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  • 3 Strategies to Keep HOA Assessments Stable and Add Value

    There are often good reasons to raise assessments, but in some cases, you may be able to take a different route. Here are three strategies to help save your HOA money and keep assessments stable.
  • 10 steps on how to plan a community event

    You’re planning an event for your homeowner (HOA) or community association. Congratulations! After the initial excitement comes growing panic, right? Well, not necessarily.
  • 4 safety tips for the holidays to protect your home

    It's the most wonderful time of the year but not if your holidays are cut short by a fire, an accident or a theft. Taking these 4 safety precautions can prevent such misfortunes.
  • Winterizing a house: 4 tips for snowbirds traveling for winter

    Do you escape to warmer weather down south once there’s a chill in the air and the leaves start to turn? If you’re a snowbird (or Winter Texan!), you need to know how to protect your home up north while basking in the southern sunshine
  • Four tips for creating your HOA holiday decoration policy

    People decorate for everything these days – from Valentine’s Day to the patriotic celebrations of summer and on to the fall festivities and winter wonderlands. Many people derive a sense of community and comfort from seeing familiar decorations at the same time each year.
  • Four ways to fund an HOA capital improvement project

    Living in a residential community means around-the-clock routine maintenance to preserve the community and its assets. But there comes a time when one of your assets will reach the end of its useful life and require a replacement or significant repairs.
  • 8 tips for creating and enforcing HOA rules

    Good rules make good community members. The most important factors in association policy making, whether for a condo, co-op, townhome or master-planned community, are clarity and sensibility. The board must be clear – and united – on the policy being created and then must communicate that policy to all residents. Whether the policy is about overnight guest parking, designated smoking areas, amenity usage or approved flooring, the basic steps to creating good policy and enforcing it successfully are the same. It’s important that everyone involved, including board members, residents and the management team, understand who is responsible for the various roles that are part of policy creation, enforcement and compliance.
  • How to plan HOA events: 6 important tips

    Want your events to bring residents closer? Everyone loves a well-planned event, and the residents in your community association are no exception. Follow these tips for creating memorable events in your community association.
  • Keeping HOA and Condo Common Areas Clean During the Coronavirus Pandemic

    During these unprecedented times, residents are spending the majority of their time at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect themselves and their loved ones from infection. One of their primary contact points with the outside world is in your HOA or condo common areas, where they can be at risk of contact with lingering coronavirus or even spread existing virus to other areas of the property. Read on for a comprehensive list of places to clean and how to clean them.
  • 5 HOA annual meeting requirements to keep your meeting on track

    Your board should give residents the opportunity to have their voices heard, but you also have a responsibility to keep the meeting moving forward. Use these 5 HOA annual meeting requirements to stay on track.
  • Capital improvements vs repairs and maintenance: What’s the difference?

    Maintaining your buildings’ assets is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. The common areas require a broad range of routine maintenance and repairs to keep them looking good and operating smoothly.
  • 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.
  • Virtual Programs for Healthy and Happy Active Lifestyle Communities

    Chances are, you joined the board at your HOA or condo because you’re extremely passionate about the community and want to improve the experience of the other residents within it. Part of adding value to residents in your community is offering classes and programs for them to participate in to get to know their neighbors and offer opportunities for them to stay happy and healthy. Read on to find some suggestions for great virtual programs for communities like yours.
  • How to create a sense of larger community in your HOA

    Your association doesn’t function in a vacuum. It’s part of a larger community. Having members actively engaged in your town or city is good for the association and adds to residents’ sense of community. Find out what your board can do to encourage residents to get more involved in their larger community.
  • Why association boards chose FirstService Residential

    Finding a property management company to partner with your board isn’t easy. Find out how we can help you.
  • 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?
  • 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.
  • 3 Cost Containment Strategies to Minimize Assessment Hikes

    Your fiduciary responsibility is the most important commitment to fellow homeowners. Learn cost containment strategies that can save your association money.
  • What to Know About an HOA Emergency Board Meeting During Trying Times

    It's hurricane season again. As soon as June 1st rolls around, we are assaulted with hurricane preparedness pamphlets and emergency information at every turn.
  • Can You Go After HOA Owners for Their Guests’ Damages?

    Every community can expect to experience negligent or careless guests who will either cause a ruckus, or worse, damage association property. When that happens, deciding who should be held responsible for their actions can create a delicate – and potentially volatile – situation. Oftentimes, Boards may go after the owner, but they shouldn’t forge full-steam ahead without some sort of ammunition.
  • Comprehensive Flooring Policy: How to Deal with Noisy Neighbors

    Does it sometimes sound like your upstairs neighbors are bowling in their living room? Noises from above can be disruptive, but they might not be entirely your neighbor's fault.
  • Wondering What to Ask a Property Management Company in Florida? Here's 8 Questions

    Know what questions to ask a prospective property management company in Florida? Check out our list to ensure you have all the right information before making a choice.
  • Estoppel Certificates: 7 Myths and the Real Facts

    Estoppel certificates are a critical part of any real estate transaction and can be confusing. What's included, how are they created, what does it all mean? Learn more here.
Showing 25 - 48 of 325