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What is vendor management? The importance of communication
Vendor management is a large part of serving on the board of a managed community. Every community has outside partners for services like landscaping, sanitation, cable and Internet provision, pool maintenance, valet services and more. Open and effective communication among the board, the management company and the vendors employed by the association is an important part of making the most of any community’s operating budget and improving the lifestyles of its residents. -
What to consider when hiring property management vendors
Your Board of Directors oversees the many day-to-day tasks required to operate and maintain your community…but they can’t do it alone. Your property management team will be expected to hire a wide array of vendors, including painters, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, repairmen for equipment maintenance or emergencies, exterminators, and more. -
Why Millennials Matter to the Future of Your Association
Millennials are the fastest growing group of home buyers in the US. Learn why you need to get this important demographic involved in your association today. -
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. -
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. -
Seven Tips to Avoid Issues with a Contract for Property Management
You’ve been there before. You meet with a vendor, they seem like a great choice, and then after a month or so, you find yourself in a dispute. -
HOA Vendors: Vendor management tips for great results
Here are some tips to manage your HOA vendors more effectively & and get the results you're looking for. -
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? -
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. -
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. -
Energy Efficiency for Community Associations
Many community association boards and residents would like to implement energy efficiency measures in their communities. But what about the cost to get started? -
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. -
Five Simple Tips for Marketing Your Association
Nothing says a healthy community like full homes/units and bustling activity in common areas. Painting a pretty picture of a dynamic community to potential buyers takes minimal effort on the part of the board. -
Association Parking Rules: 6 Questions to Assess Your Policy
How can you ensure that your association’s parking rules are fair and easy to understand and follow? Here are 6 essential questions to ask before you create or enforce parking policies. -
Four Ways to Assign Holiday Decoration Compliance Policies - Without Being a Scrooge
The holidays are a time of joy, cheer, softly twinkling lights and tasteful wreaths, but holiday decorations mean different things to different people. Learn four ways to manage this! -
Vendor Communication Best Practices: The Do’s and Don’ts
Open and effective communication among the board, management company and vendors is an important part of any community's operating budget and for improving residents' lifestyles. -
How to Protect Our Community Vision with HOA Rules Enforcement
Now that you've crafted a vision for what you want your community to be and created policies to support that vision, how do you enforce those policies? -
How Having a Clear Vision Benefits Your Community and Impacts Policies and Compliance
Discover how your community’s vision ties into both creating and enforcing policies among your residents and homeowners. -
Hurricane Season is Here: Have You Talked to Your Vendors?
Your vendors are a critical part of your community’s emergency planning for any kind of hurricane or storm. Are you on the same page before, during and after a storm? -
Is Installing Electric Vehicles Charging Stations the Right Choice for Your Community?
The number of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) on the road is quickly growing, which means the need for conveniently located battery charging stations is also on the rise. What does this mean for your association? -
Is Your Community Ready for Plug-In Electric Cars (PEVs) and Charging Stations?
The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt made their debut as the first US mass-market plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) more than five years ago. Nearly half a million have jumped on the PEV bandwagon. What does this mean for community associations?