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Lifestyle communities are becoming one of the fastest growing sectors in today's housing market. Read the five most common considerations that go into choosing the right lifestyle community.

The right support, personality and set of expectations from your community are critical for your management team to deliver exceptional results. Does yours have what it takes?

When your association has to invest in its property, whether for repairs or a new construction project, the financing for that work must be considered as carefully as the work itself.

Are you considering volunteering to serve as the president of the board for your homeowner or condominium association? Here's what the position entails.

Community association management has been around for 50 years, making tremendous strides in that short time, as have the communities that have benefited from having professional teams managing their property.

A successful capital improvement project requires a lot of planning to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible. Does your community know where to start?

Fishing, boating, swimming, water skiing and other refreshing water sports are a key part of summertime in Georgia. Georgians have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the water throughout the summer months.

Trees are an essential and invaluable part of the environment. They provide oxygen, improve air quality, add character to landscaping, increase curb appeal and property values.

Board members can become overly burdened and burn out. Working with a quality property management company can help ease board burden. Learn how.

Community spirit is not something that just happens; it requires an association where residents contribute and enhance the living experience of their neighbors.

Nothing lasts forever and you need to have a plan to replace major items and systems before their lifespans end. How do you create that plan? Start with a quality reserve study.

What are key ingredients of a great community? Committed residents, a dedicated board and a clear understanding of everyone's roles and responsibilities, and you have the recipe for success.

As the days and weeks pass, and residents of your condominium or HOA are asked to stay home, it's more important than ever to help your community stay fit and active!

Boards are finding that they prefer to hire a quality property management firm than to self-manage. It's not an easy decision for Boards to make, but it is a wise decision and the best one for all involved parties.

It’s that time of year again – budget season is upon us. You know the things to consider when creating your budget, but what drives your process? Are you focused on achieving a particular vision for your community? Avoiding conflict in the community? Solely looking to avoid increasing dues?

Budgeting is the time for making tough decisions for how your association spends its money, and sometimes those decisions can, unfortunately, lead to contention. Clear communication about the association budget should be provided to all homeowners throughout the year to help solve problems before they begin and smoothly pave the way for needed changes.

It’s a common problem that many condo and homeowners’ associations (HOAs) face: rules that simply don’t work as they were intended. Sometimes it’s because they are enforced inconsistently or aren’t enforced at all. Other times it’s because they go too far. At their worst, poorly instituted HOA policies can even cause neighborhood discord.

Humans are social creatures with a deep-seated yearning for connection and community. This is particularly evident in a condo association or HOA, where a strong sense of community can be the difference between long-standing residency and high turnover.

One of the most challenging aspects of being on the board of your homeowners association (HOA) can be running board meetings. It’s not always easy to keep everyone tuned into the business at hand. In addition, you have to manage the inevitable disagreements among board members. How do you keep these meetings running smoothly?

The holiday season is upon us, and nothing puts you in a festive spirit like pulling your holiday decorations out of storage. Many people derive a sense of community and comfort from seeing familiar decorations at the same time each year.

Cold weather will soon be upon us, so now is the time for your homeowner association (HOA) to make sure your maintenance program is on track. As brutal as Chicago winters can be, you certainly don't want to discover a leak in your roof during a heavy snowfall or have a boiler stop working during a record cold spell. Don't get caught in the cold!

You want your community association to be successful. All board members do. You know that means watching the finances carefully and maintaining the property. But do you think about effective board communication as an ingredient in your recipe for success? It is!

Pat Bialek, VP Property Management, was named Community Association Manager of the Year at the Excellence Awards and Winter Gala hosted by the Community Associations Institute (CAI), Illinois Chapter. As the first-ever winner of this prestigious award, Pat was recognized for her exemplary knowledge, ethics, professionalism and skills in financial, administrative and facilities management.

Your association should never have to rely on a special assessment for a capital expense that could have been foreseen – or even prevented. Here are five tips to keep your Chicago high-rise condominium association's budget in the black and keep up with maintenance and capital improvements.