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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 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:

If your main concern is to avoid increasing assessments, you may want to reconsider. As a board member, one of your primary fiduciary responsibilities is to protect property values, and assessments are an investment that helps do just that.

Enforcing HOA policies is nobody’s cup of tea, but having good policy enforcement in place helps improve the resident experience and elevates your reputation. Follow these 4 principles for healthy policy enforcement:

Does your association manager have the right tools, resources and support to take your association to the next level?

Great capital improvements lead to better property values. Read on to see the three ways to pay for them and the pros and cons for each.

Safeguarding a strata corporation’s operating and reserve funds is one of the main fiduciary duties of all board members, not just the treasurer. This means strata councils must protect the financial interests of the strata corporation and its members.

It’s that wonderful time of year! Many of us are shopping online to get that perfect gift for our loved ones. And, for those doing last-minute shopping, we don’t want to have to worry that something will go wrong with our deliveries.

Not all strata managers have what they need to give you great service. Learn what it takes to be a great strata manager.

Does your association manager have the right tools, resources and support to take your association to the next level?

Strategic capital improvements lead to better property values. Read on to see the three ways to pay for them and their pros and cons.

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

Living in a high-rise, condominium or co-op certainly has its perks. You get the convenient location, the dramatic views, attentive concierge services and a range of amenities. However, vertical living also means added challenges when it comes to fire safety. Fortunately, there are measures that both your association board and residents can take to improve safety.

According to Forbes.com, Property Managers are tied for the #2 spot on the list of Happiest Jobs in America. Coincidentally, thanks to our continued growth and success, FSR is currently recruiting for several Property Manager positions. If you’re a quality professional seeking an outstanding career with the industry leader, check out all of our open positions (happiness included).

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.

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.

Floods are one of the most common types of natural disasters. They can also be the most detrimental for high-rise buildings. The nature of these buildings makes them particularly vulnerable to flooding caused by severe storms.

Your annual meeting is your community association’s most well-attended meeting of the year. That’s no surprise since it’s where residents get the most insights about their community and have an opportunity to elect their board members. But the large turnout also means it’s the meeting most likely to get off track. Keep your meeting from getting derailed by using these 5 techniques.

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.

In our guide to capital improvements , reserve studies and their relationship to capital improvements and preventive maintenance were discussed at length.

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).

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.

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!

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.