In this day of fast-paced, volume-packed, “catch me if you can” mentality, community managers are often moving tons of information, communicating to an extensive audience, adhering to suppressive laws and documents and wondering if they can meet their client’s expectations. So what characteristics separate the great managers? We’ve narrowed these characteristics into five
Whether a planned community, condominium or mixed use associations, all communities share five traits for success. These five characteristics, when employed together, allow a community to operate at its highest level of efficiency and efficacy, benefiting everyone involved – the board, homeowner and management. A Functioning Board of Directors Because all five characteristics are
How to Communicate the “News” in the Best Possible Manner If you have been in the association management business for any length of time, then you most likely have been faced with the need for a special assessment (SPA). The mere words can send chills down the spine of a manager and board of
There are so many factors that go into running a successful association that listing them could prove exhausting and counterproductive in the area of reader interest. However, an association would not even need to consider this list without first having community involvement. How do you promote this “community involvement?” There are numerous ways to
So, you’ve moved into a community association, began attending meetings, and somehow you have been elected to the board of directors… now what? Serving on the board of directors should be a valuable experience for anyone committed to helping the community. Being on the board is not about power and control, it is about
Are you ready for “Social media” or do you still hope it will fade away? If it’s the latter, you are definitely out of luck. According to Facebook, five years ago there were 12 million active users of its social media website. Today, that number has grown to over 500 million active users with 50
Q I live in a 34 unit condo building in Chicago, IL. About 40% of the units are renter occupied and almost half of those absentee owners live outside the country. The usual Board to owner to renter communication is cumbersome at least and could be a potential risk/liability on matters of security and
June 2012 Q I live next door to a vacant home and recently one of the garage doors was removed/stolen and the home was vandalized. The home is not secure at all with the missing garage door. I believe the home is a bank-owned home but I cannot find any information on owner. What can
Q Secret Books. I am worried. Our manager, our board president and the bookkeeper are all working under the impressions that the membership is not entitled to see the actual books. The Washington state law is very precise on this, the books belong to the membership. I do not see any evidence of wrong doing
Getting a Grip
Getting a grip on being a board member of a residential association has proven to be more difficult than one would expect. After all, you have your governing documents- the Bylaws, which tell you how the association is to be structured and handled from an administrative viewpoint; the Declaration of Covenants, which delves into the