Homeowner Association Doctoring by Richard Thompson Any community can become depressed, listless and out of sorts. Good health is often only a prescription away. Here are some that can improve the overall health and happiness of your community. Communication Prescriptions - Publish and distribute a newsletter at least four times a year.
- Include resident events (births, graduations, etc.) in the newsletter
- Develop an Internet web site and include budgets, governing documents, names, phone numbers and other need-to-know items. Link your web site to other community association web sites and resources.
- Distribute questionnaires to residents and publish the results.
- Publish a community calendar well in advance of the events.
- Introduce new residents at board meetings and profile them in the newsletter
- Use signs discreetly within your community
- Design rules and signage in a positive manner
Community Prescriptions - Develop an active committee structure to support the Board of Directors
- Develop a mission statement for your community
- Send your newsletter to local political leaders
- Encourage local business to advertise in your newsletter
- Encourage voter registration by residents of the community
- Establish a forum for local political leaders to meet with residents of your community
- Take an active position on local community issues
- Hold an annual community garage sale
- Establish a community library with donated books
- Assist residents in locating babysitters from within the community
- Sponsor a neighborhood cleanup day
- Sponsor a community aerobics class
Management Prescriptions - Limit board meetings to 2 hours and make real decisions.
- Distribute meeting agendas in advance
- Provide for a Homeowner Forum before each board meeting
- Track director and owner attendance at meetings
- Enact only rules and regulations that are practical, clear and enforceable
- Limit the number of consecutive directors terms allowable
- Budget for board education (seminars, books, magazines, videos)
- Revise governing documents using plain language
- Make board meetings minutes easily and quickly available to unit owners
Financial Prescriptions - Commission a reserve study and update it annually
- Adequately fund reserves to avoid special assessments by commissioning a professional reserve study.
- Encourage owner participation on the budget committee
- Have periodic outside audits of your finances
- Invest reserve funds wisely to maximize yield through insured investments
- Encourage purchase of homeowner insurance from the association insurance company to reduce gaps in coverage
- Distribute timely financial information to owners
- Adequately budget to maintain services
- Develop volume discount programs that benefit residents; For example, cable TV services can be purchased in "bulk rate agreements" with 40-50% discount.
Asset Appreciation Prescriptions - Ask area real estate agents to assess the strong and weak market points of the association
- Encourage upgrading of homes.
These prescriptions can and will make your community a healthier environment to live and grow in. Take two...no, take them all and see you in a new and brighter morning. For more healthy prescriptions, go to http://www.regenesis.net |
