HOA News, Advice, and Tips
Are you looking for Condo Association Management to help you through difficult times? Difficulties have set in for Condo Associations, and have underscored the need for Professional Condo Association Management. The decline in the Real Estate Market has created problems for condominium associations and homeowner’s associations. As owners and investors have lost their homes to their lenders […]
Continue ReadingImagine waking up every morning on Main Street USA in Disneyland. For some kids that would be the ultimate dream to live right there in the “happiest place on earth.” As adults, we know that’s not a practical choice for living arrangements. However, that doesn’t mean that a community specifically designed for an active resort lifestyle […]
Continue ReadingIn general, the lobbyists gets a bad reputation as being the purveyors of everything that is wrong with politics. The reality is that the vast majority of lobby groups provide strong advocacy for a wide range of personal interest groups. That is certainly the case with the CAI California Legislative Action Committee (or CAI-CLAC), which […]
Continue ReadingThe primary mission of any community association is to manage the upkeep of all the common living areas. That in and of itself is a huge responsibility, but an HOA should not stop at paying the gardeners or fixing the roof. They should also foster a positive living experience for all residents. This could mean establishing […]
Continue ReadingBelieve it or not, the Empire State Building in New York City took exactly one year to build from groundbreaking to ribbon cutting. This was back during the Great Depression when it was vitally important to complete a towering project like this to provide hope and inspiration to the entire nation. Today, every city’s skyline […]
Continue ReadingWe have all seen the “trial by fire” training that many volunteer board members receive. They attend their first meeting, receive a large notebook or envelope containing the association’s contracts and documents, and begin to address the current events facing their association. In many of these instances, the amount of information provided is staggering and […]
Continue ReadingThe collection of assessments is central to the viability of any community association as assessment revenue is typically an association’s sole or primary source of income. The operating premise of most associations is that an annual budget is prepared based on the association’s projected expenses for the year, including contributions to a reserve fund, and […]
Continue ReadingBy all accounts the country’s first Master-Planned Community was built in Scottsdale, Arizona. What is the difference between a Master Planned Community and a bunch of homes in the suburbs? The key word is “planned.” With a MPC, there is an effort by developers to create a community that will satisfy all the needs of […]
Continue ReadingIndependence in the Reserve Study process means freedom from control or influence. Independence means the Reserve Study professional is able to provide their complete findings and recommendations without interference. Common problems with lack of independence are when management influences the size of Reserve contributions (trying to make their budget or financial oversight “look good”), when […]
Continue ReadingAfter 25 years in this business, we still hear the same excuses for not wanting to make Reserve contributions – and high on the list is “We don’t expect to be here in the future, so we don’t want to make contributions towards that future expense”. On the surface, that seems very fair and reasonable. […]
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