Maybe you've seen the T-shirts that say “Stop Me Before I Volunteer Again!” Those are the same people sit on the association board, are active in the soccer league, scouts, church committees, school functions, and fund-raisers time and time again. The minute they move into a new community, they're asking how they can help. And while this may be accompanied by frayed nerves and time-management challenges, these folks feel genuinely rewarded by their volunteer contributions.
by Lana Reynolds
CMCA®

Board Members Can Promote A Sense Of Community

Currently, one out of every three people in California lives in some type of planned community governed by a homeowners association (HOA). More than 42 million people in the United States live under HOA rules.

According to recent estimates by the California Department of Real Estate, up to 80 percent of all future residential communities will be common interest developments (CID) with an HOA.
by Eleanor Hugus

Managing the Manager-Board Member Relationship

Whether you're new to community management or have been at it for years, there is one management function that always remains challenging, and that is managing your relationship with a board of directors. The way you approach this challenge sets the tone for your entire future relationship, so making sure it is the right tone for you is paramount to a successful management career.
by Sharon Massingham
CCAM®

Retention of Files

At some point during the life of the association, the amount of files in storage becomes excessive as we continuously add files each year. Should we continue adding files to storage without thinking? Are we being charged for the storage of files?

Maybe you have identified that the growing amount of files is a problem and needs a solution. What files should we keep? For instance, do you need the newsletter from October, 1988? Do you need the grounds contract from 1991? Do you need the insurance policy from 1985? Who should make the decision as to which files to keep and discard? How do we make the decision? These may sound like tough questions but in reality, they may not be too difficult to handle.
by Scott Meardon
CMCA®, PCAM®

Educating Owners And Promoting Harmony In Your Community

From Condominium to Gated Community, the common thread is people. A diverse village is created within each association. Finding ways to educate and encourage members, and at the same time protect and preserve their physical assets, can be challenging as well as rewarding.
by Kathy Cooley
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

If You Must Have An Audit…

If you have been involved in community association management for any length of time, you have probably encountered a community that needs an audit. Audits can make people nervous. We all fear the dreaded “IRS audit”, and no one likes the prospect of someone else looking over their shoulder! Yet audits are beneficial in many ways, and one of the biggest negatives, the expense, can be mitigated with a little planning.
by Greg Boling
CPA®, CMCA®

Are You in the Zone?

Besides the usually Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CCR's) or Rules & Regulations in your homeowner association declaration, the association can also access and review the ordinances of its local municipality. Your city, town, or county will generally have a complete set of zoning ordinances that are laws that govern residential, commercial, or industrial development. These ordinances cover a wide range of architectural, health, and safety standards that can aid your association in protecting and enhancing property values. Most municipalities have posted the Zoning Codes online. This makes a quick review easy, and more importantly a wise choice when reviewing architectural submittals, enforcing CCR's, or providing an alternative for homeowners who are seeking additional resolution to disputes with neighbors.
by Mark Lewis
AMS®,CMCA®, PCAM®

Zen and the Art of Rule Making

When a new community is being developed, the developer creates a vision of what that community should be both now and into the future. As the community ages and the owners come and go, that vision of the community may change to fit the current owners. Rules are one mechanism that allow the community to create and/or maintain their vision of the community.
by Rob Rosenberg
CCAM®

Association Governance

Nearly every year, a new member is elected to the Board of Directors of the typical homeowner association. It may occur at the annual meeting or it may occur by appointment of the Board to fill a vacancy. We tell these newest volunteers “Congratulations and Welcome aboard!” But, what we also need to tell them is what their new role is all about and how that role interacts with the roles of the Association staff and the Managing Agent.
by Reiko Marino
AMS®, PCAM®

Related Party Transaction

The accountants performing audits and reviews on the associations that I manage come to my office each year and among the questions that they ask is:

“Were there any related party transactions?”

I dread that question and with a clear mind I answer, “not to my knowledge”. Of course, if I knew of one, I would have to disclose it and I would.
by Susan Sills
PCAM®

Active Adults – Not Only “Active” But “Activists”

A growing trend in our industry is the increasing presence of communities developed specifically for folks aged 55 and over. They are commonly known as “active adult” communities.

