by Meredith Pond | Oct 7, 2015 |
Success in any business — including your HOA — involves a heavy dose of PR. Just as possession is nine tenths of the law, good PR makes up the lion's share of effective marketing. For good or bad, publicity inside or outside your community can create a lot of emotion. In an HOA, homeowners are your “public.” As a board member or manager, you must take their perceptions and feelings into account in all you do. The decisions you make and the rules enforced will have an undeniable effect on how residents view not only the Association, but your community as a whole. The key is to find a balance between your public's perception and what keeps things running smoothly. Read More...
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by Victoria Cohen | Sep 29, 2015 |
Nobody likes to take meeting minutes (or so I have been told). As an HOA Meeting Recorder and Parliamentarian, I take the meeting minutes for many associations. My method is easy and simple. Here are some steps that I hope you will find useful in taking proper minutes. Read More...
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by Sterling Jenkins | Sep 25, 2015
We all want to succeed, but sometimes we sabotage ourselves by the way we choose to do it. This is exactly what happens when — in the name of getting ahead - we are antagonistic in business.It might seem counter intuitive, but competition isn't always about grabbing the biggest share of the pie. More often than not, there are ways to make the pie bigger for everyone. My co-founder, Burke, told me a great story that applies well here. As a former HOA portfolio manager, he maintained a friendly relationship with another company that frequently competed with him for the same business. As they got to understand the other's business, they realized that they specialize in different areas. To this day they refer business to each other. Read More...
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by Burke Nielsen | Sep 2, 2015
Changing the direction of your HOA is kinda like turning the Titanic. Whether it's a change in policy or the change to the whole system, it takes time and you're going to hit some bumps along the way. Okay, maybe the Titanic is a bad example since it's sitting on the bottom of the ocean. But if you plan ahead and make the right moves the experience can be a positive one. As a manager I've had the opportunity to implement many kinds of change. Some went very well and some didn't. Hopefully this example of a change that took place a few years ago can help you in your next big change. Read More...
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by Sterling Jenkins | Aug 26, 2015 |
Believe it or not, there are people around the web who hate HOAs. Actually, it's not too difficult to find them. A quick google search and you'll be lucky to find someone who isn't filled with vitriol. There are so many people online saying the same things about HOAs. My guess is that almost all of these people have a true HOA horror story to tell. There are real problems with some HOAs. There are examples of fraud. There are some ridiculous rules out there. And there are abuses. The people who have lived through that stuff have a good excuse to be upset. The problem is that some of them project these terrible experiences onto HOAs in general. Are they right? Is there widespread corruption in HOAs? Read More...
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by Meredith Pond | Aug 21, 2015 |
While dealing with complaints isn't the most pleasant part of your day, it's still a critical part of your business. The way you handle those grievances can either make or break your success. When you regard complaints as a nuisance, that attitude projects itself onto the people making them. Your perspective becomes reality — with everyone annoyed and defensive before the conversation even begins. And we all know what happens then. But what if a simple change in attitude could change everything? Read More...
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