While many condominium associations and co-op corporations hire professional property managers or management firms to handle the routine (and not-so-routine) tasks involved in running a multifamily building or HOA, a significant number take the opposite route, eschewing formal management and running their properties themselves. While most of these self-managed communities tend to be on the […]
8 Qualities and Skills That Make a Great HOA Community Manager
HOA Community Managers are quite possibly the unsung heroes in the Community / Property management world. They are the ultimate custodians of the interests of the HOA board and the community. These managers must also perform a tough balancing act between following and enforcing the HOA’s rules and the community’s needs while working with HOA […]
Setting Realistic Expectations for Your Community Association Management
As we head into the new year, we are all setting our expectations for what we want and how we will accomplish our goals in 2021. New years resolutions are something most people start off with high expectations but can occasionally fall flat if they aren’t realistic goals. Similar to how all community associations are […]
How to Avoid Communication Breakdown Across Your Associations
As the last several months have shown us, communication is critical in community association management, which is why you need to do all you can to avoid communication breakdown between your teams and associations to ensure everyone is informed at all times. Read the article………………………………
How Veterans Bring Necessary Skills to Work with HOAs
Trust, leadership, and the ability to adapt to change are traits learned in the U.S. military that can be transferred to a career in community association management and law. After their service, many veterans seek a second career in the industry for its job security, flexibility, and opportunities for advancement. Read the article……………………………….
Condominium Manager Burnout
Before COVID-19, most condominium managers were required to be in the office to perform their many tasks, getting ready in the morning, commuting to the office every day, and spending time answering phone calls, emails, etc. We were required to be in the office every day because we all believed that was the only way […]
3 Things You Need To Know About HOA Management Companies
Most people mistake a homeowners’ association, also known as HOA, to be the same as an HOA management company. While HOA is simply an association of volunteer homeowners with the primary purpose of attending to the community’s needs and wants, an HOA management company specializes in offering professional community management. Read the article………………………………….
9 Habits of Extremely Productive Community Association Managers
It doesn’t matter what part of the country you are in, Community Association Management is a high-stress and fast-paced job. Site visits, Board Meetings, project planning and management, emergency repairs, and homeowner communication are just some of the tasks us managers have to prioritize every day. Read the article………………………….
Combating Condo Ignorant – Reflections on a 30-year condominium management career
The best condo communities know how to attract, work with and retain condominium managers. It takes time to match a condominium with the right manager. Communities can struggle with inexperienced management and turnover until that right match is found. Read the article………………………….
HOA Remote Management During Coronavirus Pandemic: How Can It Help?
The coronavirus outbreak has led to temporary business closures and a reduction of workdays. As a result, more homeowners are unable to pay their HOA dues. This is when HOA remote management during coronavirus becomes all the more important. Read the article……………………………….
What Not To Do When You Receive Communications From Your HOA Board
As the manager for homeowner associations (HOAs), it’s important to develop a good relationship with your client’s board. The HOA board is the association’s leadership, setting its policies and community guidelines. Association boards are made up of members who live in the community and oversee its direction, however, most board members also have full-time jobs […]
The Role Of The Community Manager (NC)
Those living in communities with homeowners’ associations may sometimes wonder what exactly is the role of the community manager versus the role of the board of directors. Put simply, an HOA’s board of directors is akin to a municipality’s board of aldermen or commissioners and a community manager’s role is something like that of the […]
Working from home: Experts say it’s important to understand insurance coverage, liability
When the novel coronavirus pandemic caused Colorado businesses to send hundreds of thousands of their employees home to work, businesses suddenly were confronted with a workforce that bears all of its insurance burdens and risks outside the normal office environment, creating additional concerns for homeowner insurance carriers. Read the article……………………………
A community association management guide
When you purchase a home within a planned community such as a condominium complex, an apartment building or a gated estate, you automatically become a member of the community association. A community association is there to provide operational structure and manage the affairs of the overall community. Among the duties of a community, the association […]
5 Traits to Look for When Hiring a Community Manager
There is a 33% turnover rate in the property management industry, which indicates that it can be hard to find and retain talent. If you’re looking to hire a new community manager to replace someone who has left or perhaps your business is growing, you want to ensure that you choose the right candidate and […]
What Defines Modern HOA Management?
Homeowners associations are a relatively new way to organize residential living, with origins that can be traced back only to about the middle of the 20th century. However, in the construction boom that took place in southern California in the 1960s, HOAs quickly began to gain significant traction. Read the article……………………..
HOA Homefront – New Year’s resolutions of HOA managers
As an association professional manager, I resolve to: Read the article……………………………….
The Role of HOA Management — Hang Up Your Super Suit
Sometimes it seems that homeowners think community association managers have superpowers. They are all-knowing, have x-ray vision, and are able to resolve all matters with a simple decree. But when you’re actually in the trenches of your job, you know superpowers aren’t exactly part of the package. Read the article………………………….
