Thinking of buying a co-op or condo? Already bought, and not sure how co-op/condo life and rules work? Learn all about purchasing a place and living in your new community. It’s not like renting, and its not like owning a house. What’s it like? Check out the articles below to learn all you need to […]
The Advantages of Transparency
WLPP attorney Doug Stallworthy recently wrote a post on transparency in association boards. His thoughts follow. Transparency in decisions made by the board of a homeowners association fosters a sense of confidence in those decisions. Read more……..
Secrets of Successful Managers: Communication, Accommodation, Cooperation
As jugglers of multiple and oftentimes complex tasks, property managers must be adept at mediating between board members and unit owners, as well as resolving all manner of maintenance and legal issues. To this end, property managers don’t have ‘typical’ days, but rather varied and challenging ones that are often complicated, and require a particular […]
Lincoln Fourscore, Gobbledygook 0; For Condo/HOA/Stock Coop Board Members and Managers, Choosing the Right Words Can Make The Difference
How clear is your writing? Do you spend time editing to make sure that your message is clear and concise? Are your communications rambling? Sometimes community association managers or board members think that writing in legalese will impress their attorneys. Or that using long, technical or sophisticated words will sway homeowners to action. Long words […]
From Good to Great: Principles for Community Association Success
Every community has its own history, personality, attributes and challenges, but all associations share common characteristics and core principles. Good associations preserve the character of their communities, protect property values and meet the established expectations of homeowners. Great associations also cultivate a true sense of community, promote active homeowner involvement and create a culture of […]
6 Tips to Help Maintain a Positive Perspective in Your Homeowners Association
Among homeowners association managers within our company, we have made training an emphasis. We attend conferences, seminars, classes, etc., so that we cannot only be certified but also continue to gain skills and knowledge to help us do our job better. I remember at a particular law seminar, on the first power point slide, there […]
Using Better Communications to Attract Community Leaders
Excellent community governance is the difference between a good community and a great one. Poor community governance can lead to the downfall or outright collapse of a community association. Finding and keeping qualified and interested volunteers within your community is a real challenge. Are you using your communication tools to help with this daunting task? […]
Creating Community: The Art of Empowerment in Community Association Living
Creating Community: The Art of Empowerment in Community Association Living is quickly becoming one of the most popular educational resources in the HOA/condo industry for homeowners, board members, managers and business partners. Utilizing proven strategies for creating community unity based on the principles of empowerment, Creating Community is being widely used in board orientation programs, […]
Simple Tips to Avoid a Huge Mess!
An interesting story in the news caught my eye today as I was sipping my morning coffee. An Aurora woman, allegedly frustrated with her non-responsive mortgage company, spray painted the following message on her garage door: Read More……
The Value of Education in Your Communications
For years, I have been writing about the importance of communication as it relates to community association living. I have stressed how important it is that you tell your story well and that you tell it often. Newsletters, letters, websites and any other tools used to communicate need to educate readers about what is happening […]
Tell Everyone How You Maintain, Protect, and Enhance!
Maintain – Protect – Enhance. This is the prime directive for Boards of Directors of Homeowner Associations across the country. By maintaining, protecting, and enhancing the assets of the association, the Board ensures that property values are maximized and owners’ interests are served. The majority of your association’s common fund will be spent on maintaining […]
Better Communication in 2013
I love the fresh start of a new year. Like many people, I use the last few days of the year to reflect on accomplishments, identify areas for improvement and growth, and set goals for the next twelve months. The last week of the year often slows down enough for reflection and planning, and I […]
Electronic Communication (Emails) Are Discoverable in Litigation
Our firm philosophy has long been “Communication not Litigation.” This philosophy is based on the belief that disputes are best resolved in a voluntary and reasonable manner rather than through the time, expense and aggravation of a lawsuit. Recent developments in the law, however, may require Association boards to pay much more attention to how […]
How to Appeal to Generation Y?
It was bound to happen, the number of Generation Y homeowners (people born between 1978 and 1993) is beginning to outweigh Generation X and the Baby Boomer generation. With Generation Y making up over 70 million people in the United States and an estimated 32% of those 70 million being homeowners, associations are facing the […]
The Mailbox Rule: The Law’s Response to “I Didn’t Get Notice”
How many times have you heard a homeowner tell a manager or board that he/she did not receive the delinquency notices mailed? As a collections attorney, I hear this excuse very frequently from homeowners. More times than not, homeowners do not “receive” letters because they fail to open their mail. This can be intentional or […]
Welcoming New Owners and Renters
A number of years ago I went to work for a subsidiary of a local management company. The owner of the company had surveyed new owners six months after they moved in asking them about their understanding of the association they lived in, based on the communications they had received to date. He found that slightly less […]