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Being on your association board is not an easy job. No matter what your level of experience, mistakes can happen. Learn the seven common mistakes board members make and what you can do to avoid them.

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?

Security risks increase exponentially during the holiday seasons for high-rise buildings. Many residents travel for the holidays, move to warmer weather during the winter months, or have an influx of guests and family members in and out. These factors make it easy for intruders to make it into the building, especially if there are no procedures in place to track the many people and deliveries in and out of the building.

Whether you face an outbreak of illness, earthquake, or a flood, the impact of any devastating event can be minimized if your board has prepared for it. No doubt, your board meetings are already chock full of agenda items, but it’s important to make emergency preparedness planning a priority.

Follow these best practices for planning communications before, during and after the budget is ratified, to ensure residents are informed and involved.

Budgeting is the time for making tough decisions for how your association spends its money, and sometimes those decisions can, unfortunately, lead to contention. Clear communication about the association budget should be provided to all homeowners throughout the year to help solve problems before they begin and smoothly pave the way for needed changes.

New to a condo or homeowners association, or need a refresher? We put together some vocabulary you will want to be familiar with.

It’s a common problem that many condo and homeowners’ associations (HOAs) face: rules that simply don’t work as they were intended. Sometimes it’s because they are enforced inconsistently or aren’t enforced at all. Other times it’s because they go too far. At their worst, poorly instituted HOA policies can even cause neighborhood discord.

You may not think cybercriminals have any interest in your condo or homeowners association (HOA), but don’t be so sure. As a small business, your association may be facing more risk than it did in the past.

Humans are social creatures with a deep-seated yearning for connection and community. This is particularly evident in a condo association or HOA, where a strong sense of community can be the difference between long-standing residency and high turnover.

Almost everyone has a phone, but some people don’t feel comfortable with new technology. While using any of these methods, make sure you practice responsive communication, listening carefully and giving clear cues to show your understanding.

One of the most challenging aspects of being on the board of your homeowners association (HOA) can be running board meetings. It’s not always easy to keep everyone tuned into the business at hand. In addition, you have to manage the inevitable disagreements among board members. How do you keep these meetings running smoothly?

The holiday season is upon us, and nothing puts you in a festive spirit like pulling your holiday decorations out of storage. Many people derive a sense of community and comfort from seeing familiar decorations at the same time each year.

As community managers begin inspection, they note the necessary repairs for winter damage as they make their rounds through the community.

Cold weather will soon be upon us, so now is the time for your homeowner association (HOA) to make sure your maintenance program is on track. As brutal as Chicago winters can be, you certainly don't want to discover a leak in your roof during a heavy snowfall or have a boiler stop working during a record cold spell. Don't get caught in the cold!

Being on the board of your condo or homeowners association (HOA) isn’t an easy job. No matter what your level of experience, mistakes can happen. Although some of these can probably be corrected easily, why not avoid them altogether by learning from other board members’ experiences? Check out these recommendations for handling 5 common board member mistakes.

You want your community association to be successful. All board members do. You know that means watching the finances carefully and maintaining the property. But do you think about effective board communication as an ingredient in your recipe for success? It is!

You may not be able to control rising utility rates, but your condo or homeowners association (HOA) can take measures to make your energy budget go a lot further. Just follow the four strategies described in this article. They’ve already worked for many Illinois properties managed by FirstService Residential.

Is good communication important to your property management company? Use this questionaire to find out.

As North America's property management leader, we understand that COVID-19 is impacting a lot of association budgets. Did you know that your board might be able to maximize value in unexpected areas to keep your association healthy and on sound financial footing? Read our article today to learn more.

Has your condo association been looking high and low for ways to save energy and money? The answer may be right over your head. Switching to LED bulbs can reduce your lighting costs by up to 75 percent. In this article, we answer common questions and shed some light on the benefits of LED lighting.

It’s possible for us to live in harmony with wildlife, but association leaders may need to exercise special vigilance when animals and humans might be in conflict.

Your association should never have to rely on a special assessment for a capital expense that could have been foreseen – or even prevented. Here are five tips to keep your Chicago high-rise condominium association's budget in the black and keep up with maintenance and capital improvements.