HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - September 2, 2011
Published: Tue, 08/30/11
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Your HOA Battle Is Over. How Can You Heal the Scars?
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Your HOA has just been through the wringer on a hot issue, and
the "losing" board members and owners are still steaming. In
this week's tip, we offer suggestions for easing the tension
and beginning to work toward peace in your HOA.
"I've seen this on a number of occasions," says Duane McPherson,
president of the western region and Dallas/Ft. Worth divisions
of RealManage, an association management firm that oversees
properties in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana,
Nevada, and Texas.
When it's not just owners but the board that has still-smarting
members, McPherson suggest a sit-down. "The best thing to do
is to have a meeting to get everything aired out and to get
everyone to understand what others are thinking," he says.
"You can't heal a community unless you heal a board first.
And if you can't heal a rift in the board, there's nothing
else you can do."
McPherson calls these planning meetings, and he tells board
members the idea is to plan for the association's future. "In
that meeting, you address the dissention, the issues that
happened, and look for common ground and long-term goals
everybody wants," he says. "You can say, 'Everybody wants a
financially healthy association.' That's a broad goal, and we
can get buy-in for that.
"You also have to address the areas where board members didn't
agree," adds McPherson. "So you have to air the dirty laundry.
Until you do that, you can't get people's feelings to heal.
The idea is to pull them together in a common direction, get
everybody to air their comments, and try to work together. I've
seen this work on a number of occasions, but you have to be
patient. You may not be able to get everybody to buy in, but
most people will come around."
Can you involve the "losers" in HOA governance in ways that will
help them heal? Should you apologize for anything that happened
during the battle? And are there tactics you can use in future
fights that would avoid this post-battle tension altogether?
Get answers to those questions in our new article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/618.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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HOA Rules? We Don't Need Notice to Revise Our Stinking Rules!
Considering revising your HOA's rules? In this week's tip, we
discuss when you need to consult with owners and when you can go
forward without notice.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/public/617.cfm >
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How to Revise Your HOA's Rules
So what do you and your homeowners association board of directors
need to know about revising rules? When do you need to consult
with owners, and when can you just go forward without notice?
And even if your state law or governing documents don't require
you to provide notice, do you need to consider the message
you're sending when you revise rule after rule--some
controversial--without a chance for owners to provide feedback?
Here's a smart process for HOA rule revisions.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/members/616.cfm >
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Can You Save Your HOA Money By Doing Owners' Repairs?
In this week's tip, we explain how helping owners with routine
maintenance can reduce your HOA's expenses, liability, and
disputes among owners.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/public/615.cfm >
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The 5-Step Strategy One HOA Used to Refill Its Coffers
This week's tip is culled from the true story of Lancaster
Condominium Association in Hialeah, Fla. The association went
from having more than half of its 90 units in foreclosure--with
an even greater number delinquent in assessments to the
association--to financial solvency by pursuing an aggressive
legal strategy against delinquent owners.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/public/613.cfm >
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Is Your HOA Board Overregulating Rule Violations?
Do your HOA's board members patrol the grounds with a cautcha-
breakin'-the-rules mentality? Here, our experts explain whether
boards can be too punctilious, irritating good neighbors and even
pushing those owners away from volunteering and participating in
HOA governance. We also offer tips on knowing when to mention
violations and when to give owners time to correct the violations
themselves.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/members/610.cfm >
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