Several developers are targeting this age group as a major component of their business plans. It makes good sense. The demographics of our country are changing.
by Sandra R. Mango
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

If you examine the specification for management services, either prepared by a management company seeking business or by a board of directors seeking bids for management of their association, you will likely note that most do not include such things as:

• Purchase paper goods for the clubhouse washroom
• Buy gas for the golf cart
• Have coffee and donuts with Mrs. Jones once a week

by Christine Evans
CMCA®, PCAM®

Conflicts of Interest – Lite

As a community association manager, I recently had a situation come up with one of the boards which I serve that was a little different than most common conflicts of interests. The association and I had solicited bids for the repair of a 100- foot section of a perimeter wall in a townhouse complex. The Board was inclined to go with the least expensive bid which was for $75,000.00 (sound familiar?) when one of the board members who was in the process of getting his contractors' license remarked that he thought the lowest bid was still too high. He stated that he would check with other contractors he knew to see if their bids would be less. Of course, since he knew what the lowest price bid was, the contractor he contacted came in at $70,000.00.
by Thomas Tabacco
CMCA ®, PCAM®

It's All About Service

Have you ever spoken to someone who had once been involved with community association management and who has since moved on to something he or she claims is more fun and profitable? A quick way to get them reaching for the antacids is to remind them about the old days as an association manager: meetings until 1 a.m. , phone calls from irate homeowners, malcontents attempting to recall the board of directors or fire the manager. The list could go on and on.

Mylanta might not be enough to treat their pain: They may need to apply a cold pack. Often these folks ended their community association management careers simply because they "failed." Along with their personnel, they may have not been properly trained in some of the more important aspects of the trade.
by Mike Packard
CCAM®, PCAM®, CPM®

Beg, Borrow or Assess

The solution de jour for the funding of major projects and required reserve maintenance items seems to be to have the Association borrow the money and include the principle and interest payments as part of the maintenance fees.

Is this the best solution? What are the alternatives?
by Association Times' Staff Writer

Managing Condominium Conversion Projects

According to Wikipedia, an Internet based encyclopedia, a condominium conversion is defined as “a process of entitling an income property, often seeking approvals from both state and local authorities, in order to convert from sole ownership of the entire multi unit property into individual for sale units.”

Condominium (“condo”) conversions are happening all over the country—from New York to California. Why have they become such a hot trend?
by Association Times' Staff Writer

According to a recent study by the Rand Institute, approximately fifty percent of Americans are active volunteers that give an average of four hours a week to the cause of their choice. It appears that people from all walks of life, seniors, youth and those from every socio-economic level are involved in volunteering. Accordingly, it seems that this country is the only country in the world where volunteering is a pervasive characteristic of its population.

So why volunteer?
by Jim Cowell
CMCA®, PCAM®

Board - Management Relations

The right relationship between a community manager and board members should be an ever-changing, innovative relationship of partners in which each partner adds its strengths and counsel to the wise operation of the corporation.
by John Lawton
CMCA ®, PCAM®

Our Town

So, you have just acquired a new home and, with it, a new homeowner association. As is expected, you take the time to review the association's governing documents, minutes and financial statements. But what if the association is in a town or city that you are unfamiliar with? Have you spent time researching the town as well? Before you answer that question, you may be thinking – why?
by Kim M. DiStefano
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

Risk Management through Property Inspection

You have seen your community manager inspecting the property and thought to yourself, “Gee, I hope she doesn't send me a letter of violation for installing a flag pole without prior board approval.” Most homeowners and board members think about violations of policy when they hear the term “property inspection.” They don't realize that when a community manager is inspecting a property, they are not just inspecting for violations of association policy.
by Kim Merrigan
CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

Communicate Before You Terminate

The success of a community association depends on the cooperation and communication between the association's Board of Directors and Management Company. When the Board and Management have good communications, small problems are resolved before they become big problems. However, this level of communications is missing in many associations and the consequences are rapid management turn over, unhappy Board members, dissatisfied owners and lower property values.
by Robert Elks

Check Association Documents for Three Unenforceable Rules

With all the work it takes to run a community association, it's easy to overlook occasional changes in federal, state, or local laws. As a result, you may not make necessary changes to association rules to reflect these changes. This can create problems. You'll end up with rules on your book that are unenforceable because they contradict current laws. Even worse, if you try to enforce the rules, you could be violating the law.
by Association Times' Staff Writer