Search

Showing 193 - 216 of 283
  • Planning an Award-Winning National Night Out Event

    National Night Out is an annual event that promotes partnerships between communities, residents and local law enforcement. Celebrations can range from individual block parties to a large community festival. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to create connections between neighbors and focus on working together to make your community a safer, better place to live. This national celebration has become an annual tradition in many communities far and wide and we want to help you put together the best National Night Out event your association has seen yet.
  • HOA Lighting Rules: How Your HOA Can Prevent a Holiday Light Trespass Issue

    Holiday lights can brighten the community, but they also have a down side. Learn tips to minimize issues in your HOA with sensible policies.
  • Prioritizing and Managing Your Community's Property Maintenance and Improvement Needs

    Handling day-to-day maintenance and making necessary improvements are critical responsibilities for any homeowners association (HOA). And when your serve on your association’s board of directors, they can quickly become overwhelming if you don’t have a good system in place to manage them. So how do you make sure that your maintenance staff is able to handle that long list of tasks that need to get done so that your community runs smoothly and retains its appeal?
  • Set Holiday Décor Standards Without Being a Scrooge

    It's easy to get enthusiastic about holiday decorating. How do you keep your residents from going overboard without being a scrooge? Read on for simple tips to keep holidays in your community merry!
  • Promoting Fire Safety in Your Community Association

    Part of your job as a board member is ensuring the safety of residents in your community association. To that end, it’s important to educate homeowners about possible fire risks and the steps they can take to prevent fire hazards in their homes. Chances are that fire safety isn’t top of mind for residents. However, home fires are more common than most people realize.
  • Promoting Fire Safety in Your Community Association

    Part of your job as a board member is ensuring the safety of residents in your community association. To that end, it’s important to educate homeowners about possible fire risks and the steps they can take to prevent fire hazards in their homes. Chances are that fire safety isn’t top of mind for residents. However, home fires are more common than most people realize.
  • Promoting Fire Safety in Your Community Association

    Part of your job as a board member is ensuring the safety of residents in your community association. To that end, it’s important to educate homeowners about possible fire risks and the steps they can take to prevent fire hazards in their homes. Chances are that fire safety isn’t top of mind for residents. However, home fires are more common than most people realize.
  • 3 Ways to Fund Your Condominium Corporation Replacements and Major Repairs

    At one time or another, every condominium corporation has to spend money on replacing equipment or making major repairs. Whether that means replacing a roof, installing a new ventilation system or any other big-ticket project, they are a necessity. But how should your condo corporation pay for them?
  • Tips for Creating a Community Newsletter

    Creating a newsletter for your condominium residents that will give them valuable and relevant information is harder to do than it may seem upon first glance. Here are the basic things to consider, brought to you by your property management professionals at FirstService Residential.
  • Four ways to set decoration policies for your condominium 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.
  • Getting the Right Training to Be a Successful Board Member

    Most people who join the board of their condominium corporation aren’t experts. Rather, they are well-intentioned, dedicated volunteer-leaders who want to protect property values and ensure their community continues to be a great place to live. If you’re a new board member – or even a seasoned one – it’s important to get the training you need to govern effectively and address the issues you may face.
  • Home for Sale? Six Tips to Add Value and Appeal

    For most people selling a condominium, it is important to stand out from the competition in the real estate market, have a quick sale and obtain the best possible price. But how do you do that? The way your property is presented to potential buyers makes a big difference. Consider these tips to help you achieve real estate sales success.
  • How a preventive maintenance plan can keep your condominium from walking on thin ice

    Cold weather will soon be upon us, so now is the time to make sure your condominium maintenance program is on track. As brutal as Alberta 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.
  • How to Communicate: What Your Board Should Know and Do

    You want your condo community 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!
  • Potted Plants are Not Ashtrays

    It seems innocent, but a surprising number of balcony and backyard fires are unintentionally started by disposal of smoking material in a potted plant or planter box. In a condominium environment this can have, and has had, disastrous consequences. And it's not just a summertime problem.
  • Preventative Roof Maintenance is Crucial to the Sustainability and Longevity of Your Roof

    We can all agree there are many important elements to a housing structure, but your roof is probably the most important. Changing temperatures, snow accumulation, large amounts of rain, ice dams and high winds can all cause major damage to condominiums, townhomes and single-family homes. These harsh weather conditions can create all sorts of problems, from minor leaks to major cave-ins that can cost a condominium corporation thousands to repair.
  • Preventing Condominium Issues When Snowbirds Fly the Coop

    As Canadians anticipate spending the winter months knee-deep in snow and freezing temperatures, it’s likely that some residents in your condominium corporation community are anticipating spending some of their winter in a warmer climate.
  • Renting Your Condominium

    When renting your condominium, both owner and tenant have responsibilities under the Condominium Property Act of Alberta (CPA). These are in addition to rights and responsibilities for landlords and tenants covered in the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA).
  • Should You Consider Moving to a High-Rise Condo?

    There are many things to consider when it is time to move. Maybe you’re moving to a new neighbourhood or a new city. What if you want a complete lifestyle change and are thinking about leaving your single-family home or townhome and considering moving to a high-rise condominium? Depending upon your goals, this may or may not be the right move for you.
  • Six Important Things You Need to Know as a New Board Member

    Some owners are reluctant to volunteer to be a condominium board member because they’ve never done it before. That’s why we developed these six essential tips for new board members to help them get up-to-speed quickly. If you consider these points as you get down to condo business, you will be successful in your new role ─ one in which you really can make a difference.
  • The Condo Residents’ (Unofficial) Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

    Life in a multi-family community is much more pleasant when residents and leaders each understand their individual rights and responsibilities. As in all aspects of life, respect for each other and adherence to the rules are key components to successful community relations.
  • Getting the Right Training to Be a Successful Board Member

    Most people who join the board of their condominium corporation aren’t experts. Rather, they are well-intentioned, dedicated volunteer-leaders who want to protect property values and ensure their community continues to be a great place to live. If you’re a new board member – or even a seasoned one – it’s important to get the training you need to govern effectively and address the issues you may face.
  • What Your Condo Corporation Needs to Know About the Legalization of Recreational Cannabis

    The Canadian Senate passed Bill C-45 , known as the ‘Cannabis Act’, in June 2018 which legalized the recreational use of cannabis across Canada. The first G-7 country to do so! When Bill C-45 goes into effect on October 17 th , Canadians will be able to purchase, consume and grow up to four cannabis plants, as well as make cannabis-containing products at home.
Showing 193 - 216 of 283