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  • HOA Legislation: Protecting your community

    More than 85% of officials in state legislatures are up for re-election this year. So what does that mean to you as a board member or resident in a condo or homeowners’ association (HOA)? And how does this affect HOA law? There are a variety of initiatives on the table across the nation that will significantly impact community associations. In this article, we’ll take a look at what those issues are – and most importantly, how you can impact HOA law.
  • Enhancing energy benchmarking in condos and co-ops

    Condominiums (condos) and cooperative housing communities (co-ops) are increasingly recognizing the importance of sustainability and energy efficiency in today's world. One vital tool that plays a crucial role in this effort is energy benchmarking.
  • How Developers Benefit by Partnering with Property Management Companies

    Residential home builders and real estate developers must wear many hats while creating the buildings and communities so many of us call home. Indeed, each project’s ultimate viability and marketability depend on how well every phase of development is planned and executed – ideally, with the highest levels of expertise, experience, cost-efficiency and professionalism.
  • Raising a family in a high-rise: Understanding benefits and more

    When a lot of people think about high-rise living, they don’t necessarily jump to the idea of families in high-rises. In many cities, high-rises are still considered the domain of the young and single, or couples without kids or active retirees. The New York Times even ran a piece, in 1987, decreeing that “A High-Rise Is Not a Home for Children.” But today, thanks to a Millennial generation that doesn’t want to commute from the ‘burbs, more and more high-rises are actively courting families as residents.
  • How to pick a property management company

    Here’s the good news: hiring the right property management company is going to make your life as an HOA Board Member much easier. On the flip side: there is no shortage of property management firms to choose from, so selecting the best fit for your community association is going to take a little bit of work.
  • How to Host an Annual Meeting Your Homeowners Will WANT to Attend

    Annual meetings don't have to be boring! Learn how your community association board can entice your homeowners into attending with easy tips.
  • Six summer energy conservation tips

    Summer’s longer days mean more time to enjoy warm weather and sunshine, but they also mean higher energy bills. There is a bright side, however: by implementing an energy management program within your community, you can help keep costs down without sacrificing comfort.
  • Incentives Aim to Green Up New York, Reduce Operating Costs for Building Owners

    A recent study found that 75% of greenhouse gasses in New York City are generated by buildings, primarily multifamily residential buildings. As part of a city-wide effort to incentivize buildings to develop programs to curb emissions, FirstService Residential held its Third Annual Green Expo & Symposium on May 15 in New York. The event featured a panel of industry experts, including FirstService Residential President Dan Wurtzel, who described the benefits of participating in city programs, as well as the opportunities to save money, help the environment and enhance property values.
  • How to increase HOA and community volunteerism

    Regardless of the size of your community, or where it’s located, there is always one thing that every community association board and committee needs: resident volunteers. Unfortunately, however, volunteers are often a scarce resource.
  • Tips for community waste management in your association

    With a growing focus on proper environmental stewardship, many associations are working toward implementing green initiatives. But getting there can be daunting. With so many programs and opportunities available for all of us to reduce, re-use and recycle, it’s hard to know where to begin.
  • Missouri Office Honored for Commitment to Kansas City Youth Center

    Missouri’s Curry Association Management, the newest member of the FirstService Residential family, was recently honored for its substantial efforts and ongoing commitment to the Police Athletic League (PAL) of Kansas City, which provides a safe and stable haven for the area’s underprivileged youth.
  • Municipal Duties Move to ‘Burbs as HOAs Must Step In

    John Friedrichsen, Senior Vice President & CFO of FirstService Residential parent company FirstService Corporation, is quoted in USA Today about how HOAs benefit from the value-added services provided by leading professional management companies.
  • Nine guidelines for managing an HOA

    If you volunteer your services to your homeowners association, you know there are many rewards – but also, quite a few challenges. There are residents with individual demands and concerns and Board members who may have difficulty agreeing. There is also the critical need to carefully develop – and adhere to – a strict budget. And that’s just the beginning.
  • HOA board vs management company: 6 ways to work together

    Homeowner and condo association board members know that their collective actions yield lots of great results. Just take a look at the minutes from your last couple of meetings and you’ll see all the evidence you need.
  • Understanding the duties during property management staffing changes

    Sooner or later, most community associations face some kind of management change. If your community has a great manager, you probably want them to stay forever. But how realistic is that?
  • Put an Energy Saving Program Together for a Multifamily Property

    Many HOAs and community associations would like to save energy and energy spending, but they think that putting an energy management plan into place for their multifamily property is difficult to accomplish. FS Energy's Chris Normandeau explains some basic, easy-to-do steps that can make a real impact on an association's energy usage and budget.
  • Ways to provide reasonable accommodation by creating a fair living space

    Are you familiar with the term “fair living space”? If you’re not, you should be – it can have a profound effect on your community, your association and your residents. A fair living space involves providing an environment in which people with disabilities enjoy the necessary accommodations in their homes and community amenities. It’s really all about access, and something the law calls “reasonable accommodation,” which means “a change, exception, or adjustment to a rule, policy, practice or service.” While the law may require you to make some accommodations, there are other things your association may be able to do which can further enhance the lifestyle of those who reside in your homeowners association. While it will directly and positively impacts the quality of life for those residents with challenges and disabilities, it will also positively impact the overall image of your community.
  • Seven ways the ACA can impact your association

    Read about the Affordable Care Act (or ACA) and the ACA will have on the association and its vendors/service providers.
  • 5 energy conservation strategies for community associations

    In this article, we delve into the significance of energy conservation within community associations, exploring its benefits and strategies for effective implementation.
  • Energy efficiency tips for winter

    So what can condo boards or community associations do to mitigate or even reduce costs this winter? Let’s start with what you can do in the summer and fall, before winter actually begins. This includes cleaning, tuning and performing any necessary repairs to heating systems, furnaces and boilers to make sure they won’t be working longer, harder or less efficiently than they should. Other pre-winter tasks include cleaning gutters to remove leaves and debris to ensure water can flow freely. Otherwise, water can become trapped and freeze, which can not only damage your property’s gutters, but also cause ice dams and possible roof leaks.
  • Six organization tips for HOA paperwork

    Let’s face it: nobody puts “organizing paperwork” at the top of his or her favorite-things-to-do list. But maintaining good records is essential to the critical functions of your homeowner association (HOA), and following a system of organization can streamline your operations by increasing efficiency, providing transparency and preserving a history of communication.
  • Six Stats That Should Make Homeowner Association Board Members Proud

    As a board member, you can measure your success in a lot of different ways. The projects you’ve completed, the financials you’ve strengthened, the long-term plans you’ve put in place – all of these are clear indicators that you’ve done your job, and you’ve done it well.
  • A guide to EV charging for condos

    If your high-rise condo is ready to start looking into electric vehicle charging stations, these steps can provide a holistic overview of the process and what you can expect.
  • What to know about the millennial housing boom

    Millennials (also called “Generation Y”) are making a big impact on communities. Comprising the youngest adult population in America (think people born between about 1980 and 1995), these individuals now constitute 31% of all new home and condo sales, according to the National Association of Realtor’s Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends study 2014. Here’s a breakdown that puts it all into perspective:
Showing 73 - 96 of 487