Ways HOA Assesments & Dues Benefit The Community

Residents often ask how their assessment dollars benefit their community.  Here are just a few ways assessment funds are used to enhance and maintain a community.

Congratulations on your new home!  You have selected the right home that is perfect for your family. Your new home is part of a homeowners’ association (HOA), so the landscaping and common areas always look beautiful and well-maintained.  It even has great amenities, like a clubhouse and fitness center. Your community association is working hard to provide homeowners with wonderful amenities to enjoy and add to a happy lifestyle.

Here are a few places assessment dollars are spent in the community:

1. Community landscaping and common area upkeep
2. Community walking trails and parks for walking to promote healthy living
3. Inside the clubhouse residents enjoy pool tables, fitness rooms and indoor entertainment
4. Community swimming pools
5. Community golf course
6. Community neighborhood watch, security system and gates
7. Community playgrounds for children
8. Maintenance and repairs to common areas: Equipment, lawns, landscaping, snow removal, water, plumbing and sewage systems, A/C and heating systems, cleaning, painting and upkeep of exteriors, hallway walls, carpeting, clubhouse, etc.
9. Insurance policies
10. Reserve funds for emergencies.

At Association Management Group (AMG), customer satisfaction is our #1 Priority. Our professional community association management company is dedicated to providing superior service and cutting-edge solutions, supporting condominiums and homeowners association (HOA) communities with a broad range of services that can be tailored to individual community needs.

 

Tips For Decluttering And Organizing Your Home Before Spring

Are you ready for spring? March breezes will soon be blowing. After the long cold winter you might be ready to get started with spring cleaning and organizing your home. You do not have to wait, you can get a head start on some tasks that are often overlooked.

Both indoors and outdoors have tasks that if done routinely will eliminate the overwhelming load of doing it all at one time come spring.

Here are some ideas of both indoor and outdoor tasks that you can begin now and enjoy a more leisure spring and summer.

Indoors

This time of year you may still have cold days, so use them to tackle inside jobs such as closet cleaning, painting, deep cleaning, cleaning out air vents and replacing air filters. 

According to US News, 37 million Americans are affected by sinusitis every year and 22 million people have asthma. We can’t control outside pollutants but we can improve the quality of air inside the home.

This is also a great time for calling your local charitable organization to come and pick up donation items that you collect during closet cleaning. 

Outdoors

Use a sunny saturday to prepare your house by scraping and removing paint peeling spots on trim or woodwork.  Prepare your house exterior against summer's heat and moisture. Use the warmer days for preliminary landscaping and curb appeal projects so that you are ready to plant in early March.

The warmer days are also great for garage clean-out and reorganizing of sporting goods, camping equipment, recreational vehicles, and garden tools. This will give you more time to enjoy these items when summer arrives. You may also consider inspecting, cleaning and repairing outdoor furniture and washing windows inside and out.

Spring showers will bring summer weeds. Upon the arrival of spring, many HOAs and their members are dusting off the grill, repairing the lawn mower and opening the pool to the summer crowds. Spring and summer bring new life to HOAs as members prepare to keep up with the HOA's home and property maintenance standards.

Zillow has provided these 5 home organizational tips. Don't worry, you don't have to do them all today.

The Benefits of Volunteering in Your Homeowners Association May Include Health And Well-Being

“One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”  Gordon Hinckle

There are many benefits to volunteering in a Homeowners Association.  The benefits of volunteering in an HOA can be helpful to you, your family, and your community. The right match can help you to reduce stress, find friends, reach out to the community and learn new skills. Giving to others can also help protect your mental and physical health. Learn more about the many benefits of helping others and find tips on getting started.

It’s no secret that volunteering in your homeowners association can be a time and energy consuming endeavor. The role of the HOA board member is often a thankless one, but that’s not to say it can’t also be rewarding. It is also a necessary role.

There are great health benefits to volunteering in general. Volunteering and helping others can help you reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose. While it’s true that the more you volunteer, the more benefits you’ll experience, volunteering doesn’t have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day. Giving in even simple ways can help others those in need and improve your health and happiness.

Another benefit of serving in an HOA is the ability to protect your investment. One of the top priorities of every homeowner is to protect the value of his or her home.  Being involved with an HOA will put you in a better position to make and implement rules in your community. Some of these regulations will directly affect property value, especially if they require decisions about the association’s budget or routine maintenance.

Everyone needs to have a sense of belonging, and volunteering can meet that need.  An HOA meeting is the best place to meet your neighbors and to know more about them. It gives you a chance to socialize and make friends with others living in your neighborhood. If you’re new to the neighborhood, getting more involved can be an effective way of meeting new people. Not only are you getting acquainted with how the HOA is run, you’re able to put together names and faces when you see people around. Depending on what committee you volunteer for, you have the opportunity to interact with a wide range of HOA members and community organizations.

