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  • Fall tips for homeowners: Your comprehensive checklist

    Whether your HOA is self-managed or professionally managed, getting started on your fall and winter prep will help keep your operations running smoothly as the seasons and temperatures change – and that will keep your residents happy as well.
  • Mold: How Should Your Association and Homeowners Handle It?

    No one wants to find mold in their home or any association building. Unfortunately, mold is ubiquitous – it’s in the air and in the water, and when given the chance, it spreads like crazy. Learn steps to prevent mold or to have it assessed and properly treated, preserving your buildings and the health of your residents.
  • Preventing Fires: 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.
  • Property Management Jobs: The Best-Kept Hospitality Career Secret

    If you’re a recent (or about-to-be) college grad looking for your perfect career fit, here’s a helpful checklist to help you narrow down your choices:
  • Pros and Cons of Do It Yourself Repairs and Maintenance

    FirstService Residential's Bill Worrall discusses the hidden costs of DIY maintenance and repairs and provides great insight into how boards can determine what can be done in house and what should be subbed out to appropriate contractors.
  • Hiring a reserve study company: 5 things to know

    In our guide to capital improvements , reserve studies and their relationship to capital improvements and preventive maintenance were discussed at length.
  • Fighting mold in your condo or HOA: A step-by-step guide

    It’s the scourge of households everywhere: the unsightly, unsanitary, unbecoming sight of mold. But waging war on mold means more than launching a full-scale assault when you see it (though that can be part of the battle plan). Instead, consider a comprehensive strategy – here are some tips to help you get started and steer clear of mold.
  • What is a fire hydrant?: What to know about community fire hydrants

    Aside from knowing to not park next to one, how deep is your knowledge of fire hydrants? Unless you’re a firefighter, it’s probably not that extensive. This may not be a problem... until the unthinkable happens and you need to be confident that your fire hydrants are in good working order. But like any equipment in your community, fire hydrants need to be maintained.
  • What is a community association manager? How to become a CAM

    What did you want to be when you grew up? Like many children, you may have dreamed of becoming a doctor, teacher, firefighter, pilot, basketball player, ballerina or policeman. Maybe you wanted to be a movie actor, astronaut, rock star or even the president. But we’re guessing there are a few professions that probably didn’t make your short list… property manager or community association manager (CAM).
  • Starting a neighborhood watch program? Understanding neighborhood watch rules and duties

    Neighborhood Watch programs can provide significant benefits to communities – after all, they boost community awareness, communication and involvement, while reducing opportunities for neighborhood crimes to occur. But if you’re interested in getting started, there are many important factors to consider. Here’s an overview.
  • 3 residential drainage problems and their solutions

    Unless you live in an area where it hardly ever rains (in which case you have a whole other set of problems), drainage will be an issue in your community. Proper drainage is, of course, the answer, but getting there means you have to meet stringent requirements throughout different areas of your community.
  • How to winterize a home in your HOA community

    It’s that time of year again – there’s a noticeable nip in the air, trees are losing their leaves and stores are starting to display their holiday swag. That can only mean one thing – winter is right around the corner. If your HOA is located in an area affected by wintry weather, we probably don’t need to remind you about last year’s Arctic-level freeze. Some of the coldest-ever temperatures were recorded in many parts of the country – and if you heed the predictions in the Old Farmer’s Almanac , you know that this year promises to be even more frigid. Is your community prepared to handle the upcoming chill? Here are some tips to help your homeowners association winterize your community, no matter what surprises the season may bring.
  • Updating Your Community Emergency Preparedness Plan for Pandemics

    In the past, when planning for emergencies, a global pandemic was likely not on your list. While most board members did not anticipate a pandemic as something that needed a plan before COVID-19, it's now clear that communities need to develop a plan to address this and any future pandemics. Read on to learn how to build a community emergency preparedness plan with a possible resurgence of coronavirus and other potential pandemics in mind.
  • Community association manager: Responsibilities, benefits & more

    Community association management is an industry filled with diversity. You'll find people from all walks of life who have chosen it as a career path, and all for their own personal reasons. What is the one commonality? It's easy to love what they do!
  • 3 common HOA maintenance styles

    Nothing bites into your budget like maintenance issues. Whether it’s the grounds keeping and upkeep that you pay for on a regular basis or those surprise projects (natural disasters, anyone?) that sneak up on you, maintenance can account for an average of 25% or more of your overall expenditures.
  • Should you consider a career in property management?

    Whether you are a recent graduate contemplating your career path or a seasoned professional seeking a change, delving into the realm of property management can offer a fulfilling and potentially rewarding journey.
  • HOA lawsuit: Why community associations get sued and what to do if it happens to you

    Your community or condominium association is there to protect the interests of all of its members. However, there may be situations when one or more residents don’t believe that the association is on their side. Hopefully, everyone involved can come to a reasonable solution, but if you can’t, it’s possible that your association – and even your board members – could become the target of a lawsuit.
  • Prevent frozen pipes: Winter pipe safety measures

    In this piece, we’ll take a look at some overall winter pipe safety measures, along with some steps you can take for overall plumbing wellbeing.
  • 12 to-do’s for ultimate HOA landscaping maintenance

    A good spring-cleaning can do wonders for your community association. Here are some tips to get your started.
  • 15 Things You’ll Want to Do Before Selecting an Insurance Agent

    Insurance is one of the most important line items on your association's budget, but it is oftentimes the most expensive. Do you know how to select the right agent?
  • 5 Ways You Can Improve Board Communication

    How well your board communicates has a tremendous impact on your community association. Every board can benefit from these 5 principles.
  • How to Get Rid of Millipedes and How to Prevent Their Invasion

    Ah, Florida nights. Perfect temperatures. And...a disgusting mass of undulating insects climbing up the side of your building? Learn how to get rid of millipedes.
  • 8 Skills You'll Master as a Board President

    You've been elected as the President of the Board for your community association. You're signing up for a very important job! Here are some necessary skills!
  • 9 Guidelines for a Successful Community Association

    Volunteering on the board of a community association is not for the faint of heart and can be a full-time job! Communities come in different shapes and sizes, but serving on a board of directors is similar across the board.
Showing 49 - 72 of 439