HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - June 17, 2011
Published: Sun, 06/12/11
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Need to Cut Costs? Start with 10 Landscaping Tips
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In this week's tip, we provide three tips to help you reduce your
landscaping costs.
1. Do a request for proposal (RFP) from landscapers.
"Our greatest savings came from creating a four-page request for
proposal for lawn care and snow removal," says Patrick Hohman, a
23-year HOA president at the 40-unit Seneca Park Condominium
Association in Louisville, Ky. "It helps, too, for the owners and
residents to know there's a tight plan since grounds maintenance
is such a high-visibility issue. For example, we may get a few
calls about the shrubs needing to be trimmed. But in the plan,
shrubs are trimmed every April and September, so it's 'under
control.' Knowing of the written schedule helps keep owners
happy."
2. Band together with other HOAs to reduce costs.
"My association saves money by teaming up with other associations
to bid on multiple developments," says Joshua Levitt of the Grove
Pointe Condominium Association in Jersey City, N.J. "With Davit
Weltz of the Portofino Condominium Association, we formed a group
called the Joint Condo Coalition of Jersey City, consisting of
some 15 separate associations in our town. We use collective
buying power to command the best prices. As a group of 10 or more
associations with 60-plus units, we can generally command a
discounted price of 10 percent to 25 percent off any quote, which
includes snow removal as well. We also share recommendations,
concerns, and advice with each other."
3. Choose areas to focus on.
"Prioritize the areas of highest impact and visibility, and focus
money and effort on those," says Christopher Russo of Mariani
Landscape, a landscape design, installation, and maintenance firm
serving condominium developments and HOAs in the Chicago area.
For all 10 Ways Your HOA Can Save on Landscaping, see our new
article: http://www.hoaleader.com/members/586.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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Don't Spend HOA Money on Capital Improvements Until You Read This!
This week's tip gives you a heads up before you approve funds to
make capital improvements at your homeowners association or condo
association.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/public/585.cfm >
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HOA Capital Improvements: What You Need to Know
Some states and homeowners association governing documents place
restrictions on boards' actions on capital improvements. Example?
Restricting how much money boards can spend on capital
improvements without owner approval. Here, we explain what an HOA
capital improvement is and discuss various restrictions you
should be aware of.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/members/584.cfm >
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Beware Making these HOA Board Mistakes
We've covered the mistakes that new HOA board members make. But
experienced homeowners association boards make mistakes, too. In
this week's tip, we cover three of the most common board mistakes.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/public/583.cfm >
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HOA Boards' Biggest Mistakes: Have You Made These Nine Blunders?
If you're not careful, you can take huge missteps in overseeing
your homeowner association. Here, we summarize what our experts
consider the nine biggest mistakes HOA boards have made and
explain what the boards should have done instead.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/members/582.cfm >
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HOA Voting: Can You Track and Publish How Owners Vote?
Can your HOA track who votes in each election? Can it also track
how owners vote? Is there even a legitimate reason for your
association to track that information? And if your owners ask for
that information through a records request, are you permitted to
release it? Here's the rundown.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/members/581.cfm >
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