An Ounce of Prevention: The Value of Association Common Area Preventive Maintenance

There is a very old and time-tested proverb: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to preventive maintenance for common area elements for a homeowner or condominium association.  Stating the obvious, materials utilized in the construction of common area equipment and structures age over time.  With a strategy based on basic preventive maintenance, it becomes possible to . . . to read more of this article from Sean Hughes, RW Handyman, click here.

The Importance of Budgeting for Education

With budgeting time upon us, boards and finance committees start looking to cut every extra penny out of next year's budget in order to minimize assessment increases. It is important, however, to maintain a budget for education. Why is this important, you may ask, and how do you go . . . to read more of this article from Sandi MacCalla, CMCA, CDC Management, click here.

The Team Approach to Community Association Management

Before reading this article, I want you to grab a pen and paper and write down the top five to ten things that make you a successful manager.  What skills do you bring to the table that make you unique in your job?  I know, I know, it's more paperwork, just trust me. Now write down the top three things you want to work on.  Maybe it's time management, maybe it's your organizational skills. Now think of your colleagues, work partners, and staff.  How many of them . . . to read more of this article from Mike Hilfer, CMCA, AMS, CWD Group, click here.

Taking Back Your Life from the Whirlwind - Part One: Core Concepts

About five years ago, when people would ask me what I did for a living I'd confess that I managed a portfolio of homeowner associations, but in those few seconds before the blank stare or some exaggerated version of, "Wow!  I could NEVER do what you do," my mind would drift into fantasy and I'd feel my clothes begin to tighten with the expanding pressure of the blue and red Superman tights beneath.  Yep, faster than the speeding bullets of cranky homeowners, more powerful than a locomotive pulling railway cars full of lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers and other mere mortals, and . . . to read more of this article from Mike Walker, CMCA, AMS, CWD Group, click here.

Bankruptcy and its Impact on Associations

"Bankruptcy", the last thing you want to hear when attempting to collect from a delinquent owner.  An owner's bankruptcy filing will stop the best conceived collection plan dead in its tracks, at least temporarily. This article contains a general, perhaps simplistic, overview of the impact of bankruptcy on association collection efforts.  There are numerous exceptions, variations and nuances beyond the . . . to read more of this article from Michael Fulbright, Law Offices of Michael Fulbright, click here.