HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - April 1, 2022
Published: Fri, 04/01/22
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HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - April 1, 2022
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In this week's tip, we acknowledge that you're probably struggling to get three bids for each project you're trying to check off your condo/HOA maintenance list and offer advice that could help you continue to get quality bids.
Florida is just one state that's hot—and we mean in terms of economic activity—and that's made contractors pickier than ever.
"I've been hearing this," reports Alessandra Stivelman, who is board-certified in condo and planned development law and a partner at Eisinger Law in Hollywood, Fla. "There's a huge shortage of managers from what I'm hearing. Associations are looking to switch management companies and having a hard time getting bids from other management companies. I also see this on the construction side as well and with clients trying to hire engineers."
The pros who provide bids are offering limited-time-offer pricing. "As far as contractors and materials, they've always required that condos and HOAs accept offers within a certain period of time," says Stivelman. "And they're taking that seriously today."
Missouri is in much the same situation, reports Todd J. Billy, CCAL, an attorney at The Community Association Lawyers in St. Louis, who is licensed in Missouri and Illinois and has more than 1,000 active condo and HOA clients.
"We're seeing this," he explains. "Especially for the larger bids, we're still getting two bids. But for the smaller ones, many condos and HOA boards are going with someone they know and trust instead of doing the formal bid process. They're just seeing that the bids from those trusted providers are in the ballpark of what they thought the bids would be, so they're going with a contractor they're familiar with."
What does Billy mean by larger bids? "I'm talking about $20,000 or higher," he explains. "But certainly if there's an engineer involved in the project, regardless of the size, boards are going to get two bids at a minimum."
It's the self-managed associations that are struggling to get projects fully bidded out in Wisconsin, states Daniel J. Miske, CCAL, an equity partner at Husch Blackwell in Milwaukee who represents 800 associations throughout Wisconsin at any given time.
Find out why they're in perhaps a bigger jam in our new article, https://www.hoaleader.com/members/4493.cfm. You'll also find five steps to better bidding.
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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Common Challenges Between Condo/HOA Main and Subassociations
It isn't always easy to have boards for individual communities and then another board overseeing those boards. But that's exactly the structure of a master and subassociations.
Click here for more:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Common-Challenges-Between-Condo-HOA-Main-Subassociations.cfm
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Tips for Handling Pre-closing Condos/HOA Buyers' ARC Requests
An HOAleader.com reader asks: "A builder owns a lot and has a signed contract with a buyer, but the purchase hasn't closed yet. The buyers want architectural review approval for a fence now so that it can be installed before they move in..."
Click here for more:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Tips-for-Handling-Preclosing-Condos-HOA-Buyers-ARC-Requests.cfm
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Is This Condo/HOA Treasurer Doing the Job or Asking Too Much?
An HOAleader.com reader asks: "Has anyone ever asked for material invoices from a contractor? The invoices wouldn't be specific to just our project but multiple projects for different customers since products were purchased in bulk. Our treasurer is asking for these invoices, even though the contractor has given us time and materials documentation, and is refusing to pay until he sees the contractor's invoices. The contractor is stating the invoices are proprietary and won't turn them over."
Click here for more:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/This-Condo-HOA-Treasurer-Doing-Job-or-Asking-Too-Much.cfm
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HOAleader Video: Invest HOA Funds in Crypto! What Could Go Wrong?
One of HOAleader.com's experts, Brad van Rooyen of Florida, recently reported to us that a board member at one of the HOAs his company manages advocated that the HOA invest the association's funds in cryptocurrency. The returns would be huge!
Click here for more:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/HOAleader-Video-Invest-HOA-Funds-in-Crypto-What-Could-Go-Wrong.cfm
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Courts Back HOA and Landlord in California and Michigan Dog-Bite Cases
A California court says an HOA has the right to demand an owner remove their dog from the community after the dog's repeated attacks on other dogs. And a Michigan court, in a case that involved a mobile home community and the landlord-tenant relationship, also prevented liability against the landlord.
Click here for more:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Courts-Back-HOA-Landlord-in-California-Michigan-DogBite-Cases.cfm
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