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VESPERA RESORT | PISMO BEACH , CA
SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2023
Spring 2023 • Vol. 32, no. 1 Vision
President & CEO tfreeley@cacm.org
Chief Editor lbertrand@cacm.org
Managing Editor rkwon@cacm.org
Advertising mhurtado@cacm.org
| Thomas Freeley
| 949.916.2226, ext. 315
| Lynette Bertrand | 949.916.2226, ext. 323
| Ryan Kwon | 949.916.2226, ext. 313
| Melissa Hurtado | 949.916.2226, ext. 318
Editorial Advisory Committee
Andrew Hay, CCAM-ND.PM The Helsing Group, Inc., ACMC
Scott Swinton Unlimited Property Services, Inc.
Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR Wilshire Terrace Co-Op
Dean Jackson, CCAM-HR Collins Management, ACMC
Rob Buffington Gordian Staffing & East West Building Works
Jessica Melvin, CCAM The Management Trust - Northern California, ACMC
Caroline McCormick, CAMEx, CCAM OMNI Community Management LLC, ACMC
Vision Magazine is released digitally by CACM four times annually to members, industry partners and supporters of the California Association of Community Managers.
Magazine content copyrighted 2023. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from CACM.
Opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the policies of CACM. Mention of any product or service does not constitute an endorsement by CACM. CACM assumes no responsibility for return of photos or art and reserved the right to reject any editorial or advertising materials. CACM does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of articles, events or announcements listed.
Please address comments and suggestions to: California Association of Community Managers, Inc. 23461 South Pointe Drive, Ste. 200, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 949.916.2226 | communications@cacm.org
Attention CACM members: Have you changed jobs or moved to a new location? Reach out to us at communications@cacm.org to update your profile so you don’t miss your next Vision magazine or any other important CACM communications.
We came, we saw, we conquered! The 2023 Southern California Law Seminar & Expo drew a record number of manager attendees to Disneyland Hotel, where exhibitors went creative with the Conquering California event theme. Turn to pages 56 to 59 for photo galleries from our annual Law Seminars.
EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT: NOW IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE
By Debbie Griffiths, Director of Education and Credentialing
2022 HOA STATISTICS
By Ryan Kwon, Communications & Web Manager
PARTNERING WITH THE RIGHT BANK CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
By Teresa Powell
THE VISIONARIES OF 2023
UNSOLICITED BIDS
By Rob
BuffingtonCLOSING THE FLOODGATES
By The Foundation Community Management Team
YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME
By Jessica Melvin, CCAM
HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCT AN RFP
By Caroline McCormick, CAMEx, CCAM
NFL & FOOTBALLS, MANAGERS & VENDORS
By Scott SwintonTHE CORNERSTONE OF TRUST
By Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR
THE DIFFICULTIES OF CONSOLIDATION & ACQUISITIONS
By Andrew Hay, CAMEx, CCAM-ND.PM
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
By Dean Jackson, CCAM-HR
2023 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LAW
SEMINAR PHOTOS
2023 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LAW SEMINAR PHOTOS
How did we “spring” forward to spring already? It’s barely the end of March and we have already completed the NorCal and SoCal Law Seminars. Good heavens time flies when we’re having fun.
For those who attended one or both Law Seminars, I hope you had a good time, and learned something new you didn’t know before you went. We had packed assemblies, breakout sessions and expo halls. Most importantly, I hope you carried the conversation forward! If we elevate each other, we elevate our entire industry! That elevation begins and continues with conversations.
Have any challenges you need help with? Have a conversation with a colleague or one of our expert Industry Partners. Have a solution to a challenge? Share it with a conversation! We all run across various challenges in our careers that we’ve never seen or experienced. But I can assure you, someone has had that experience and can help, or someone needs your solutions. When it comes to elevating the industry, and each other, it’s not a competition. You shouldn’t be concerned with sharing your experiences with colleagues outside of your bubble. We ALL need to help each other.
Legislation: Some legislation has a direct impact on our management-specific industry. One bill that could be very advantageous for an HOA, can have a very real negative impact on managers and management companies. Take a read of our legislative update on pages 18 and 19 of this issue, where CACM lobbyist Jennifer Wada shares the current bills we are monitoring, supporting and opposing. If you’re a manager interested in legislation, join our Legislative Committee.
Have you heard CACM is expanding over the next two years? Have you heard about the development of localized committees for your local market? We could use your help. Reach out to us and we’ll guide you to the right person.
Communication & Unity = Community. We’re all in it together, so let’s help each other. Let’s elevate each other. Let’s elevate our community, together!
I look forward to seeing you very soon!
Thomas Freeley, CAMEx, CCAM, President & CEO
Desert Resort Management - an Associa Company (DRM) last fall participated in the Palm Springs Pride Parade. “We find that it’s an important event to support the LGBTQ Community as part of our own company’s culture of inclusion and acceptance,” said Holly Smith, Senior Community Manager of DRM. “I participated last year and with a co-worker we decided that there needed to be a much bigger presence then what we offered up in 2021, so we decided a float was needed! We partnered with Sherwin Williams and Ivan’s Painting to help us with putting all the pieces together. With the help of our awesome committee, made up of members from all three companies, our Xanadu themed float came to life! We wanted to send a message that we should all be trying to create an idyllic place for all individuals to live as they were meant to. The day was such a success and well attended, and we are looking forward to building this bigger and better every year!”
