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How to pick a property management company
Here’s the good news: hiring the right property management company is going to make your life as an HOA Board Member much easier. On the flip side: there is no shortage of property management firms to choose from, so selecting the best fit for your community association is going to take a little bit of work. -
How to Host an Annual Meeting Your Homeowners Will WANT to Attend
Annual meetings don't have to be boring! Learn how your community association board can entice your homeowners into attending with easy tips. -
How to increase HOA and community volunteerism
Regardless of the size of your community, or where it’s located, there is always one thing that every community association board and committee needs: resident volunteers. Unfortunately, however, volunteers are often a scarce resource. -
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. -
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. -
Managing Active Adult Communities in the Boomer Era
Today's Baby Boomers are prompting some active adult communities to re-examine how to remain relevant, appealing and responsive to residents' needs, according to Michael Mendillo, president of FirstService Residential's Mid-Atlantic division, and Robert Misurel, director of Planning & Development for the company's Lifestyle Division. -
3 essential things to know about community maintenance
Whether your community is self-managed or professionally managed, maintenance is a big part of the day-to-day responsibilities. It’s a responsibility that can quickly become overwhelming, especially when you walk in on a Monday morning to a list of what went wrong over the weekend. -
Missouri Office Honored for Commitment to Kansas City Youth Center
Missouri’s Curry Association Management, the newest member of the FirstService Residential family, was recently honored for its substantial efforts and ongoing commitment to the Police Athletic League (PAL) of Kansas City, which provides a safe and stable haven for the area’s underprivileged youth. -
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. -
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. -
Nine guidelines for managing an HOA
If you volunteer your services to your homeowners association, you know there are many rewards – but also, quite a few challenges. There are residents with individual demands and concerns and Board members who may have difficulty agreeing. There is also the critical need to carefully develop – and adhere to – a strict budget. And that’s just the beginning. -
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. -
HOA board vs management company: 6 ways to work together
Homeowner and condo association board members know that their collective actions yield lots of great results. Just take a look at the minutes from your last couple of meetings and you’ll see all the evidence you need. -
Understanding the duties during property management staffing changes
Sooner or later, most community associations face some kind of management change. If your community has a great manager, you probably want them to stay forever. But how realistic is that? -
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. -
Ways to Provide Reasonable Accommodation by Creating a Fair Living Space
Are you familiar with the term “fair living space”? If you’re not, you should be – it can have a profound effect on your community, your association and your residents. A fair living space involves providing an environment in which people with disabilities enjoy the necessary accommodations in their homes and community amenities. It’s really all about access, and something the law calls “reasonable accommodation,” which means “a change, exception, or adjustment to a rule, policy, practice or service.” While the law may require you to make some accommodations, there are other things your association may be able to do which can further enhance the lifestyle of those who reside in your homeowners association. While it will directly and positively impacts the quality of life for those residents with challenges and disabilities, it will also positively impact the overall image of your community. -
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. -
Seven Ways the ACA Can Impact Your Association
Read about the Affordable Care Act (or ACA) and the ACA will have on the association and its vendors/service providers. -
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. -
Six organization tips for HOA paperwork
Let’s face it: nobody puts “organizing paperwork” at the top of his or her favorite-things-to-do list. But maintaining good records is essential to the critical functions of your homeowner association (HOA), and following a system of organization can streamline your operations by increasing efficiency, providing transparency and preserving a history of communication. -
Six Stats That Should Make Homeowner Association Board Members Proud
As a board member, you can measure your success in a lot of different ways. The projects you’ve completed, the financials you’ve strengthened, the long-term plans you’ve put in place – all of these are clear indicators that you’ve done your job, and you’ve done it well. -
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. -
Six Things to Know About the Millennial Housing Boom
Millennials (also called “Generation Y”) are making a big impact on communities. Comprising the youngest adult population in America (think people born between about 1980 and 1995), these individuals now constitute 31% of all new home and condo sales, according to the National Association of Realtor’s Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends study 2014. Here’s a breakdown that puts it all into perspective: -
Six benefits of hiring a property management company
Maybe you're self-managing your community. And maybe things are going just fine. But maybe they could be better...and just maybe, that could happen through full-service property management.