The rise of HOAs has shown that homeowners want to live in well-managed communities. They don't want to deal with neighbors who don't care for their homes or do things that bring down property values. You can see this when 358,000 neighborhoods in the United States are now run by HOAs.
But an HOA isn't the only thing you need for a great community. You also need to run the HOA the right way. Here are several strategies that will help you with community association management.
Clearly Communicate
It's hard to have effective HOA governance when residents don't understand what's happening. They may know a meeting or changes are coming, but if you don't give them a reason to look further into things, that's where it will end.
Make sure you clearly communicate what's happening. Have new HOA rules? Send out a notification detailing everything about it.
Doing this will ensure everyone is informed and has a reason to stay involved.
Encourage Engagement
HOAs aren't as effective when the community isn't engaged. The HOA board can hold meetings, but without input from residents, it may be hard to know the right thing to do.
Do whatever possible to encourage engagement with the HOA. For example:
- Combine meetings with community events
- Hold meetings at convinient times
- Offer childcare for parents
Experiment with different engagement methods until you begin increasing community engagement.
Optimize Finances
It's the HOA board's job to make the best use of HOA dues. It's up to them to handle HOA maintenance to keep the community looking great and put money into a reserve fund to handle unexpected issues.
Make sure you have a plan to handle this. Come up with a budget and hire reputable vendors to handle the maintenance. Ideally, you should be able to handle the standard maintenance and put away extra money each month for emergencies.
Listen to the Community
It's hard to run an effective HOA when it doesn't meet the community's needs. Unfortunately, some boards may do things their way, regardless of what homeowners want.
Make sure not to go down this route and regularly listen to homeowner requests. Make sure they attend every HOA meeting and use that time to take feedback. Act on what's possible and come up with a middle ground if you have conflicting viewpoints.
Get Help
Yes, it's true that you can handle HOA management on your own. But with everything involved, some communities may want to turn to a professional company to handle the heavy lifting.
Look into HOA management companies to see what's available. An experienced HOA manager can help optimize your HOA operations and ensure everyone in the community is happy.
Take Community Association Management Seriously
An HOA is a vital part of the community that allows residents to rest easy, knowing the neighborhood will stay in great shape. However, it's possible to let community association management get away from you and end up with a disorganized mess that doesn't serve homeowners. Use the strategies covered above to optimize your HOA management process.
Are you looking for assistance in creating an effective governance for your HOA? At PMI Salt Lake, we offer HOA management services to help with everything you need. Contact our management professionals to learn how we can help your HOA thrive.