The Annual Calendar – A Key Component of Management Success
No one can dispute the value of preparation. Coach Wooden knew it firsthand. By his own admission, he was a poor tactician. Still, he was one of the most successful and respected coaches in the NCAA. No team ever out-prepared UCLA. For various reasons, many managers fall short in this area. They are in reactive […]
Inequity of Scale – The Challenge of Leading and Managing Small Condominium Associations
Association Bridge was formed in large part due to my experience teaching CAI’s old “Essentials” program for community association volunteer leaders. Ken Ingram of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston and I were tapped to teach the full day program for a few years at Reston Association. RA member associations are typically very small communities known as […]
The Massive Challenges of a Massive, Self-Managed Condo (NY)
By the close of her first year on the board of managers of the sprawling 1,500-unit Leisure Village condo association in Ridge, Long Island, Carole Leonard had made some unsettling discoveries. The community manager had advised a contractor what to bid on a job. He had returned some building supplies and pocketed the cash. And […]
THE QUALITIES OF A COMPETENT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MANAGER
Community Association Managers (“CAMs”), often incorrectly referred to as property managers, are the people that can make your life as a resident of a condominium association or a homeowners association wonderful or painful, depending upon the quality of the manager and the reasons you need to or have to interact with that person. The core […]
Management Insider #5 – The Power of the Zero Invoice & Other Tips
In Management Insider #4, we encouraged management companies to provide their managers with tools and support to help them communicate with their clients. This is especially important for newer managers who may not have had the opportunity to grow their emotional intelligence or general business acumen at this point in their careers. Read the article………………
Is Your Manager Falling Down on the Job?
In the association management industry, there are times when the person(s) assigned to manage a community (CAM) isn’t doing what they are supposed to do. When this happens there are different ways to handle it, depending on whether your community is self-managed, managed by a small company, or managed by a large organization. Let’s take […]
The Unseen Complexities of Going Self Managed
They say communication is key to all relationships, but some communications are guaranteed to bring about strife or even a little mayhem. For example, the annual budget mailing in our HOA was always guaranteed to make it impossible for any board member to walk their dogs without being stopped and berated for “ridiculous” expenses. Read […]
Changing Management: How to Know When it’s Time
When a community association enters into a contract with a professional management company, board members may feel a sense of relief. After all, much of the burden of running the community’s daily operations has now been transferred to (hopefully) capable hands, leaving the board more time to focus on members’ own affairs. And in many […]
The Climate for Licensing Community Association Managers: Sweeping Occupational Licensing Reform
Nearly one in three Americans in the workforce perform a job that requires an occupational license, according to a study published in 2015 by a Minnesota professor and a White House paper published in 2016 . The Trump administration has continued the efforts started by the Obama administration by urging states to take up occupational […]
How did we get here?? Management Insider #2
Sometimes managers entering the community association field have a hard time understanding some of the stressful dynamics of the business. They hear that profit margins are tight. They may wonder if their bosses are making excuses to justify low wages. As I’ve stated before in the T-Rex Blog, management fees ARE artificially low. A look […]
Talent wanted: How to hire and retain skilled community association managers
Recruiting and retaining skilled managers can be challenging for community associations and management companies, especially in a very competitive labor market and with communities limited by tight budgets. In this reality, it becomes even more important for associations and management companies to highlight their strengths and address organizational shortcomings, says business speaker and author Peter […]
Want to Self-Manage Your HOA or Condo but Will Volunteers Do the Work?
