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Getting Your Building’s Spring Cleaning Started
The spring season is a time for renewal and a fresh look, so being able to properly landscape around the building is of utmost importance. -
Repairs and Maintenance vs Capital Expenditure: What's the Difference?
It’s no secret that association management is a big job. Across Minnesota, common areas require a lot of routine maintenance to uphold community standards – things like exterior light bulb replacements, landscaping and paint touch-ups. Depending on your townhome community, the scale of your amenities' needs will vary. -
Getting Your Building’s Spring Cleaning Started
As community association managers begin their inspection, they note the necessary repairs for winter damage as they make their rounds through the community. The spring season is a time for renewal and a fresh look, so being able to properly landscape around the building is of utmost importance. -
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. -
3 Strategies to Keep HOA Assessments Stable and Add Value
There are valid reasons to raise assessments, but in some cases, you may be able to go a different route. Here are three strategies to save your HOA money and keep assessments stable. -
Vetting Vendors: A path to success
Replacing a trusted vendor or finding a new one can be a challenge. How can you have peace of mind that the vendors you’re considering are right for you? Follow the tips below to help screen potential vendors and get the best fit for your association. -
Avoid These 4 Condo and Co-op Board Member Mistakes
Many condo and co-op board members make the same four mistakes. Find out what they are and what you should do instead -
Commercial Observer- FirstService’s Dan Wurtzel and Marc Kotler on Everything From Supertalls to Rent Regulation
Who better to find out what’s happening on the ground than the largest residential property manager in New York? -
From Beagles to Boxers: How to Take Care of a Dog in an Apartment
Here are some important tips and tricks to help keep both you and your furry friend healthy and happy. And as always, be sure to consult your vet or local breeder about how much daily activity is appropriate for your canine pal. -
Commercial Observer-Grading Buildings on Energy Consumption
A new law will require residential and commercial buildings to prove their energy efficiency -
Getting Your Building’s Spring Cleaning Started
As building managers begin property inspection, they note the necessary repairs for winter damage as they make their rounds through the community. The spring season is a time for renewal and a fresh look, so being able to properly landscape around the building is of utmost importance. -
How a preventive maintenance plan can prepare your condo for all seasons
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 Ontario's 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. -
Scary Fun: Halloween Safety Tips for Your Family and Community
Halloween is right around the corner and before it arrives there are many precautions we must take to ensure our kids and community are safe. As we prepare to celebrate let’s go over a checklist of safety measures we can take to make sure the little ghosts and goblins throughout our community are safe. -
Ask the Expert: Homeowners and Condo Owners Association Reserve Study
View our third episode of Ask the Expert, featuring Andrew Stoutenburg, Regional Executive Director of Reserve Advisors, as he talks about the importance of reserve studies in financial planning. -
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. -
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. -
Keep Your Community Safe During Summer Vacations
Summer time – the perfect season to hit the road, relax, spend time with family and friends, or embark on a new adventure. While you hope your residents have fun on their summer vacations, you also want to make sure that their homes stay safe and they fulfill their responsibilities to the association while away. Whether you live in a condominium, master-planned or single-family community, you want to make sure that your residents prepare their homes in a way that helps protect themselves and the 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. -
HOA Landscaping and Property Maintenance Tips to Add More Green to Community Property Values
It’s often said that you should never judge a book by its cover. However, the front-line curb appeal of a community can make a difference in the value of every property in a neighborhood. This is one reason current and potential homeowners consider landscaping and common-area maintenance so important. -
Capital Reserve Fund vs. Capital Improvements for Texas HOAs
Capital reserve fund vs. improvements: Budget for both and know when and how to allocate them in your Texas HOA for a continuously improved community. -
Special Assessments: Fund Your Capital Improvement Assessment: Part III
Learn about special assessments as a way to fund unexpected capital improvements -
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? -
5 Steps to the Best Reserve Study Firm
Your reserve study is important to your financial health, but how do you get one? How do you choose the right reserve study firm to conduct it? Learn more.