"THE FOUNTAIN OF INFORMATION", Monday, December 12, 2005
GREAT NEWS FOR ONE OF OUR OWNERS!!!!
Congratulations are in order for Stacey, the owner of unit
#XX in the rear courtyard, for her new baby boy born on
December 7, 2005. Margie, the proud grandmother and my
neighbor, was living in unit #XX until Hurricane Katrina
took out their Air Conditioner Compressor and left a leaky
roof and ceiling in the bedroom. I hope our roof and air
conditioners / heating are repaired soon so Margie can
return or another new neighbor can move into the empty unit.
Once again... CONGRATULATIONS STACEY AND FAMILY!!!!!
And what a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PRESENT!!!!!
Now... back to Association News -
SOMEBODY RECENTLY WROTE ME SAYING THAT CHET HINGLE IS ONE OF
THE BEST PROPERTY MANAGERS IN THE AREA
Now, bear in mind that I have been involved in Management of
my own business and other people's businesses for the past
25 years and COMMUNICATION is a critical part of Management!
I Googled for websites concerning Homeowner's Associations,
Management Problems, Board Problems, etc., and it seems the
NUMBER ONE REASON for most problems is POOR COMMUNICATIONS
between the Board, Manager and Homeowners.... THE SAME
PROBLEMS WE ARE HAVING HERE AT FCC.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE WEBSITE ARTICLES AND SNIPPETS FROM THE
WEBSITES I FOUND:
http://www.associationtimes.com/articles2004/artvaluecomm040404.htm
Article - THE "ART" AND VALUE OF COMMUNICATIONS IN
ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT
Webster's dictionary defines communication as "an act of
transmitting information; a process by which information is
exchanged between individuals; a technique for expressing
ideas effectively".
It sounds so easy, doesn't it? What's so hard about good
communication? The answer to that question lies not in
understanding the concept of communication, but in
practicing effective communication in community association
management. It is the key that will open the door to good
client relationships.
(SNIP)
Communicating with the Homeowners:
It is the responsibility of the association board of
directors to communicate the status of association
activities and board actions to the membership (homeowners)
within the association. Without this communication, members
in the community often tend to believe that the board may be
doing things that they shouldn't be doing - or doing nothing
at all! It's always better to provide too much rather than
too little information to those inquiring minds living
within a community association.
Several tools can be used to effectively communicate
information to the homeowners. The monthly meetings of the
association can provide a forum for the board members to
report on association activities. In addition, newsletters
and other forms of written communication, whether mailed,
hand delivered, or posted on a community bulletin board, can
be effectively used to distribute information to the
homeowners.
Association websites can also be developed and maintained at
minimal cost to homeowner associations. These websites can
be invaluable in the dissemination of information to the
members of the association and can contain financial
information, on-line newsletters, rules and regulations,
architectural guidelines, and governing documents as well as
other information that the board would like to pass on to
the membership.
In some instances, associations located within the
boundaries of certain cable franchises have been able to
negotiate their own local cable channel for making
announcements of upcoming events. Although this can be labor
intensive, it is a very effective means of providing current
information to the members of a large scale association.
In summary, good communication can be the deterrent to a
variety of ills that an association may otherwise encounter.
To be effective, communication must be timely and succinct.
A variety of tools exist for the establishment of
communication within an association. Both management and the
association board share responsibility for establishing and
maintaining communication between themselves and the
membership at large. Once they do so, they will likely have
mastered the art of building a long and satisfying
relationship among a very diverse community of interests.
(SNIPPED)
ANOTHER ARTICLE:
http://www.caimichigan.org/articles/angryowners.htm
Handling Angry Homeowners
KEEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS DIFFUSE HOSTILE RESIDENTS
When Rick Cummings, CMCA, became general manager of The
Waterford Condominiums in 1994, residents were uninformed
and angry. The 149-unit association in Kensington, Maryland
was plagued with personality conflicts and charges of secret
meetings and rigged elections.
"Homeowners become hostile when they aren't informed about
association issues and projects," said Cummings, who
combated unit owners' anger with increased association
communications.
Twice a year, the Waterford conducts a town meeting, where
Cummings and the association board discuss proposed projects
and solicit owner input. The Waterford also distributes an
annual Quality of Life survey to assess residents' level of
satisfaction with association staff, services and
improvement projects. This year, 65 percent of the
association's residents completed the survey.
At the Waterford, informed residents are happy residents.
After a year of planning and educating residents about a
five-year interior and exterior renovation, the Waterford
began construction. "Residents are excited about the
improvements," Cummings said. "Nobody has complained about
the loud construction or the mess."
