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  • Avoid 5 Common Texas Association Budget Mistakes

    We know budget season is stressful and we want to help! Avoid common mistakes & d ownload our budget survey results to discover key areas to consider when planning next year's budget.
  • Board Member Basics: Learn the Language of Your Texas Board

    Association terms that every board member should know and understand.
  • 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.
  • Creating Effective Resident Communications

    One of the primary responsibilities of a community association board member is to ensure that residents are properly informed about happenings in the community, upcoming meetings & events, policy changes and more. Knowing what information needs to be communicated and how to make sure your announcement reaches everyone possible can be a challenge. Here are a few communication tips that will help keep the residents in your Homeowners Association well informed.
  • First Impressions Matter: Simple Ways to Improve Your High Rise Property Values

    Finding ways to stand out among neighboring high-rise properties is probably challenging enough for your condominium association. But now with construction of new high-rise condos on the upswing in cities throughout Texas, it’s especially important to maintain an edge if you want homebuyers to give your building a second look. So what can your condominium association do to attract buyers and maintain property values?
  • The Most Common Mistakes HOAs Make on Social Media Sites

    Social media sites, such as Facebook and Nextdoor, are quickly becoming favorite mediums for information sharing amongst neighbors mainly due to their ease of use and mobile accessibility. However, it’s important for your board to establish how these sites will be administered. Here we’ve identified a few of the most common issues frequently made on homeowner-controlled social media sites and some suggestions on how you can keep things aboveboard.
  • Five Rules for Homeowners Associations That Create Good Neighbors, Not Enemies

    We’ve all seen what can happen when rules go too far, are not enforced or are enforced inconsistently. In a homeowners association (HOA), these types of issues can even pit neighbor against neighbor. So what can your board of directors do to make sure that your policies are fair and support your goals of establishing order and building a strong and attractive community? Follow these five recommendations to ensure your policies serve the needs of your HOA without being the source of neighborhood riffs.
  • Five Ways to Bring Home Lifestyle Programs to Your HOA

    Have you ever wondered what makes some homeowners association (HOA) communities such appealing places to live? It could be their location or maybe their amenities. Most likely, it’s also due to a thriving lifestyle program that connects residents and helps to foster lasting relationships within the community. “Even for the smallest of communities, there is tremendous value in developing lifestyle programming,” notes Terry Bascher, vice president of onsite management for FirstService Residential Texas. “Lifestyle programs bring people together while strengthening bonds that increase camaraderie.”
  • Discover How You Can Implement HOA Pool Rules, Texas

    In Texas, where temperatures can reach triple digits and humidity isn’t far behind, a refreshing dip in a pool can be a welcome relief. That’s why so many HOAs offer swimming pools as an amenity. Here are 10 guidelines to help you manage your association pool.
  • Four Tricks to Maintaining Your HOA's Financial Health

    Keeping your association’s finances healthy can easily be compared to maintaining your own physical fitness; don’t overindulge and make smart choices. The only thing you’ll have to exercise is good judgment. Here are four tips to get you started on the right foot.
  • How Can My Texas Condo Association Manage Holiday Package Overload?

    Shopping is the hallmark of the holiday season, but the influx of packages can make any condominium association struggle to stay organized. Discover ways to handle holiday packages with ease by asking four simple questions.
  • High-Rise Living Trends: Must-Have Amenities for 2017

    Today, high-rise living is attracting a broad range of residents, from millennials to empty nesters, all seeking convenience and luxury in an urban setting. Although they have a common drive to discover this newer metropolitan lifestyle, these very different households have a variety of needs and wants. This means that there is not a one-size-fits-all solution for defining what desirable amenities look like. In fact, properties must continuously adapt and update their offerings to stay competitive in their community.
  • Hosting an Annual Meeting That Homeowners Will Want to Attend

    The number one reason associations fail to meet quorum is the lack of participation by their homeowners. Knowing this, we’ve put together a list of practical ideas to help increase homeowner participation and alleviate the worry about whether or not you will have enough attendance to hold your meeting.
  • How to Choose the Best Association Management Company in Texas - 10 Questions You Need to Ask Today

    How do you determine which property management company will provide you with the best service? Here are 10 questions that you should ask when consulting with property or homeowner association (HOA) management companies to help you make the important decision.
  • Keep Things on Track With Our HOA Annual Meeting Checklist

    Whether your association is faced with presenting positive or potentially controversial announcements, you can probably expect a few homeowners to raise their questions and concerns during your annual meeting, making it difficult to keep your meeting on track. To help, here are a few things you can do to limit distractions or interruptions and keep the meeting rolling full steam ahead.
  • Weather a Texas-Sized Storm with the Right HOA Insurance

    As we say in Texas, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait; it will change soon enough.” Yes, the weather can be fickle in our state, and we Texans do enjoy discussing its variable nature. For members of a homeowners association (HOA) near the Gulf Coast, the conversation this time of year probably turns to the likelihood of a major storm, hurricane or “gully-washer.” And if you are on your HOA’s board of directors, you may also be posing the question, “Is our community prepared to weather a big storm?”
  • Hurricane Prep: Your Association Management Company and You

    Everything is bigger in Texas & sometimes even hurricanes. And during hurricane season, being a board member for a residential community in the Houston area can bring some big challenges, too. To help get you and your community ready and reduce the effects if a hurricane does strike, we've put together six important tips.
  • Is Your Community Prepared? Communication during Crisis

    Having a solid communication strategy is the only way your emergency preparedness plan can be effective. Find out how your HOA can create one.
  • Holiday Party Planning. All the Sparkle Without the Stress.

    You want to celebrate the season with family and friends, but with the holiday merely weeks away, landing a role opposite of George Clooney sounds easier than planning a holiday bash. Does it not? Well fear not! These primo party planning tips will have you singing carols over eggnog in next to no time (and for little money), all compliments of our professional party planner.
  • Holiday Decorations Dos and Don’ts: HOA Rules For Holiday Decorations

    How to establish decorating policies without being a grinch. Keep spirits bright this season for the whole community!
  • Keep Your HOA Community Safe During Summer Vacations

    Summertime: It’s the perfect season to hit the road, relax, spend time with family and friends or embark on a new adventure. Although you hope that residents in your community have fun on their summer vacations, you also want to make sure that their homes stay safe and that they continue to fulfill their responsibilities to the association. Whether yours is a condominium, master-planned or single-family community, follow these tips to help your residents prepare their homes in a way that protects it and the community while they are away.
  • Tips to Manage an Exceptional HOA Event

    No matter what the reason, bringing residents and owners together for an event in your Texas community can be a lot of fun. To help make the planning as fun as the function itself, we’ve put together a list of simple tips. Whether you live in a high-rise condo, or a master-planned community, applying these strategies will make your event a memorable occasion for all the right reasons.
  • Municipal Duties Move to ‘Burbs as HOAs Must Step In

    John Friedrichsen, Senior Vice President & CFO of FirstService Residential parent company FirstService Corporation, is quoted in USA Today about how HOAs benefit from the value-added services provided by leading professional management companies.
  • New Ruling on Short Term Rentals in Texas May Impact Your Community

    Short-term rentals continue to be a battleground for associations as well as city and state governments. Recently passed Texas state legislation concerning short-term rentals may now impact your community. If your HOA governing documents do not address rentals or minimum lease terms, then now is a good time to work with your community association management company and legal counsel to make amendments.
Showing 97 - 120 of 195