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Nothing lasts forever…and you need to have a plan to replace major items and systems before their useful lifespans end. How do you create that plan? Start with a quality reserve study.

Selling your home? Here are a few tips that will help you add appeal and value to your home.

Every community experiences a transition from the developer to the newly independent Board of Directors. Here is a property management turnover checklist to make yours a success.

Are you doing all you can to make sure your self-managed community meets its goals?

A successful capital improvement project requires a lot of planning to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible. Does your community know where to start?

When your association has to invest in its property, whether for repairs or a new construction project, the financing for that work must be considered as carefully as the work itself.

A successful capital improvement project requires a lot of planning to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible. Does your community know where to start?

Nothing lasts forever and you need to have a plan to replace major items and systems before their lifespans end. How do you create that plan? Start with a quality reserve study.

Are you doing all you can to make sure your self-managed community meets its goals?

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?

Some self-managed associations believe they can't afford to hire a professional property management company to manage and maintain their community's operations, assets, finances, common areas and other day-to-day activities. However, as you'll learn in this article, a professional property management company is one thing many communities can't afford to be without.

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.

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

Does your association manager have the right tools, resources and support to take your association to the next level?

As a self-managed association, do you need a management partner? Before making that choice, ask these 6 questions.

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.

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.

Are you looking for a new career path? Why not try property management? Working as a Property Manager will allow you to connect with people to form a sense of community and help enhance their lives as residents. Learn more about how joining the property management industry could fulfill your career dreams.

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.

Managing association covenant enforcement can be difficult in any community. Restrictions for every community can be different, and it can be a challenge to keep the rules fair, reasonable and equally applied to all homeowners. Read on for some basic guidelines that will make navigating through these issues a little easier.

How do you determine which property management company will provide you with the best service? Here are 10 questions that you should ask when consulting with property or homeowner association (HOA) management companies to help you make the important decision.

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.