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  • 5 surprising reasons for increasing HOA assessment fees

    The concept of raising HOA assessment fees can be a sensitive issue. Read our article to learn how to do so without stepping on people's toes.
  • Five Ways Your HOA Should Tackle Water Conservation

    Water conservation is on the minds of all California homeowners. As summer is quickly approaching, homeowner association (HOA) leaders throughout California need to be proactive in making the necessary changes within their communities.
  • Four Financial Questions to Ask Your Community Management Company

    Financial stewardship ranks near the top of the list of responsibilities for HOA board members. This requires proper allocation of association funds to ensure they are protected and FDIC insured, while earning the best possible rates. Adequate insurance coverage also factors into the equation. It’s a challenging balancing act, but asking the right questions can help.
  • How to Future-Proof Your Association’s Finances

    Whether your HOA is an amenity-driven active adult community or an emerging single-family home community, future financial stability is always a top-of-mind concern. And while it may seem like your everyday operating budget is the ultimate priority, a well-funded reserve is the key to helping your community thrive well into the future.
  • Investing HOA Reserve Funds: 6 Tips to Improve Your Returns

    Are you getting the best returns on your reserve funds? Most California board members are not sure. Here are six ways to improve your reserve fund returns and create an HOA investment policy.
  • How Do You Manage HOA Reserves During a Crisis?

    It's vital to prepare for the future and take steps to protect your association reserve funds. Here are 3 ways to manage reserves during a crisis.
  • More California Homebuyers Look for Community Amenities and Lifestyle Programs

    Homebuyers are motivated to buy a new home and move to a new community for a wide variety of reasons – perhaps a desire to downsize, upsize, relocate closer to family and friends, or enhance their quality of life. But while those factors will always be important, there are two additional considerations many people find compelling – community amenities and programs for lifestyle communities. Read on for more details.
  • Part 1: Electric Cars and Charging Stations – Is Your HOA Ready?

    Take a drive on any major interstate in California and it will be difficult to drive any distance without passing, or being passed, by an electric vehicle. In fact, nearly a half-million plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) have been purchased in the US over the past five years. Read this article to see if your HOA is ready for this new trend.
  • Plaster or paint: Pool resurfacing materials for your community pool

    Discover new tips from experts on the pros and cons of different pool resurfacing materials.
  • Selecting Your Reserve Study Firm: Seven Essential Steps

    Your reserve study gives you the power to maintain the quality of your community by allowing for projects that are both necessary and potentially expensive. Establishing this fund can get a little complex. But you don’t have to be a fortune teller to read the future of your association. You simply need a good reserve study firm to help. Here’s how you can find one.
  • HOA Budget: Seven Best Practices for HOA Budgeting

    Creating your HOA budget involves many considerations. It’s not simply a month-to-month accounting for expenses. Ideally, it’s a both a short-term and long-term blueprint for sustained financial health. Offset rising costs and high interest rates with these 7 HOA budgeting tips.
  • 3 Strategies to Keep HOA Assessments Stable and Add Value

    There are often good reasons to raise assessments, but in some cases, you may be able to take a different route. Here are three strategies to help save your HOA money and keep assessments stable.
  • Tips for Eco-Friendly High-Rise Living

    Eco friendly high-rise initiatives are not only good for the environment, but can be green for your association budget. How does close to $50,000 in annual savings sound? Here are suggestions you can implement for little to no cost.
  • A board member's guide to managing an HOA pool

    Many people want to live in a community that has a swimming pool, and if there’s one in yours, you know what kind of value it brings. While it’s great to think of all those hot days when you and your neighbors can enjoy an afternoon in the water, with it comes many responsibilities community association board members must adhere to that go beyond staying cool or keeping in shape.
  • HOA financial management: Tips for greater financial strength

    So what’s the most important aspect of your community? Is it aesthetics? Sense of belonging? Neighbors knowing neighbors? Desirability to home buyers?
  • Twelve things to know about HOA board of directors insurance

    Are you an insurance expert? Unless you sell it, the answer is probably “no.” But if you’re a member of your HOA’s Board of Directors, it’s a really smart idea to have a basic understanding of the policy that protects your association from liability.
  • How to find a good insurance agent: 15 things to consider

    You’re a member of your community association’s board, and it’s time to review your current insurance policies and providers. While it may be tempting to maintain your current relationship, you may find that significant savings can be found when you shop around.
  • Planning your community budget: Six tips to follow

    Experienced property managers have created countless budgets, and they’re familiar with the best practices entailed in creating one that helps your community accomplish its goals. So to help you get started, here are six community budget basics you can follow.
  • Managing your HOA amenities: A step-by-step guide

    Having a swimming pool, a fitness area, or even a place to hold rooftop parties for residents are perks that can make any community stand out. But how does a community association board handle and operate those features?
  • Co-Op Managed by Our New York Office Chosen for Mayor’s Recycling Pilot

    NYC's Organic Food Waste Recycling Pilot Program includes Morningside Heights Housing Corp., a cooperative building managed by FirstService Residential’s New York office. This exciting program is designed to reduce the amount of post-consumer waste sent to landfills.
  • Preparing for EV charging and electric vehicles in your HOA

    Over the past five years, nearly a half-million U.S. cars in this country have been able to zip right past gas stations – and it’s not because they’ve always had a full tank of gas. That’s how many plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) have been purchased in this country since December 2010, when the first mass-market PEVs – the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt – made their much-heralded debut. Learn more about PEV's in order to ready your HOA.
  • What to know about installing community EV charging stations

    Is installing EV charging stations the right choice for your community? If your association is considering it, consider this – you’ll not only satisfy the needs of current and future EV owners, but you’ll also enhance your property’s “green” image, which can increase property value and attract future residents. So how should your Board proceed? Start by talking to other community Board members and local community leaders to see if this issue is being addressed locally. Do your research, including consulting with a good property management company. If your community is professionally managed, your property management team can provide you with information and guide you through the process.
  • Energy Efficiency for Community Associations

    Should community associations implement energy efficiency measures? Most Board members and residents think so, but making conservation a reality can be a challenge. In a recent issue of Condo Management, FS Energy’s Chris Normandeau offers ways communities can take energy efficiency from principle to practice.
  • Experts Say Community Amenities and Lifestyle Programs Drive Home Buying Decision

    Homebuyers are motivated to buy a new home and move to a new community for a wide variety of reasons – perhaps a desire to downsize, upsize, relocate closer to family and friends, or enhance their quality of life. And when it comes to which new home and community to choose, there are nearly as many variables to consider, such as cost of living, location, layout and the quality of the community association and professional management company, to name a few. But while those factors will always be important, there are two additional considerations that, for many people, are even more compelling – community amenities and programs for lifestyle communities.
Showing 25 - 48 of 453