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AnthonyE
(Florida)

Posts:1

07/10/2007 6:46 PM
I've been elected President of our HOA. This is my 1st in such a position & would like some advice. It's small community of 66 retired, military, medical & business professionals. I have a long list of positive changes & a list of incomplete task by the developer. Help!

Jadedone4
(Virginia)

Posts:495

07/10/2007 7:10 PM
Run, Anthony, Run.... !!!! Just kidding, do a search for "neophyte" on here and you will find the first post that I posted - and all of the helpful advise folks here offered. Also, search again for transition checklist, transition, and similar titles - and you will find additional information from previous posts. Go to www.cai.com, www.ahrc.org, and google, google and google again under searches for HOA, transition, and you will find many resources. Get a copy of Robert's Rules of Order. Seek out professional advice (engineers, auditors, legal counsel) to assist your community with the transition process. Do not get discourage by what you find, or do not find as result of investigating the overall healthy of the finances, common areas/elements, etc - it is never as bad, and "un-fix-able" as it first seems. ... last but not least, get some Dunkin Doughnuts, Krispy Kremes, or some other form of "bribe" to get your community out and about in supporting the HOA and it's board-members. In all seriousness, they will become sources of information, and support for the board, and first and foremost, they are your neighbors. Good Luck. !!!!!!

MelissaP1
(Alabama)

Posts:650

07/10/2007 9:15 PM
Congrats!!! Welcome to the "Club"! Just don't swing it at someone's head! LOL! A few words of advice from someone who's been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and lived to tell about it. 1. Remember the money you and your board members are "in charge of" is NOT yours. It is EVERY MEMBER's money. You and the board were ELECTED to represent the majority of membership on how best to manage the budget and the daily activities of the HOA on their behalf. It's VERY difficult, but you have to learn to OPENLY communicate ALL decisions about expenditures as much as possible. It will be "tempting" to treat the money much like your home budget. GET OVER IT! You have to treat the money as a big "kitty" in a game of Poker. Whoevers got the biggest "Bluff" or are worthy of a "Royal Flush" wins the pot! 2. Keep the attitude that this is NOT a "Thankless job" but a "THANKFULL Job". I remember all the free dinners and lunches that weren't poisoned! The respect and responsibility is astonishing. Your going to be looked at for EVERYTHING!!! Keep your head up high and your attitude positive and the rest will follow. 3. Make this position part of your lifestyle. Don't go into it grudgingly like you got stuck with the position. You now have the power to be more pro-active in your neighborhood and your property. Not many people are willing to take that initiative. Spread it around that participation is key for the HOA's survival. Y 4. Your going to face the number 1 issue of HOA's head-on. That's NON-Participation of the membership. Don't be disapointed to see only 1/10th of the members show up to a meeting. You do something right, no one will attend. You do something wrong, everybody attends. 5. Learn as much as you can about every aspect of your HOA. That may range from Pool care to Building Construction. You do NOT have to be an expert in everything. Just be able to find the right contractors that are. If you can't do the job yourself, don't even try it. Just concentrate getting approval for the money to pay for the contractor. You came to the PERFECT spot for advice. This is one of the best HOA websites out there. We may bicker at eachother once and awhile but you get the answers you need. Everyone on here has a purpose to help not to harm. Review the other posts form more direction. There are some good one's on here. Good luck! I was president of a 107 Patio Home community. I've been on both sides of the fence. I was the "dictator" and then "victim" of my HOA. My advice is based on being not only a recovering president/boardmember but as a person who was once physically attacked by a board member. So I can see both sides of the coin.

Former HOA President

GloriaM
(North Carolina)

Posts:778

07/11/2007 7:55 AM
I wrote this book for Boards of Directors, Committees and Owners alike. It is easy reading and has a wealth of information. Its called A Guide to Community Living. To purchase go to: www.PublishAmerica.com/books/4573 Here is the table of Contents: Table of Contents About the Author 7 In the Beginning 9 What is a Homeowners Association 11 History of Homeowners Association’s 13 What and Who are the Liaison Committee 14 and the board of Directors Committee Volunteers 19 Annual Elections and Board Meetings 21 Lines of Communication 24 Management’s Role 24 Management’s Contract 27 Professional Services 30 Insurance, Property Loss, Ideas and Tips 31 General Statutes, Local Ordinances, City, State and FCC Laws 34 Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions 39 Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation 40 Assessments, Collections, Late Fees, Liens and Foreclosure 42 Sample Form Letters and Budget 44 The Good, The Bad and the Ugly 93 Questions and Answers 96 Closing Thoughts 97 Glossary of Terms 99

Dr. Gloria J. Martinez, CFO Official HOATalk.com Sponsor Author of "A Guide to Community Living" Faith Management Services, LLC (North Carolina) (704) 799-3791 www.FaithManagementServices.com *See legal notice below (end of page) or go to www.hoatalk.com/legal

JoeW1
(New York)

Posts:728

07/11/2007 8:37 AM
AnthonyE - If you haven't done so already, get a hold of your by-laws/governing documents, cc&r's (covenants, restrictions, and conditions). These will help guide you in the procedures and requirements that are unique to your association. Roberts Rules of Order are probably not mentioned in your by-laws as a requirement to follow. If not, I suggest reading Roberts as a general guideline for formality of running meetings. IMHO, Roberts is cumbersome and way too formal. Many will disagree, however Roberts Rules are not mandatory to follow unless referenced as such in by-laws. By turnover do you mean developer signing over the association to the community, ie. transition? If so, the developer probably has the right to do this at any point. However, the developer typically has to construct the HOA in accordance with codes, guidelines, and in accordance with pre-approved plans submitted to the borough in which the HOA resides. The owner controlled HOA, at it's expense should hire a Transition Engineering firm to perform a Capital Reserve Study and Deficiency Analysis of the construction of the Common Elements. This way your Developer task list can be as comprehensive as possible.

JM2
(Oregon)

Posts:439

07/12/2007 9:12 PM
Hi Anthony: Some good advice above. To it, I would add: look up your state's HOA laws (and possibly the non-profit corporation laws as well). You can find out how to get them online through the association's lawyer, or your management company (if you have one). Best of luck! J. Patrick Moore, CMCA

PaulM
(Pennsylvania)

Posts:1347

07/13/2007 1:04 PM
Anthony: You can also call your state representative's office and ask them to mail you a copy.

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