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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.

If you're on the board of a condo, co-op, high-rise or HOA, you know that managing your homeowner's association budget is a major priority. You've likely explored many ways to save money and get the best deals, while still maintaining a high level of service.

Not only will they learn something new every day, but it'll also keep their minds bright and busy.

What can you do to ensure that your board meetings are well run? Follow these best practices to keep your board meetings on track.

In a community association, the board of directors are a group of volunteers who execute a wide variety of tasks to maintain their community and improve the lives of residents – all in their free time. The work can become a heavy responsibility. But when they partner with a professional community association management company, together they shoulder some of the liability, stress and workload that comes with managing a board or condo association.

Because on-site parking draws out strong opinions from both residents and board members, it’s imperative that associations be educated about on-site parking and understand what they can and cannot do, especially in regard to resident demands. With such a broad stretch of opinions, how do you approach on-street parking policy as an HOA member?

While maintenance, events, committees, and budget are all crucial aspects of managing a homeowners’ association, there's one even bigger challenge that board members face: HOA agreement and alignment. Read on to discover the secret to successful alignment among diverse individuals with distinct values.

A big part of what sets your community apart is the amenities it offers. This goes beyond a pool, a fitness area or a place for a rooftop party – your amenities help create a lifestyle, and that’s the most important thing to residents and association members.

Whether you are addressing overnight guest parking, or approved flooring, the basic process for creating good policies and enforcing them successfully are the same. Consider these eight steps when establishing an HOA policy.

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.

Are you considering moving to a community with more lifestyle elements? How do you choose which one is right for you? Do you research and consider these five tips to ensure you find your perfect match!

We have all heard about the harmful effects of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. Arizona law addresses the dangers of secondhand smoke through its Smoke-Free Arizona Act. The Act prohibits smoking in enclosed public buildings and workplaces, as well as in enclosed, common areas of multifamily buildings.

How should your HOA board handle a pandemic like COVID-19? Start by tackling these 5 questions

A healthy and effective Arizona homeowners association is not only able to identify great volunteers and committee members, but will empower them to drive positive change in the community. But how do you get there?

Swimming is considered an essential summer activity for most Arizona residents. The last thing you want is to have this cherished summer pastime turn into a disaster. Following these tips will help ensure that your community or family pool time will be as safe as possible!

As a resident in a homeowners association (HOA), it’s important for you to know what you have a right to expect from your association and from your community management team, as well as your responsibilities to the HOA. Being aware of your rights and responsibilities creates clarity, helps you set realistic expectations and leads to more cohesiveness throughout the community. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of community residents’ rights and responsibilities. Remember that these apply equally to homeowners and renters.

Let's talk playgrounds. As the centerpiece of a community, a playground has a way of bringing both children and adults together, and that creates more tightly knit neighborhoods. It's a fun way to leverage one of your most important amenities toward building community spirit - so long as it happens safely.

Is your community interested in introducing a Strategic Community Plan? Read more to learn about the benefits of having a Strategic Community Plan in place and how to introduce them into your association.

There are often valid reasons to raise assessments, but in some cases, you may want to take a different route. Here are three cost-saving strategies.

Have you considered the importance of effective board communication in your recipe for success? Follow these HOA communication tools and tips for a path to effective communication.

Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't know who to call when an issue in your HOA came up because you live in a sub-association of a master-planned community that has two different community management companies? This is a consistent challenge for many homeowners living in multiple managed communities.

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.