HOA Management BlogRecent Posts
The Hignell Companies values community and what it means to a part of a homeowners association. Even though you live in a homeowners association, you might be surprised how many of your neighbors -- owners and renters alike -- do not really understand the fundamental nature of common-interest communities. The media and government officials also lack a true understanding of the community homeowners association (or condominium) concept.
A homeowners association often struggles with obtaining renter information. The Hignell Companies recommends providing a welcome letter to renters when they become a part of a homeowners association because it begins a warm relationship that will help to build trust with renters. An example of a welcome letter is outlined below:
After 16 years of being a homeowners association property manager, I have heard every type of neighbor to neighbor complaint. For example, the dog barks all day, the smoke from my neighbors barbecue stinks, the neighbor cooks fish and reeks up the place, my neighbor smokes and it comes into my home, my neighbor plays his music all night or the TV is on all day. Two of my favorites are "I can hear my neighbor walking at night" and "I can hear them use the bathroom!"
Have you ever driven through a homeowners association and wondered how on earth the HOA management has neglected to see that buildings are about to crumble to the ground and blow away with the wind? Well, Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" didn't see it coming either.
Like almost every community in the country, your homeowners association is probably feeling the pinch in the housing market. We’d like to dispel a few common misconceptions about what contributes to the rise and fall of property values.
A homeowners association provides a great neighborhood for your kids to play in, especially this time of year as the wet weather sets in and they are trapped indoors for much of the day. As soon as a few rays of sun peek through, they will be ready to venture outside to work off all that built up energy. Many kids will be riding the new bikes they found under the Christmas tree. It’s important to set bike safety rules for kids before they start enjoying their new toy.
If you’re part of a homeowners association Board of Directors, then you know it can be challenging to keep up with the association duties, laws and conflicts that arise. Even though the Board handles many of the responsibilities in a homeowners association, it will often hire a professional manager or management company to oversee the day-to-day operations of the association. Although these might seem obvious, sometimes it’s good to get back to basics. Below are three simple, yet key questions a homeowners association Board should consider when hiring a manager to oversee the association community.
In our last post we talked about some resolutions that you can put into practice in 2013 as a member of your homeowners association. For the next few weeks we’ll expand on each one so you have the tools you need to not just say what your resolutions are but to actually do them too. Let’s talk about the first resolution: Follow the Rules.
As a member of a homeowners association there are certain things you can and cannot do to your property, as well as maintenance that the association is responsible for. If you remember the three P’s of property maintenance then you’ll be on your way to being a valued member of your HOA.
1. Pay your HOA fees.As a member of a homeowners association you are required to pay monthly fees to the association. The main purpose of these fees is to cover maintenance for common areas in the development that all members of the association community have access to, as well as amenities in the association.
