Category: Association Operations

“You only get one chance to make a great first impression,” goes the old adage.  That’s the essence of curb appeal. When someone arrives at your property, they can be pleasantly surprised, or disappointed. Much of that reaction will depend …

Maintaining your community’s public spaces is critical to the image your community puts forward to residents, visitors and potential buyers. Frequent updating and polishing of common areas—particularly high-visibility, high-traffic areas li…

As the days get longer, warmer, and more full of outdoor activity, multifamily boards and property managers must consider a whole new list of maintenance and preparation tasks to ready their buildings for the approaching summer. It’s finall…

Windows give us the ability to enjoy pleasant views, provide natural light, insulation, and ventilation, and add to a building’s overall aesthetic. When regularly cleaned and properly maintained, they improve energy efficiency, easing the b…

Any community looking to create and/or maintain a landscaped area these days ought to consider integrating smarter, greener practices and products to maximize environmental benefits, minimize overuse of resources, and sustainably provide be…

One of the certainties of living in a co-op, condo, or HOA is that despite all having an equal stake in the financial and administrative success of the building or association, only a small percentage of residents choose to take an active r…

The term ‘diversity’ encompasses an expansive range of demographics within a population, from ethnicity, age, gender and orientation, ability, religion, and socioeconomic status to culture, language, and personal lived experience. These fac…

When it comes to property management, both traditional and more tech-savvy communication approaches, from personal interactions to digital portals, can help a building team operate successfully. A carefully considered full-spectrum approach…

A decade ago, I was elected onto the board of a condo of a fairly young building that was plagued with assessments, lawsuits, and other issues. A previous board member—happy to pass on the troubled torch—came over to hand me a binder as pa…

It’s an all-too-common habit among many condo and HOA board members: assuming that their treasurer or property manager is keeping a close eye on their community’s financial information, they don’t bother familiarizing themselves with their …