Wednesday, 17 December 2014

Dealing with Crime in Your HOA



There is no HOA problem more daunting, more frightening, or more frustrating than crime. Burglary, vandalism, unsafe streets—no Association wants to have to address these things, nor do any homeowners. Sadly, we live in a world where these things are simply realities. Hopefully, your Charlotte HOA will never have a crime problem—but what happens if you ever do have one? More information is available at community managementservices charlotte.

There are several ways in which your Association can and should address crime. One step is to enlist the help of your local police. Let them know that there have been issues. Ask them to send some extra patrols through your community from time to time, especially at night. Often, the authorities will be happy to assist with this.

You can also work within your community to implement a plan. When it comes to community management services, Charlotte HOA companies often recommend formal Neighborhood Watch programs. The same goes for HOA management in Wilmington, NC—and really everywhere.

Finally, make communication a priority. If there is a crime problem, homeowners are going to feel a little antsy. They need to know that the Association is taking the issue seriously, and that the proper measures are being taken to keep everyone safe. Make sure you address the issue publicly, and make it clear what you’re doing to put safety and security first.

These steps are not guaranteed to make crime go away. However, they will ensure that you’re doing everything you can to keep your streets safe!


Wednesday, 10 December 2014

How to Work with Your HOA Management Company



HOA Board members should always be on the lookout for projects on which they can collaborate, working alongside their management company. After all, your management company is there to help you. Why not enlist their services on a big project that’s been weighing on your mind? More information is available at community association management Wilmington.

Of course, it is sometimes hard to know where the management company’s ability to help truly begins and ends. A few particular projects you might wish to collaborate on include:

-          Changing HOA ruling documents. These documents are supremely important—their authority overshadowed only by state laws—so you don’t want to change them lightly, or attempt to do so improperly.
-          Conducting a reserve study. When it comes to community association management, Wilmington HOAs need to conduct reserve studies annually, to ensure financial health. Doing so is arduous, but the management company can ease the process considerably.
-          When it comes to using community management services, Wilmington HOAs also benefit from legal guidance. Remember that your HOA can help you to better understand HOA laws, and can even represent you in court if need be.
-          Additionally, an association management company can assist your community should it ever need to procure funding for an emergency project or maintenance need.
-          Your management company can help you recruit and educate new Board members.
-          Finally, your management company can make sure you’re running your Board meetings as effectively and as efficiently as possible—and if you’ve ever been to a Board meeting, you know how significant that is!

Thursday, 20 November 2014

Community Management Services Can Improve HOA Life





There are many benefits that a community management company can offer, a lot of them fairly technical: Things like legal representation and guidance, fiduciary assistance, vendor negotiation and bidding, and so on. More information is available at community management services charlotte.

All of these benefits are wildly important, and suggestive of why so many Charlotte and Wilmington HOAs enlist management companies. Be that as it may, there is also something to be said for some of the less technical benefits—some of the ways in which property management companies simply facilitate better, smoother community life.

That’s right: A community management service can indeed help you foster community, and improve relations between the neighbors in your HOA. Whether you’re looking for community management services in Charlotte or HOA management in Wilmington, NC, there are plenty of important ways in which these professional services can enhance community.

-          A community management service can help facilitate communication—even if that just means assisting you with the generation of newsletters and other forms of digital communication.
-          A community management service can help with event planning and coordination, whether that means an Association-wide holiday party, a summer barbecue, or something else altogether.
-          A community management service can advise with regard to conflict resolution between feuding neighbors.
-          A community management service can help with volunteer recruitment and board member retention.

All told, a community management service can make your Association a more pleasant and appealing place to live—and that’s something everyone can get behind! The technical stuff is important, but community building is every bit as integral to what HOA management companies can do.

Sunday, 16 November 2014

What to Look for in HOA Management

Keeping a Myrtle Beach community association up and running can be hard work. Maintaining property values and a strong, vibrant community—to say nothing of dealing with legal and financial issues, emergency maintenance, and vendor bidding—is tough, to say the least. As such, more and more community associations are enlisting the help of professional management groups.

The tricky part is, not all management companies are created equal. As your association seeks the best company to manage its affairs, what are some of the things you should be looking for?

For those interested in HOA management, Myrtle Beach, SC offers many options. When looking for community association management in Myrtle Beach, look for the following things:

-          Experience. First and foremost, you want a company that has been doing community management for a long time, preferably one with roots in the Myrtle Beach area. This ensures some level of reputation and of expertise, and it also suggests good relationships with local vendors.
-          Transparency. Also be sure to look for a professional management company that is willing to provide up-front pricing on all its services.
-          Personality/fit. Finally, remember that you’ll be spending a lot of time working directly with the specific manager assigned to you, so make sure it’s someone you get along with. Ask to meet with him or her personally, and don’t be afraid to veto someone on the basis of personality clash.

Obviously, there are many factors to consider—but these three should be at the top of your list! More information is available at hoamanagement myrtle beach sc.

Friday, 7 November 2014

How Myrtle Beach Communities Benefit from Professional Management




Here’s a question: Does your Myrtle Beach community govern itself—or does it have a little bit of help from the pros?
There’s certainly no law requiring your community to have professional management, and some community associations do prefer to go it alone. While this sometimes works out well, it just as often ends in disaster—or at the very least, inefficiency. If nothing else, professional management can help a community run better and smoother—protecting it from legal or financial woes, and guarding the valuable time of the community leaders.
If your community has been thinking about community management services in Myrtle Beach, community management services can indeed offer some big perks. A few particular ones include:
-          Representation in legal matters, or simply guidance when legal issues arise.
-          Assistance in all financial matters, including budget development and long-term planning.
-          Help conducting a reserve study, which is imperative for the financial wellbeing of any community.
-          A hand properly and effectively changing community guidelines and regulations.
-          Assistance in vendor procurement and bidding.
-          Help running efficient and timely community meetings, and keeping appropriately detailed minutes.
-          Further services in technology, horticulture, communication, marketing, outreach, conflict resolution—a limitless range of potential perks.
Clearly, there is much that a community association company can offer. Hiring a professional management team is not necessarily a decision to make lightly, but it is certainly something to think about, and something to investigate further. More information is available at community association management myrtle beach.

Monday, 3 November 2014

5 Things to Ask a Potential HOA Company



There are plenty of reasons to hire a professional management company for your Wilmington HOA. A management company can help with legal compliance and representation. It can assist in vendor bidding. It can guide the budgeting and financial planning process. The list of perks goes on and on. More information is available at community management services Wilmington.

With that said, it is important to recognize that not all HOA management companies are quite the same. This is potentially going to be a long-lasting professional relationship, so you want to make sure you do your homework and pick a company you really feel good about.

When it comes to community association management, Wilmington has many choices—but what kinds of questions should you be asking about these community management services in Wilmington?

Here are just five to start with:

-          How much experience do you have in the area? Make sure you’re getting a company that offers both true expertise and deep roots.
-          What kind of technology will you offer? Find an HOA company that’s up to date on its online offerings.

-          What level of emergency service do you offer? If your community has an urgent maintenance issue, you want to know your management company is available.
-          What will you do to help us run our meetings more efficiently?
-          How often will our property manager actually be present, on-site—and how accessible will he or she be when not on-site?

These questions will, hopefully, help you get to the bottom of exactly what these management companies have to offer, and how they fit with the needs of your community.