As a board member, you’re responsible for running the association and keeping members informed of the current challenges and successes of the board. You do this by holding meetings—board meetings, special meetings, annual meetings, and town hall meetings. Each has a particular purpose to help you achieve the transparency, efficiency, and clear communication needed to run your association. In this post, we will go over the main types of meetings you can hold for your community. Regular Board Meeting Board meetings are held for board members to conduct regular business for the association. Check ..read more

Evenly distributing responsibility is one of the most important principles in strategic leadership. Maybe you’ve served on a board for years and have noticed that, recently, board meetings are uncharacteristically inefficient. Or, maybe you’re a brand-new board member, and you’re wondering what, exactly, your new job entails. The purpose of today’s article is to shed light on board member roles. We’ll go over the positions you will typically see serving on a board and the main duties of each role. There are five main HOA board officer positions: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary ..read more

Following holiday festivities, the new year invites the creation of resolutions that tackle change and challenges. Whether you pledge to exercise more or vow to stay organized, New Year’s resolutions provide motivation for improved well-being. Resolutions not only apply to personal developments, but to your association, as well! New ideas often accompany the excitement of another year, and your community can benefit from setting goals. Some common HOA resolutions include: Budget. Perhaps the board wants to adhere to the budget more strictly, build reserve funds, or review contract prices. Soc ..read more

HOA documents, like DCCRs or CC&Rs, play a crucial role in keeping a community running smoothly by providing residents clear rules and regulations to follow. These documents are commonly known as the association’s governing documents, though specific states may refer to them as dedicatory instruments, project documents, community documents, or something similar. Briefly, these governing documents include: Recorded plats and easements (i.e., the plat instruments) and the declaration of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (i.e., the CC&Rs) that create the planned ..read more

With so many unique gardening trends like clover lawns, low carbon landscaping, and creative uses of space and miscellaneous objects, it’s easy to get excited and reach for your gardening tools every time a new idea shows up online! But before you hop on the latest gardening trend, take some time to consider what is best for your lawn within your community and climate. To help you consider your options and learn a little more about some popular gardening trends, we’ve curated some of the trending landscaping practices over the past few years! Clover Lawns Clover lawns have gained popularity as ..read more

As with any organization, strong accounting can make all the difference in maintaining a well-run, functional HOA. While good accounting practices can lead to happier homeowners and communities (not to mention HOA boards), poor financial management can have a lasting, negative impact. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about HOA accounting, including why it is so important, what it entails, and what HOA boards can do to ensure that their associations are following best financial practices. Why HOA accounting matters An HOA has various responsibilities to its community, ma ..read more

An HOA does more than just set and enforce rules. Homeowners Associations really exist to help create a shared vision and establish a unified identity within communities. One of the ways they do this is through the use of architectural guidelines. What are architectural guidelines? Architectural guidelines are the cornerstone of a visually appealing community. Essentially, these guidelines dictate specific exterior design rules or standards that every home and building in the community must meet. What sorts of things do architectural guidelines cover? Architectural guidelines cover things like ..read more

Most of the time, HOA board members can be counted on to do what’s best for a community and its residents. Even if a board member disagrees with the rest of the board or with a resident, you can usually safely assume that the board member is doing his or her best to make smart choices for the neighborhood. Unfortunately, there are exceptions. Occasionally, a board may find itself with a member who has lost sight of what is best for the community. In some of these cases, the best course of action is for the board member to be removed. How do I know if an HOA board member should be removed? Disa ..read more

Summer is here, and for many associations, this means another pool season begins! With the opening of pools, especially in the current climate, several factors must be considered. What are the hours of operation? Do you need a pool management company? What is the maintenance schedule? Do you have the proper insurance? What about lifeguards? Should you have them or not? Certain factors should be considered when making decisions about lifeguards: Cost: Deciding if a lifeguard fits in the budget is a good place to start. What are the schedule and usage? Does your association population necessita ..read more

Diversity: it’s what makes our communities great and our country greater. Homeowners’ associations throughout the country are filled with people of all different races, beliefs, lifestyles, and personal preferences living side-by-side. Despite their differences, all community members agree to the same terms and conditions set forth in the governing documents of their HOA. In turn, the association board members are tasked with implementing those rules and guidelines. Sounds easy enough, right? Maybe not. Unfortunately, despite all efforts and in virtually every HOA, conflicts between the board ..read more