Articles

Just as in any successful business organization, succession is an integral part of a healthy community association board. Planning ahead, and planning strategically, provides for a more seamless operation for your board. When individuals are prepared for and knowledgeable about a role, they can hit the ground running immediately after the election. Here are several ways you can help make this happen.

What should you look for in a prospective community association management company to help avoid a rough transition? How can your association avoid financial missteps and pitfalls when switching from one management company to another? Make sure that the management company you are considering has the resources you need in every aspect. Transitioning to a new company is simply too large a task for one manager to handle!  A team approach is the best way for a professional community association management company to handle a transition. 

We all want to get the most for our money, and your community association is no different. When hiring a management company, it’s easy to focus on the bottom-line price and not understand the differences in real value among the proposals you see. The right community association management company will provide you with so much more than a good manager. 

Maybe this has happened to your high-rise association: An unexpected capital expense finds your condominium’s board of directors needing to impose a special assessment. Establishing a plan for your building’s maintenance and capital improvements is not only important for your budget. It can also prevent life-threatening catastrophes. So what does it take to put together a program that protects both the health of your association’s finances and the safety and lifestyle of your residents? Find out in our interview with Phil Pool, vice president at FirstService Residential.

You want your community association management company to respond when you need them. Shouldn’t a good management company be able to foresee some of your association’s needs and meet them before you ask? That’s the principle at the heart of proactive service, when emergencies are prevented rather than responded to. The best service is proactive, but its very nature – preventing problems before they arise – means that it can be hard to spot. So how do you know that your community association management company is being proactive on your behalf? Read on for some ways you can tell if your management company is behaving proactively.

Mother Nature has quite the surprises to throw at us! Sometimes, there’s some notice and time to prepare. But often, there’s no warning at all. That’s why it is critical to the financial health of your community association that you have the correct insurance coverage in place. What can happen if your high-rise building or community association common areas aren’t properly covered? Unfortunately, nothing good. Association members can also sue the board for not having the correct insurance in place; it’s an important part of your financial responsibility. That's why it is important to make sure your Association is covered with insurance.

Chances are that you don’t associate your high-rise building’s preventative maintenance plan with Benjamin Franklin. However, his well-known adage “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” couldn’t be more relevant, according to the Director of Project Services, Frank Fittipoldi, in the High-Rise Division at FirstService Residential in New Jersey. That’s why he recommends that every high-rise condo or co-op board put together a detailed preventative maintenance plan for their building. Start to create your plan with these tips.

For most people, buying a home is the largest investment they make. We all know there’s a lot of paperwork that comes with buying a home, and although it can seem overwhelming, that paperwork is vital for the protection of the buyer, the seller and the community in which the home is located. If you are buying or selling a home in managed community, a resale package is a critical part of that. What is a resale package and why is it important? How do you get one and when do you need it? We sat down with our Director of Resale to get the answers to these and other important questions.

There’s one challenge that plagues all board members, regardless of experience: communication. Part art and part science, communication is the key to building strong relationships and effectively meeting your obligations as a board member for your community association. Here are a few quick tips to ensure communication is flowing in your association.

Why should cyber security be so important to community associations? Do you know what important steps residents in your community can take to protect their technology so that sensitive information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands? This article provides guidelines on how to prevent cyber attacks and tips on increasing cyber security.