Even though community managers can usually cure deep-rooted
anger by enhancing association communications, they still
must handle isolated incidents of upset residents.
When angry homeowners approach a manager, they want the
manager to listen to their complaints. "Listening seems like
a small thing," said Jon Devner, CMCA, manager of Leisure
World Community Association in Mesa, Arizona, "but in
reality, listening is very important.
"The worst thing you can do is react to a homeowner's
anger," Devner added. "First, listen to the owner. Then,
respond to the problem."
Patricia Ball, president of Corporate Communications, Inc.
in St. Louis, suggests managers follow these steps when
confronted with angry owners:
Step 1--Allow the homeowner to express his or her views
Step 2--Respond without lashing out
Step 3--Apologize for the situation without taking the blame
Step 4--Empathize with the owner
Step 5--Ask questions about the problem and solicit
solutions
Step 6--If you can solve the problem, tell the homeowner
when you will take appropriate actions
Step 7--Ask the homeowner if he or she agrees with the
proposed solution
Step 8--End the conversation in a pleasant manner, thanking
the owner for his or her time and help
Sometimes, homeowners become angry with managers when the
board hasn't addressed a particular issue, said Kenton
Krohlow, AMS, a community manager in Edwards, Colorado.
"When this happens, calm the angry owner and encourage the
board to work."
If a board of directors neglects to address the issue in a
timely manner, consider organizing an informal meeting where
the homeowner can speak with the board, Krohlow added. For
example, ask the parties to accompany you during a property
inspection if the problem involves a common area repair or
maintenance issue.
(SNIPPED)
AND YET ANOTHER ARTICLE:
http://www.communityassociations.net/communications_main.html
The above website has dozens of articles about associations
and the majority of them deal with "Communications" from the
Manager and Board.
AND YET ANOTHER ARTICLE:
Look at the below website where this homeowner chronicles
their ordeal with an out-of-control Board and Manager. It
looks like we have a long road ahead of us!
http://www.r-a-l-p-h.com/park-mediterrania.htm
Below is a SNIP from this page:
http://www.r-a-l-p-h.com/2004-06-17-bod-meeting-petition-handed-to-president.htm
ON 6/17/04 AT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING - PETITION FOR
REMOVAL HANDED TO PRESIDENT
On Thursday, 6/17/04, at 6 PM was the regularly scheduled
meeting of Alex Taylor's Board of Directors. I know many of
you have told me you have stopped coming to the meetings,
because Alex Taylor, the present President of the Board of
Directors, is disrespectful to the homeowners and renters at
the meetings, but this meeting was very different and
entertaining.
Many concerned homeowners had been looking forward to this
Alex Taylor's Board of Directors meeting, because we had
been gathering signatures on a petition for a special
election meeting to be presented to Alex Taylor's Board of
Directors and Euclid Management. Going door-to-door we had
gathered signatures on our petition from 31% of the
homeowners even though at only about half of the units we
went to did someone answer the door, some were renters not
homeowners, and we didn't even bother to get to all of the
doors as we only needed signatures from 5% or more of the
homeowners.
Park Mediterrania is a non-profit corporation. California
Corporation Code Section 7510 (e) states: "Special meetings
of members for any lawful purpose may be called by the
board, the chairman of the board, the president, or such
other persons, if any are specified in the bylaws. In
addition, special meetings of members for any lawful purpose
may be called by 5 percent or more of the members."
So only 5 % of the members are needed to call for a special
meeting and we easily gathered signatures on our petition
from 31% of the members. If we had gone back again and
knocked on the doors no one answered earlier, contacted the
owners of the rentals, and knocked on the doors we skipped,
I'm sure we would have gathered signatures from at least 85%
of the homeowners. Very few needed persuading to sign the
petition. Among the very few homeowners that refused to
sign the petition some probably were just undecided, not
followers of Alex Taylor's Board of Directors.
(SNIPPED)
Until next time... let "The Fountain of Information"
flow!!!!
Lenny Vasbinder, Editor
"THE FOUNTAIN OF INFORMATION"
http://www.NeighborhoodHomeServices.com
Painting - Interior & Exterior, Hurricane Damage Cleanup,Gutting & Tear-Outs,
Sheetrock & Flooring Removal, Handyman Repairs,
Homeowner's Contractors Agent (HCA), etc.
http://lennyvasbinder.blogspot.com
504-621-1870 eFax - 413-318-0742
NHSNOLA@Gmail.com LNVTM1@Gmail.com
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