Coldwell Banker Chicora Blog

It’s Your Dime, It’s Worth Your Time!

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:25:11 -0500

Homeowner and Condominium Associations are comprised of owners with a wide variety of skill sets and vast experiences in a multitude of areas. As a Community Association Manager, I have the responsibility and opportunity of attending many meetings with the Association’s Board of Directors; many of those meetings include additional members of the Association. A seemingly common misconception is that the members of the Board of Directors are “Iron Fisted Czars” doling out rules, regulations, violations and fines. This misconception could not be further from the actual position that these unpaid volunteers on the Board of Directors find themselves in serving their community. The elected members of the Board of Directors of a community are owners that feel strongly enough about contributing to their community that they have decided to submit their name for consideration for service on the Board. The Board has some preset guidelines that they follow for all decisions they are empowered to make per the Master Deed, the By-Laws and the Rules & Regulations coupled with State and Federal rules and regulations. Also, a majority of the decisions can be driven by the actions and decisions of the previous Boards of the Association and input from the professional Association Manager.

Many times I hear homeowners questioning where their money is spent. With the help of their professional management company, Boards annually provide homeowners with budgets and accompanying correspondence explaining, in detail, the entire financial composition of their community. Far too many times it seems that these types of correspondence are put to the side and not reviewed by the homeowners. Unfortunately, it seems the common philosophy is that if the dues remain the same or go down, all is in order. Conversely, there is also the thought process that if the dues go up or there is a special assessment, there is something horribly awry and the Board has not done their job.

Board members are not only faced with the constraints of the Association documents and the available funds allotted for the operation of the Association, they are also faced with the consumption of their time in their capacity as Board members. Many of these volunteer Board members offer and provide their service to their Association and hold full or part-time jobs. The majority of the Boards that I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with welcome the opportunity for members of their Association to volunteer and assist with the research on suggested ideas or providing support in a field in which they have experience. In this day and age, the Board of Directors simply cannot do it all and welcome the assistance from members in the form of ideas, suggestions and volunteers.

Being involved in your community association is important and you are important to your community association. Without the membership, there would be no community association. It is up to the existing membership, and most importantly new members, to help make their community a productive and viable place in which to live. It is the funding from the membership that allows the community association to function. It IS your dime, so it is ABSOLUTELY worth your time.

Ethan Carney, CMCA

Association Manager

Chicora Association Management

Office: 843.272.1123 x.261

Facsimile: 843.272.1628

ethancarney@chicora.net

Hillsborough Community

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:28:13 -0500

Wouldn’t you like a home in a beautiful neighborhood that is close to the beach, but not in the hustle and bustle of Myrtle Beach? Then look no more!!

The Hillsborough Community is the place to be with mature trees, beautiful landscaping and a special feel as you ride into this community. Hillsborough has an owner’s clubhouse, a large pool and a play area for kids. The Social Committee is active and has many planned activities for the community including a Pot Luck dinner every month, a Poker night for men, a garden club, a book club, and many others. Bike riding and walking are favorite pastimes. Neighbors wave and speak to you as you go by and it’s also a great place to walk your dog. Our new builder in Hillsborough is Jamie McLain with Shell Bay Builders, LLC. A local builder who is extremely flexible to adapt his plans to your needs! Under construction now is a home that should be ready for me to move into within the next 60 days or so. I’m anxious to get back on site and help you with choosing the best plan and homesite for your new home. From 3 to 4 bedrooms, single level and two stories, with exceptional included features, priced from $148,900 to $238,900. Call Laraine McCaskill at 843 446-5042 for more information.

An Association Manager

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 03:07:35 -0500

For the person with the right skill set, a career as an Association Manager can be very rewarding. Association Managers have the opportunity to build relationships with many different people, from all walks of life and from anywhere in the world. Building relationships is the main component to being successful in business and personal endeavors. The common misconception is that Association Managers are simply a buffer to protect the HOA Board. An Association Manager with the proper skills and training can be an overall asset to the Board of a community and provide knowledgeable insight based upon years of experience managing associations. This very valuable input can help achieve the overall success of a community. Association Managers are typically the first contact for items from a running commode all the way to water pouring into a homeowner’s unit. An experienced Association Manager can pull from their “toolbox” the necessary contacts to help ensure that a homeowner gets the help that they need in the event of any situation that arises. Additionally, outside of the realm of maintenance items, an Association Manager can utilize their skills in the assistance of Association budget preparation, insurance renewals, contract negotiations and the list goes on and on. The position of an Association Manager has evolved from the person that typically handles the maintenance and contractor issues of an Association to now a person playing an integral role in the overall management and governance of communities in conjunction with the Board of Directors. The life of an Association Manager is never dull, but the return on the investment of their time and the relationships that can be cultivated are certainly worth their efforts.

Community Association Board Volunteers

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 04:53:12 -0500

The upcoming national election is a reminder about the recurring annual election of homeowners to the Board of Directors of a community association. The country’s President serves a term of four years, maximum of two terms, and the association board members usually serves a term of two years, but may be re-elected for an undetermined number to subsequent terms. Terms are staggered to provide a degree of continuity of board members from year to year.

The Board of Directors provides the necessary leadership to move the homeowners association in the right direction over the short and long term. The board’s character and carefully thought out decisions determine the overall health of the organization.

Communities that are self managed have the double duty of leadership and the daily management of operational, administrative and financial tasks. The myriad of details over the course of the waking day can be overwhelming. Many directors have stated that serving is a full time job, and there is no financial compensation. Burnout often follows. As the community ages, the number of volunteers who desire to serve on a board can dwindle, and an aggressive search for others often falls short.

A professional association management company can be of service by relieving the overburdened members of the Board of Directors. It provides valuable resources to include trained managers, risk management including insurance, budgeting, assessment collections, maintenance programs, architectural review, long range planning, technology solutions and 24 hour availability.

Choosing the right management company is no easy task for a Board of Directors. Selection factors may include professionalism, testimonials, the right cultural fit and of course cost. Chicora Association Management welcomes all requests to provide a comprehensive presentation to any community association Board contemplating professional management.

Homeowner Association Document Inspection

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 02:34:17 -0500

As a member and resident of a homeowners association, I attend an occasional meeting of the Board of Directors to better understand the administration and operation of my community. Board meetings are open to the membership and the Board will often take questions from those attending. Boards also distribute information such as meeting minutes, audits and newsletters in the spirit of openness. We all expect that. There are times when I prefer to view other association documents held in the office of the association. The question - how do I obtain access? Well, why not just call up the President or manager and request that the documents be sent to me?

If I did, I probably would be advised of the requirements of the State of South Carolina statutes:

Written notice at least 5 business days before the desired date to inspect.
Demand to inspect is made in good faith and for proper purpose, describes with reasonable particularity the purpose, and the records are directly connected with this purpose.
A document may be copied.
A charge for copying a document may be imposed.

The requester will have to visit the facility where the documents are stored particularly for association’s having professional management. Other arrangements would have to be made for self managed associations.

I also find that a community association can be compared to a private corporation versus a public government, and thus a request for records does not have to comply with the Freedom of Information Act.

Whether a homeowner agrees or disagrees with the above, the best result for the homeowner – to acquire desired documents - comes with complying with the State statutes.