Creating a "new" HOA

I am often asked by homeowners when they will be able to create a homeowner association after the developer of their community leaves. To begin, let me back up a bit and say that these people are living in a community that has not yet been transitioned from the developer to the residents. Their community is called a pre-transition community. What the homeowners don't realize is that their HOA was created long before they purchased their home and that they are already part of an existing homeowner association. I believe these residents think it's necessary for them to create an association at the point of transition but this is not the case.

I suggest that homeowners consult their deed restrictions and their management company for further clarification. As a homeowner, where you told there was no HOA when you purchased your home?

Tips for new board members

I recently found a great article directed to those that will serve as a board member of their homeowner association. Click here to view the article.

My community is still incomplete & the builder has abondoned us. What are the rules regarding the power of the HOA and residents in this circumstance?

We recently met with yet another homeowners association that had been abandoned by their developer. In an Oct. '08 posting I wrote about this same problem and unfortunately we, the management company, are again faced with the tremendous role of attempting to fill the role of a community developer. This is a serious situation for the community and as we have done in the past, we stressed that our role as the property management company has never changed. However, since the community is about half completed, what has changed is the number of builder initiated issues needing immediate attention.

It is common for homeowners to feel "stuck" or to think that they have few options in this situation. In reality, the residents can seize control of their Board of Directors if the existing Board is not fulfilling their duties and/or if they cannot be located. Be advised that the property management company and the homeowners wanting to take control should follow the deed restrictions or consult an attorney for guidance.

In my opinion, the most important needs to consider are those of the homeowners. They are frustrated, worried and I don't blame them. Fortunately, since we do have experience dealing with abandoned communities since 2006 we will make the effort to work with them through this process. Have you been in a similar situation? If so, what did you do?

Webinar Training

We are developing a webinar based training module for Board members and Officers. Numerous homeowners have told us that they don't understand their role as a member of the board or as an officer. Our goal is provide them with practical guidance and a firm foundation by which they can properly and effectively govern their HOA.

The first webinar date and training contact will be announce soon so please check back. What are some topics of interest that you would like to see in our webinar to help you as a leader in your association?

Dealing with service providers/vendors

I wish I could say that it's easy to find dependable and organized service providers but alas, it is not. Most of the vendors we deal with are commercial grade but I've found that you really need to know your stuff when it comes to telling them what you need and verifying if the work was done correctly.