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Whether your association is faced with presenting positive or potentially controversial announcements, you can probably expect a few homeowners to raise their questions and concerns during your annual meeting, making it difficult to keep your meeting on track. To help, here are a few things you can do to limit distractions or interruptions and keep the meeting rolling full steam ahead.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

The half-year mark has come and gone and we’re now staring budget preparation season in the face. With just a little preparation you can charge forward to tackle this budget with confidence. As North America’s leading association management company we are no strangers to annual budgets. In our experience the first step to successful budget planning is a little preparation. Here are a few quick tips to get you started on the right foot.

After partnering with thousands of board members like you, we've identified 5 tips to help you be successful this year.

A DC resale certificate is a disclosure package that outlines the financial, legal, and operational details of a condominium association (COA). Learn everything you need to know in our guide.

You and your fellow board members want what’s best for your condo corporation. You’re serious about your fiduciary duty and about protecting the corporation’s interests. Misunderstanding some important facts about insurance can actually put your community may be at risk.

Every condominium corporation needs rules and policies. But if your condo board doesn’t carefully think them through or doesn’t implement them properly, they can backfire. Rules that go too far or enforcement that is inconsistent or lax can lead to animosity among residents and can chip away at your condo’s sense of community. How can your board implement rules and policies that won’t cause these types of problems?

What does a community manager do, and how do they work with condo corporations and boards? Learn what you need to know in our article, from specific manager roles to board positions.

Frozen pipes are an unwanted, but common, occurrence during Alberta's cold winters. The damage caused can be significant to condominium units and shared property. Our cold weather warning offers condominium residents tips to prevent frozen pipes and the water damage that results.

It’s budget season! Are you stressed? Concerned about a potential dues increase or a large capital project that’s looming in the future? The word “budget” can be scary, so thinking about creating next year’s budget is daunting for many homeowners boards. We’d like to change that.

Get the details on creating a strategic plan for your community.

The annual budgeting process offers an opportunity for your board to explore your condominium’s current financial condition and to ensure your community’s financial stability for the future. Successful condominium management hinges on a well thought out budget for both short-term and long-term planning.

As a board member of a condominium corporation you have an important role that should not be taken lightly. Remember, in addition to the responsibility you have to the members of your community from a business point of view, these people are also your neighbours and friends.

Self-managing your condominium property may seem like it saves money, but does it really? Why the cheapest property management option may not be the best.

There are two main types of Alberta condo insurance: unit owner insurance and condo corporation insurance. Learn everything you need to know about condo insurance in our guide.

When people live in close quarters, it is inevitable that they will hear sounds from neighbouring condos from time to time. Noise between units can be minimized in many ways. One of the most effective tools for a condominium board to implement is a flooring policy that guides owners when they want to replace their floor coverings. Choosing the right products makes a big difference when it comes to the transfer of noise between condominium units.

We all know that “organizing paperwork” is not at the top of most people’s list of things-to-do. Most likely we also know that it suddenly achieves high importance when we have to ask ourselves “now where did I see/put that?” When speaking of the documents of a condominium corporation, it is imperative that these be accessible and up-to-date when they are needed. These six guidelines will help you get it organized.

Most people who join the board of their condominium corporation aren’t experts. Rather, they are well-intentioned, dedicated volunteer-leaders who want to protect property values and ensure their community continues to be a great place to live. If you’re a new board member – or even a seasoned one – it’s important to get the training you need to govern effectively and address the issues you may face.

As community managers begin property inspection, they note the necessary repairs for winter damage as they make their rounds through the community. T

For most people selling a condominium, it is important to stand out from the competition in the real estate market, have a quick sale and obtain the best possible price. But how do you do that? The way your property is presented to potential buyers makes a big difference. Consider these tips to help you achieve real estate sales success.