Perhaps the biggest benefit people get from volunteering is the satisfaction of incorporating service into people's lives and making a difference in their community.

5 Tips For New Year's Eve Fireworks

At AMG we believe everyone  has the right to celebrate New Year's Eve and our country's freedom on the 4th of July with Joy & Enthusiasm. Keep in mind that your right to celebrate ends where the local noise ordinances, laws, your neighbor's rights and property begins.

Any fireworks that explode, emit a flame or spark, performs as a projectile, may be illegal and prohibited in many municipalities by Fire Prevention Codes. Violators could be subject to arrest,  fines, and could be liable for damages or injuries caused by those fireworks.

 Here are 5 tips to help you have an enjoyable New Year's Eve if it involves fireworks:

1. Use only legally purchased, approved fireworks. Use them as directed, under supervision and clear of any combustible material and clear of all buildings.  Legal fireworks should be used or overseen by a responsible adult. No such fireworks may be thrown into, over, or around other homes, forested areas, or left in the common areas of the HOA. Residents who fail to comply with these restrictions will be held responsible for any damage and repairs.

 2. Local Code enforcement Laws - If you plan on using fireworks you should first check with the local law enforcement or city codes before setting off fireworks. There may be noise ordinances and fireworks may be illegal all together. This goes beyond the governing by your HOA.

 3. HOA Property rules and regulations - If you plan on using fireworks for New Year's eve celebration it is important to check your HOA documents,  Association’s CC&Rs regarding the use of fireworks. You could be in violation of HOA rules or safety rules.

4. Safety-Insurance - You need to fully understand your homeowners insurance policy regarding your own property damage, accidents or injuries as a result of using fireworks. If your fireworks go or land on another resident's property or on common areas, you may be responsible for damages to property and accidents or injuries that may occur.

People think sparklers are safe. Some sparklers can attain a temperature as high as 1800 degrees Fahrenheit and cause severe injuries. Whether a spectator or the user of malfunctioning fireworks, victims may be able to seek damages for their injuries.

5. Littering - Fireworks leave debris, paper shreds, fuses, powder residue and other materials that may leave a mess and be potentially harmful.   Be sure to clean up after your fireworks display. You could incur a fine for littering or damage to yards, sidewalks, streets or other common areas.

To ensure a safe New Year's Eve we encourage residents to know and adhere to all policies by your community association and local laws before having a fireworks display.
 

3 Tips For HOA's To Use Technology To Communicate With Members

The Internet has drastically changed how neighborhood associations interact and communicate with their community. Digital media and social media can be a great tool for any association when used correctly and monitored for reputation management.

 Check out these three tips that can boost homeowner interest and interaction. 

3 Tips For HOA's To Use Technology To Communicate With Members

1. ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER - Have an Association newsletter to keep people in the community involved. Lack of communication between the board and the residents is key. The last thing homeowners  or condo owners want is to find out is that there are new regulation changes or notices that they were not made aware of. Open communication shows the community that the Association Board is interested in their engagement.

Show public displays of gratitude and appreciation in the newsletter. Give credit for Yard of the Month, member and community events and milestones, municipal notices and changes to rules or regulations.

People love to be publicly acknowledged.  Highlight members achievements, write up a mini blurb or post a video about the staff or board members and what they do to help the community. Highlight anyone who helps in the community - volunteers or donations. These efforts will inspire people to get motivated and get more active.

2. COMMUNITY WEBSITE -  Everyone is online and an association that has a website is more likely to get more positive feedback from the residents. Residents like to know that the money they pay for dues is going to the betterment of the community. Technology is important to community members as they see their association progressing and moving forward. If community members see a website they can be proud of they may share items on the site. This will help the community increase positive engagement between the residents.

Include a resource section with important links to other sites that would enable other community related  websites to become easily accessible to their neighbors. Links to sites such as; law enforcement, emergency medical, local schools, Neighborhood Watch etc.

All of these website features help to build a neighborhood association that grows stronger and more active, because everyone can access information when they need it, and your association becomes a valuable resource for the residents.

A great idea to include in your association website is an online calendar. An online calendar would enable the association to post dates and times about meetings, events, garage sales, birthdays, road closings, etc. The calendar can be open for anyone in the community to submit information that can be approved by the newsletter editor. You may be surprised to see what a Neighborhood Association website can do for you and your association. This kind of involvement can increase volunteerism.

 

3. MOBILE FRIENDLY WEBSITE- By making your website mobile friendly residents can use their mobile devices for viewing and interaction.

Information distribution is important to keep the community informed about what is happening. We hope these three tips help with communication between residents and the HOA.