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It’s that time of year again – budget season is upon us. You know the things to consider when creating your budget, but what drives your process? Are you focused on achieving a particular vision for your community? Avoiding conflict in the community? Solely looking to avoid increasing dues?

It’s no secret that association management is a big job. Across Minnesota, common areas require a lot of routine maintenance to uphold community standards – things like exterior light bulb replacements, landscaping and paint touch-ups. Depending on your townhome community, the scale of your amenities' needs will vary.

Community members join committees because they want to make a difference. That’s great, but sometimes, as they say, life gets in the way. Let’s not forget that committee members are all volunteers, which means it might take something a little extra to keep them motivated.

Great policies can help your association run smoothly, enhance the resident experience and improve your reputation. Here are five questions to ask before creating a new HOA policy.

Enforcing HOA policies is nobody’s cup of tea, but having good policy enforcement in place helps improve the resident experience and elevates your reputation. Follow these 4 principles for healthy policy enforcement:

Are you really getting the best returns on your reserve funds? Most Nevada board members aren’t sure. Learn six ways to improve your reserve fund returns.

Great capital improvements improve property values. Read on to see the three ways to pay for them and the pros and cons.

Do you know how your community rates to newer communities? What can you do to change your image? Find out how you can be keep your rating up in this new article by Erin O'Reilly that was featured in Management Trends.

The Climate Mobilization Act, requires buildings 25,000 square feet and larger to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by certain target percentages in 2024, 2030, and beyond.

Hoarding can be dangerous to every resident in your NYC condo or co-op building. Learn how to work with hoarders in your building today.

FirstService Residential and FirstService Energy are prepared to help boards and owners identify capital improvements or retrofits that improve a building's energy efficiency score and letter grade.

Saltwater pools offer a variety of benefits ranging from greater comfort for swimmers -- say goodbye to burning eyes and dried out hair -- and also for the environment. This article explores why saltwater pools are gaining popularity in condominiums and communities here in the Greater Toronto area and around the world.

As a board member for your condominium corporation, you know that your community depends on volunteers to operate successfully. However, finding residents who are willing to be on your board of directors, join a committee or help at an event can be challenging.

What makes a community a great place to live? A lot goes into it, but it’s no secret that often depends on community engagement.

View our third episode of Ask the Expert, featuring Andrew Stoutenburg, Regional Executive Director of Reserve Advisors, as he talks about the importance of reserve studies in financial planning.

We know budget season is stressful and we want to help! Avoid common mistakes & d ownload our budget survey results to discover key areas to consider when planning next year's budget.

If you’ve agreed to serve as a board member for your homeowners association (HOA), you may be thinking this is just like any other simple volunteer opportunity. However, there are certain fiduciary responsibilities and protocols that board members should be aware of to help protect the association and their own personal liability. Here we’ve compiled a few fundamental principles that every board member should apply.

Everything is bigger in Texas & sometimes even hurricanes. And during hurricane season, being a board member for a residential community in the Houston area can bring some big challenges, too. To help get you and your community ready and reduce the effects if a hurricane does strike, we've put together six important tips.

Summer time – the perfect season to hit the road, relax, spend time with family and friends, or embark on a new adventure. While you hope your residents have fun on their summer vacations, you also want to make sure that their homes stay safe and they fulfill their responsibilities to the association while away. Whether you live in a condominium, master-planned or single-family community, you want to make sure that your residents prepare their homes in a way that helps protect themselves and the community.

Summertime: It’s the perfect season to hit the road, relax, spend time with family and friends or embark on a new adventure. Although you hope that residents in your community have fun on their summer vacations, you also want to make sure that their homes stay safe and that they continue to fulfill their responsibilities to the association. Whether yours is a condominium, master-planned or single-family community, follow these tips to help your residents prepare their homes in a way that protects it and the community while they are away.

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.

Capital reserve fund vs. improvements: Budget for both and know when and how to allocate them in your Texas HOA for a continuously improved community.

In this article, we'll cover what underfunded HOA reserves are, how they happen, as well as the risks and what can be done about it.