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Reserve Fund, Assessment or Loan: How to Pay for Capital Improvements
Great capital improvements improve property values. Read on to see the three ways to pay for them and the pros and cons. -
Condo Capital Improvements: Lending Solutions for Condominium and Co-op Boards
FirstService Residential and FirstService Financial work in tandem to help our clients successfully finance capital improvement projects and save money without compromising quality of service. -
New Bill Affecting Florida Condominiums, HOAs, and Cooperatives
The Florida Legislature passed a new bill which will affect residents who call a community association home. Here is an overview of CS/CS/HB 7037 that will provide you with insight on these changes. -
Tips to Maintain Your Minnesota HOA Finances
Maintaining the health of your Minnesota community homeowners association’s finances is similar to the way you keep yourself healthy: make good choices, don’t overindulge and exercise good judgement. -
Five Tips for Creating a Condo Maintenance Checklist
Designing and executing a comprehensive plan for preventative maintenance must be a top priority for your building -
Upholding community standards: 5 most common HOA violations
An HOA violation refers to any action or condition that goes against the community's governing documents, including covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs), and bylaws. -
Are EV Charging Stations Worth the Investment?
FirstService Energy's experts answer common questions about EV chargers, including costs, incentives, revenues, and curb appeal. -
Rules are Rules: How to Enforce Neighborhood Covenants
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. -
HOA pool rules and safety: 6 things your association should do
Summertime is swim time, and for the most part, it’s a plunge into carefree fun. But without the right swimming pool safety practices, your residents and association could be at risk. -
6 Types of Insurance Policies Your Board Should Know
Learn the 6 types of insurance policies your board should know - we asked our insurance insiders. -
Creating and Enforcing Sample HOA Pet Rules That Work
With several Arizona cities ranking high in WalletHub’s 2016 listing of most pet-friendly cities, it’s likely that your community allows residents to have pets. Still, your homeowners association (HOA) needs to have a clear policy to prevent residents’ furry family members from becoming a community problem. After all, it isn’t really Rover’s fault if issues arise. It’s up to his owners to clean up after him, to ensure that he remains well behaved and to follow the HOA rules. -
Electronic Voting in Arizona - What You Should Know
These days, you can do almost anything online—buy groceries, look for a job or even find love. But what about voting on issues that affect your community? -
Before Creating a New HOA Policy, Ask These 5 Questions
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. -
5 Surprising Reasons to Raise Your HOA Assessments
If your main concern is to avoid increasing assessments, you may want to reconsider. As a board member, one of your primary fiduciary responsibilities is to protect property values, and assessments are an investment that helps do just that. -
HOA Policy: Why Consistent Communication Is Key
Learn why effective HOA policy starts with a strong communication plan. -
Don’t Be the HOA Bad Guy: 4 Proven Policy Enforcement Tips
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: -
Maintenance, Capital Improvements, Useful Life: Is Your HOA Prepared?
Not sure which components you should fix and which you should replace entirely? You're not alone. Get the answers to some of your top questions about maintenance, capital improvements, and useful life. -
Post-Crisis HOA Cash Management: 3 Tips for Your Association
How do you manage collections and HOA funds after a crisis? Get 3 tips to help you plan for the future -
Reserve Funds, Assessment, or Loan: 3 Ways to Pay for a Capital Improvement Fee
Great capital improvements lead to better property values. Read on to see the three ways to pay for them and the pros and cons for each. -
React, Outsource, or Prevent? Find Your Association’s Maintenance Style
How does your Arizona association handle maintenance? Discover your association's unique maintenance style. -
An Ounce of Prevention
Like changing the oil in your car, regular maintenance on a building helps keeps everything working properly and safely. For stratas, some tasks are not optional, they are mandatory. -
Four ways to set decoration policies for your strata corporation without being a grinch
Lights, candles and wreaths, oh my! The most decorated season of the year is arriving, with celebrations from many cultures and faiths coinciding in the next few months. For condo communities, the desire to deck the halls can clash with the rules of the corporation. Follow these tips to maintain a festive community without décor running amok. -
Smart Financial Planning
Safeguarding a strata corporation’s operating and reserve funds is one of the main fiduciary duties of all board members, not just the treasurer. This means strata councils must protect the financial interests of the strata corporation and its members.