I’ve talked to many community board members that are interested in self-management but have doubts it will work for them. There are clear benefits but who will do all the work? A major theme we hear is the desire to self-manage your HOA or Condo but will volunteers do the work? The primary benefit is […]
HOA Homefront: How to determine if your manager is qualified
Previously, I’ve written about management options and contracts. Today, we’ll look at what happens after selecting the management services and how a board can tell that a manager prospect is qualified. California managers are unregulated, with no required license or minimum education. While rental managers must have real estate broker licenses, HOA managers do not. […]
HOA Homefront – Associations have management options
Choosing management assistance is one of a board’s most important decisions. Even the smallest associations will benefit from some form of professional management. What is a “manager”? Managers carry out the association’s day-to-day operations, advising and providing information to the board and carrying out its policies and instructions regarding association property and funds. A manager […]
Nobody Trusts Herb Tarlek – Advice for Professionals Serving Community Associations
If you were to read governing documents for community associations written in the days of old (OK…the 70s), you might well get the idea there was a vision that volunteer homeowners would gladly offer themselves up to lead and manage their communities. The assumption seemed to be that communities would be full of willing, qualified […]
5 Essential Dos and Don’ts of Great Managers
Keep your Board educated concerning emerging trends. Board members aren’t tied the latest cases, legislation, and changes that impact their roles as board members. Many allied professionals – attorneys, accountants, engineers, insurance agents – will send emails or links to posts about important new issues in their fields. Great managers take the time to read […]
Ask the HOA Expert: Professional Management Perks
All too often a homeowner association board of directors approaches problems as would a renter looking after the apartment building…reacting by crisis rather than by a long range plan. Guess what? Many HOAs are in constant turmoil because of this approach. A professional HOA manager can smooth out the bumps in this rocky road by […]
Whoop! There It Is: The Manager Licensing Bill (CO)
Over the last year, lots of industry professionals were wondering what would happen with manager licensing and whether it would actually sunset on June 30, 2019. Many predicted new legislation would be introduced in 2019 extending the CAM program, with perhaps a few tweaks. For those of you who predicted new legislation, you were correct. […]
5 Habits of Highly Effective Community Association Managers
A good community association manager is essential to a smoothly-run HOA. While technically not part of the board of directors, they work closely with the board in all aspects of the association’s operation. The specific responsibilities of community managers often vary from company to company and community to community. These responsibilities can run the gamut […]
Self-Management Strategies: Smart Business for Busy Boards
One of the most important factors in the decision to purchase a condominium or co-op is lifestyle. Many who live in residential communities, particularly those in single-family HOAs, choose community living over a single-family home for the convenience of what they don’t have to do: no snow shoveling, no grass mowing, and no cleaning the […]
Managers as Trial Witnesses
Community managers frequently ask about their role in a trial. They also want to know how to best prepare and present themselves in the unfamiliar setting of a court room. The purpose of this article is to provide some guidance on these topics. If I were to distill the answer to these questions down to […]
What does a community association manager do?
Community associations today employ highly-qualified professional community association managers, and we think residents should know what the manager has—and has not—been hired to do. Some residents expect the manager to perform certain tasks that just aren’t part of the job. When the manager doesn’t meet those expectations, residents are unhappy. In short, the manager has […]
Welcome Aboard: Acclimating New Association Staff Members (NY)
Little in life is more nerve wracking than that first day on a new job: ‘Are you prepared to do this?’ ‘Are you even qualified to do this?’ ‘Is your shirt buttoned correctly?’ ‘It is, right?’ ‘Why does it look wrong?’ ‘Should you change your shirt?’ All of these questions and more – along with […]
Running Small Associations: Unique Communities, Unique Needs (NY)
Condominium associations come in all sizes and shapes. They can contain hundreds of units, or as few as two. While many of the issues faced by associations are universal regardless of size, small condominium associations do face some unique challenges that set them apart from their larger cousins. Those challenges touch all aspects of life […]
The Role of HOA Management — Hang Up Your Super Suit
Sometimes it seems that homeowners think community association managers have superpowers. They are all-knowing, have x-ray vision, and are able to resolve all matters with a simple decree. But when you’re actually in the trenches of your job, you know superpowers aren’t exactly part of the package. Read the article………………….
5 Basic Habits of Highly Effective CAMs
Welcome to the world of licensed Community Association Managers. As you assume your role, board members, owners, and vendors alike will look to you daily for your problem solving prowess. You’ll field complaints, manage staff, and enforce rules. You’ll wear many hats (sometimes all at once) as you orchestrate inspections, repairs, and improvements. So basically, […]
The Party’s Over- Now What? Maintaining Perspective & Balance in the Wake of a Terminated Business Relationship
Whether you are an employee of a management company, an onsite manager of a community association, or a professional service provider, odds are at some time in your career you will be involved in a business relationship that for one reason or another reaches the end of its useful life. You shake hands, wish each […]
How to Offer a Positive Customer Service Experience in Your HOA
Community association board members and managers might not immediately think of customer service as one of their priorities, but they should. Customer Service is typically associated with the retail industry, but it’s an integral function of any organization. The need for excellent services is just as vital to an association’s success as it is to […]
Risks Worth Considering for Self-Managing the HOA
On the surface, managing the homeowners association may seem simple and straightforward. Many HOA boards think they have it all together and can easily manage the HOA on their own. After all, can’t their community be self-managed? Is it required to hire an HOA management company? The answer isn’t that simple and there are factors […]
HOA Board And Manager Authority
To achieve effective communications between homeowners and their homeowner association, it is important to understand the authority that belongs to the property management company, the board members individually and the board as a whole. For example, the management company may be able to solve a problem quickly while at other times, management may not have […]
The #1 Problem Homeowners Associations Have With Management Companies
Are you tired of the lack of customer service from the management company your association has had for a number of years? It’s possible that the company was inherited from past HOA board members. Maybe they hired the management company because they liked a specific manager, but that manager no longer works for the company […]
How to Be an Effective Community Manager
Managing people is no easy task. Whether you manage a small team of professionals or an entire organization, the following tips will help you break down barriers and foster great relationships. Establish trust. Your employees and clients look to you for guidance, so be consistent with your approach to communication and problem-solving. Set and manage […]