Many of you have been in touch lately following the piece which we ran on homeowners associations and the benefits that they can offer. I have to say that whilst my very small community is not part of an HOA there is a homeowners association near me which does things so well and I have a couple of friends over that way who often talk to me about the benefits that they themselves find in being part of this set up.
High angle view of several suburban houses in sunny summer afternoon.
I know that many of you would love to get a homeowners association started and these are some of the areas that you could look into, based from the experience of an HOA which is clearly handling business well.
Consistency
The key to success with an HOA is consistency, and this is not just with regards to meetings. Those meetings must be consistent of course, so that everyone is in the loop with what is going on and what timeframes there are for certain projects. Beyond this however we have to look at the level of communication and this too must be consistent across the board. Whoever the HOA decides to chair such a collective must make sure that they have real focus on making this a success.
Using Skills
In most HOAs you will find that you have plumbers and electricians, lawyers, doctors or civil servants. Now whilst many will look to rely on the services of those tradespeople who do hands on roles, there should also be a focus on everyone bringing something to the table. This could be something along the lines of planning permission from someone working in that office, or turf sales from a local gardener. Whatever is being planned should rely upon all members of the HOA, and not just those who we assume to be best placed.
Getting a Buy-In
A friend of mine spoke to me about the early days of their HOA and how many neighbors simply weren’t bothered about being part of it. The reason why they eventually came around to the idea is because those founder members were committed to speaking with the non-members and talking about the benefits. Without the full buy-in of the street or the building, this doesn’t work as well as everyone hopes that it will. To gain this buy-in it is essential that there are as many encouraging voices as possible.
Fix The Issues
Some friends of mine are part of HOAs which simply aren’t active in getting things fixed and arranged. Remember that an HOA should be an active one that seeks to improve, protect and change the living area of the residents. If there is no action being taken on areas which need action then speaking up is going to be essential. There is much that these associations are able to do, the key is having people to push for that action to take place.
Make sure that you are part of an HOA which gets it right.
To read more on topics like this, check out the Home & Garden category
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