If your HOA board has hired a manager for the first time, there are a number of things it can anticipate the management company will ask for. The Board can prepare for the manager in advance by gathering specific documents and records pertaining to your homeowners association. Read more……..
How to Create A Sense Of Community In Your HOA
Many homeowners don’t feel a sense of community in their Neighborhoods or see the value their HOA provides. They know have to pay extra money on top of their mortgage to the community, but what value do they receive? This confusion and sense of isolation doesn’t have to exist in your community if your board […]
HOA Property Manager: Five Jobs in One
The person assigned to run the HOA is called the property manager. However, while the job only has one title, it actually encompasses five different jobs. When you’re searching for the next property manager, ensure they have the skills to perform these five jobs. If they can’t, they won’t succeed as your association’s manager. Read […]
Mastering Management: Maximizing Cooperation and Partnership
Individual commitment to a group effort; that’s what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. Legendary Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi left condo boards and managers off his short list, but his wisdom about commitment and teamwork could certainly apply to boards and management companies. […]
“We want to remove the board because we want to fire the manager”
So, this won’t be like my usual posts where I share a recent case or discuss a section of the Condominium Act, 1998. Today I’m going on a rant about the relationships between owners, directors, and managers. Read more……….
Mastering Management: Maximizing Cooperation and Partnership
According to experts, the most successful board/manager relationships cultivate when both parties have mutual trust and respect, with courteous communication among all individuals involved. Read more………
Hiring New Management: When it’s Time for A Change!
There is an old adage claiming that “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This is not a happy thought for a board or association looking to change property managers or firms. To go through the turmoil involved in replacing a management company and still not achieve the desired changes is a […]
Take time to find the right property management company
Choosing a manager is one of the most important decisions a community association will make. Because managers are closely involved in daily functions and future planning, their performance — or lack thereof — has a major effect on the association’s financial stability and resident…. Read more………
Why Property Managers are Not the Enemy: A Value Proposition
Association Boards, attorneys, accountants, contractors, consultants and, yes, even property managers are integral to the proper function and operation of community associations. Association Boards hire a plethora of services and those individuals and companies should have the same goal: Read more……….
The Human Factor: What You Need to Know About Staff Management
A manager might have to coordinate operations with a single maintenance person or work with any number of doormen, porters, custodians and handypersons depending on the size and nature of the building. When well-trained and motivated, these employees enhance the appeal and ambiance of any property, adding to both the real and perceived value, but […]
The Art of Picking Professionals: To Choose or Not to Choose
Running the day-to-day business of a condo development or an HOA of any size—be it a sprawling, multi-building community, or a single self-contained building—requires not just a functional board but a team of competent outside professionals. These professionals keep things running smoothly and efficiently for residents and boards—from the legal counsel who advises board members […]
HOAs and Condos Beware: The Full Cost of Self Management
The number one reason homeowner associations self manage is to “save money.” But this myopic attitude often leads to avoidable problems and unnecessary headaches, and in many instances, higher costs over time. The benefits provided by a professional management company often transcend and outweigh the monetary cost of monthly management fees. The troubles self-managed associations […]
Qualities to Look for in a HOA Management Company
Each fall, homeowners associations across the nation vote on issues regarding the upcoming year. Fall is also the time of year when many HOA management contracts expire and are up for renewal. If your HOA management contract is up for renewal, this is an excellent time to stop and assess your management situation. Read more……..
Changing Managers or Firms? Don’t Overlook the Details!
Whether change is good or bad often depends on who you talk to; even a welcome change produces a certain level of stress and adjustment. Personal changes are challenging enough, but for co-op and condo residents, a board decision to change property managers or firms will quite literally hit home. Read more………
A Management Checklist: Performance Review Criteria for Property Managers
How can you tell whether the on-site property manager at a condominium or homeowners association community is doing a good job? And what is a ‘good job’ anyway? Whether a manager is well-liked and whether he or she manages well may not be the same thing. How do you distinguish one from the other? Read […]
Have You Updated Your HOA Management Contract Lately?
Many of us are so busy in performing the work that we are hired to do that we often neglect the housekeeping we should do for our businesses. Management agreements with community associations may fall into this category. As with many agreements in which sections are revised but the whole contract is not reviewed, management […]
Hiring Professionals – A Winning Approach
One of the key questions facing volunteer community association boards is, “When should we hire a professional to assist us?” This question oftentimes will apply to professional management companies, construction professionals, vendors and service providers, accountants, attorneys and Read more…….
Trusting your Professional Service Providers
Homeowners associations are comprised of people from all walks of life, and for that very reason their boards of directors often consist of individuals who bring various levels of knowledge to the administration of the association Read more……..
So Now You’re On the Board
The first steps to superior board performance are clarifying your board’s job and then following through with appropriate plans, actions and evaluation of results. The checklists presented here are intended to assist you in those tasks. They cover a significant number of your responsibilities. The checklists will apply to virtually any association. To use them, […]