No HOA-led community wants to be plagued by a disaster, but unfortunately, disasters happen and your members need to be prepared. Community-wide disaster readiness goes beyond mailing out general precautions to your neighbors.

Find out the important steps your HOA board and management team can take this year to ensure that your community is prepared for any natural or man-made disaster that could come your way.

Coordinate With Your Association Management Team, First

Although your Board may already have disaster plans in mind, it should always present them to its management team prior to unveiling them to the general population. This way, your Board can set expectations and processes with the management team before a disaster; which will aid in rapid communication to owners when a disaster strikes.  

Realistically Focus on Potential Disasters

Time is precious as a Board Member, so when considering disaster plans, put geographically potential disasters at the top of your priorities. For example, in North Texas, you would be more concerned with tornadoes than earthquakes. By placing your focus where it’s geographically necessary, in the event that a disaster occurs in North Texas, your community will be best prepared to protect itself. Yes, earthquakes and hurricanes may create a ripple effect in our local weather patterns, but they hardly impact the immediate livelihood of the communities across North Texas.

Stay Proactive With Maintenance

It’s important to keep up with the maintenance of shared community buildings. By properly maintaining your buildings, your HOA is being proactive against any disasters or accidents that could occur due to improper maintenance. By following this tip, not only do your community members stay as safe as possible, but your Board has also taken steps away from huge liability risks.

Obtain All Member Contact Information

Make sure your Board Members and management team have the contact information for each family living within your community.  Homeowner Information forms are requested at the time of closing, but oftentimes they are returned blank or not at all. As a Board, it would be prudent to check contact information at least once a year and develop a plan for filling in the gaps so that you can reach the largest number of homeowners in case of an emergency.  

Review Your Emergency Response Plan at a Designated Meeting

Once the Board and your community management team have come to a consensus on disaster protocol, schedule a meeting or casual community event to present your plan to your neighbors. This is the preferred method to simply print out a notice and pinning it to neighborhood doors. By hosting a meeting, your Board will be able to ensure that they have addressed all concerns that its neighbors may have regarding disaster safety.

Publish Your Plan Online

Finally, make sure your plan is readily available 24/7. Get the information online at your community website or designated social media channels to ensure that any changes or updates are immediately accessible to the association’s members. 

Let Goodwin & Company Help Mitigate Your HOA’s Liability

Don’t let the incoming spring weather threats take your association by surprise. Let Goodwin & Company help your community get prepared for potential disasters and damages. Get in touch with us today to find out more about our services and how we can assist a community like yours.

Community Association Boards and property management teams often get lumped together in the eyes of homeowners of a community. Sure, both entities have the Association’s best interests in mind, but there is actually quite a difference between being a member of your Association’s Board and being a hired member of a professional management team.

Let’s set the record straight on the actual duties between the two association cornerstones and how their duties and goals have a positive impact on a community.

Don’t the Board and Property Manager Work Together?

The short answer is, yes! Even though the two are separate entities, teamwork helps to ensure upkeep in a community is met.  While the Board and Manager work hand-in-hand, ultimately, any decision is still made by the Board either directly or via a filed policy.

Usually, a property manager is hired to work for an Association and help with some of the specifics behind managing, staffing, and contracting for a community. Here’s a closer look at how the two work both separately and together to keep an association successful.

Understanding Association Management

In an instance where an association management team has been hired to assist an Association, they will be on-hand to carry out management tasks for a property that would simply be too time-consuming for a board. After all, your Board consists of volunteers with jobs, families and other duties outside of their service to the community.

The job of association management is, intuitively, to manage your community. Therefore, they serve on the front lines fielding issues for the Board such as, but not limited to:

• Homeowner communication on community matters and changes;
• Dues collection;
• Project coordination;
• Emergency scenarios involving homeowners or tenants.

The Duties of Your Association Board

As previously mentioned, the Association Board is a volunteer-driven entity that governs a community within a specific jurisdiction. This is a governing entity that is responsible for setting and enforcing the rules of the community. The whole goal of your Association is to ensure that the neighborhood continues to live up to the standards of excellence set in place by former board members.

The average duties of the board are:

• Making decisions on Association business
• Vetting and hiring contractors for community projects
• Reviewing Association finances and expenses

Get Your Association in Line with its Goals with Goodwin & Company

Ironing out the details that involve running a successful planned community can be a lot for a board of volunteers to handle. At Goodwin & Company, we understand that there are some duties that should be taken off of a Board’s plate.

From legalities to financial planning, we are prepared to help. Contact us today to speak with one of our representatives and find out how we can help your Board mitigate the stresses of maintaining a North Texas community.

The housing market continues to boom in the Big D. You may have noticed a significant uptick in homes for sale in the area. Dallas and its surrounding suburbs are rapidly growing with plenty of new construction (and the traffic to prove it). While Dallas continues to be a seller’s market, the average home sits on the market for 71 days. Buyers are willing to shop around until they find that perfect home in a great neighborhood that will also be a good investment. Check out these six budget-friendly ideas to boost a property’s appeal and help it sell faster.

1. Clean It Up

Want to clean up in the current market? Make sure your property is cleaned up. The only thing it will cost you is a few hours and a little elbow grease. Pick up all trash, clean the windows inside and out. Clean out gutters, rake leaves and clear away any debris that may have blown in from a recent thunderstorm. When prospective buyers see a spotless exterior, they know the inside will also be clean.

2. Spread Some Mulch

Mulch helps freshen up and frame your property. Adding mulch around the trees and flowerbeds will instantly boost your property’s appeal. Both organic and inorganic mulch cuts down on weed growth and keeps plants hydrated in the scorching Texas heat. Looking to learn more about mulch? Follow these helpful tips and tricks!

3. Add Colorful Plants

You don’t have to spend hours digging a new flower bed to add some color to your front porch or walkway. Plant some native flowers like hibiscus or verbena in large, colorful pots, which you can use to surround the porch or line the walkway. Move them around and change the plants out as the seasons change. Native plants are easy to maintain and stand up well in the Texas heat. The container plants can also be used to hide unsightly utility boxes.

4. Paint Entrances

Check storage areas for any leftover paint for the front door and trim of your house. Make sure the color either matches or compliments the exterior colors. Yellow, red, and even black doors create a dramatic look that will stand out to potential buyers. Make sure to submit an ACC request to your Association Board before making any changes like this to the exterior of your home though!

5. Keep It Trimmed

Mowing the lawn on a regular basis is one of the easiest and budget-friendly ways you can boost your property’s appeal. Unkept yards are quickly discounted or skipped during a house hunting tour. Show potential buyers that all areas of your property are well maintained by keeping the lawn neat and trimmed. Remember to edge for an overall polished appearance. If that seems like a lot of work, consider hiring a local professional, as the cost is quite affordable.

6. Power Wash Hardscapes

It can be easy to overlook the grime and dirt that can build up on the hardscaped areas around the property. Rent a power washer for a day and blast away the dark stains that have accumulated on the patio and sidewalks over the past few years. Pay close attention to walkways and brickwork.

These budget-friendly ideas will help you boost your curb appeal, and win you favor among your neighbors. After all, the appearance of your property also affects their curb appeal.

Jacob Palmer is a gardening and landscape design writer. When mowing lawns on his street as a child, he discovered a lifelong passion for landscape design. He now has three children who can all be found helping him most weekends with his next big garden project.