Associa N.N. Jaeschke, Inc. announced that Heather Wiltshire, CCAM has rejoined the company as Vice President of Management Operations. In her new
role, Wiltshire will provide day-to-day leadership for key operational initiatives throughout branch territory. Wiltshire brings more than 17 years of experience in the community management industry. She worked with two community management firms in the San Diego area before initially joining NNJ as a division director in 2013. “We are always extremely happy to welcome former team members back into our family,” said Eli Crenshaw, President of N.N. Jaeschke, Inc. “Heather is a proven leader with a wealth of experience in the governance and legalities of community management. She will be an incredible resource for our community partners and team members.”
CACM welcomes Phoebe Doohan as the Executive Assistant to its powerhouse team. Doohan will be providing high level administrative support to President/CEO, Tom Freeley and our Vice President, Melissa Hurtado. Welcome to the team, Phoebe.
Congratulations to Antis Roofing & Waterproofing, Crummack Huseby Property Management Inc. , Optimum Professional Property Management, Inc. , and Seabreeze Management for being named the Top Workplaces for 2022 by the OC Register!
CINC Systems launched RESERVE which gives homeowners the ability to book and pay for community amenity rentals online. RESERVE will also allow community managers to manage and track all upcoming reservations with ease, taking HOA living to the next level. CINC Systems’ stated mission is to make living in a professionally managed community a great experience. “This mission applies
to all product launches and innovations,” said Ryan Davis, Chief Executive Officer.
“RESERVE by CINC Systems is a really exciting launch for us because it makes the utilization of community amenities easier than ever. For many, amenities are the reason they live in community associations.” RESERVE greatly reduces workload for community managers.
“Community managers are used to
managing amenity reservations one-onone,” said Chris Millner, Head of Product Management. “It’s honestly a nightmare to manage - we’ve heard horror stories of managers with desk drawers stashed with security deposit checks. Now, community managers don’t have to worry about the day-to-day management of reservations. They can focus instead on building community.”
Professional Community Management (PCM), an Associa company announced that Casey Donaldson, CCAM has joined the company as director of business development. In his new role, Donaldson will create business plans designed to generate increased revenue and brand loyalty while improving customer satisfaction. He will also work with business development staff and PCM leadership to create and implement effective strategies for the sale of value-added services to new and existing clients. “Casey is a highly capable sales professional with experience in the areas of business development, client relationship management, customer service, and marketing,” said Georgie Zuppa, Regional Sales Director of Associa. “We look forward to benefiting from his expertise in all these areas as we continue to expand throughout the Southern California market.”
RealManage, LLC recently completed the acquisition of Walters Management . The purchase increases RealManage’s operating footprint in Southern California, with office locations in San Diego, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, and Murrieta, and it allows RealManage to provide industry-leading innovations across the state. “Since 1973, The Walters Management Company has taken great pride in providing highquality community management services founded on a combination of integrity, industry experience, and performance excellence,” said Joe Farinelli, President of Walters Management. “We have entertained many conversations over the years with potential entities to continue our legacy. We wanted a partner that shares our core values, ethics, and desire to continue the tradition of excellent service while maintaining local leadership and respecting the unique characteristics of our clients and vendors. We believe we have found that in RealManage.”
ProTec Building Services recently completed the acquisition of Carasso Construction Services. The acquisition of Carasso Construction Services expands ProTec’s ability to service HOA communities in the Orange County region and will provide an enhanced customer experience for their clients and industry partners. “We are elated to be joining forces with Carasso,” said J. David Rauch, CEO of ProTec Building Services. “Our values align well, and we are confident this merger places ProTec in an even stronger position and unlocks more potential opportunities to service Orange County communities. We welcome former owners David Finkelstein and Bill Brosnan, and the rest of the talented team from Carasso to the ProTec family and look forward to working together to continue to improve quality of life of our clients by providing the highest-quality services.”
Compliance View 360 (CV360) has completed a strategic integration partnership with Vantaca. Full integration between the two partners will allow Vantaca users to perform property inspections from anywhere in the world and seamlessly synchronize data between the two platforms. Wesley Hunt, CV360’s CEO, commented, “I am extremely excited to announce this partnership and to be working with Ben Currin and the Vantaca team. They have been an ardent supporter of our platform from the beginning, and their willingness to work with us on the integration side has significantly enhanced our go to market efforts and allowed us to begin combatting the current labor shortage and rising costs affecting the property management industry today.” “Vantaca is committed to improving business performance and making life easier for the owners and operating teams of community association management organizations as well as community associations and boards through the most innovative and modern technology,” said Ben Currin, CEO of Vantaca. “Wesley and his team share a similar vision to transform our industry and I am delighted to partner with CV360 to extend their property inspection automation capabilities to our current and future customers”.
Cyrus Koochek, Esq. , has recently become a Partner of SwedelsonGottlieb. Since 2013, he has been a part of the team. Koochek created new opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the firm and grow the firm’s presence in the homeowners association community. Congratulations Cyrus Koochek on making Partner!
Professional Community Management (PCM), an Associa company recently celebrated its 50th year in business. “For the past 50 years, the reputation of Professional Community Management has been built on our principles of service, innovation, family, integrity, and loyalty,” said PCM Branch President, Matthew Williams, CCAM. “A heart-felt congratulations goes out to those team members, community partners, and vendors who have helped us achieve this milestone! We look forward to providing another half-century of friendly, local service.”
Team members from Associa Desert Resort Management (DRM) volunteered to help Coachella Valley Rescue Mission repaint several interior and exterior building walls. The project was part of an ongoing partnership between DRM and the mission to help people and families in need throughout the Valley. Although this was DRM’s first onsite service project, the company has previously partnered with the mission for charity drives to collect school supplies, socks and toys for children who would otherwise go without. Since 1971, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission has been a place of refuge for the homeless and those in need. “Coachella Valley Rescue Mission is a powerful resource for anyone in need throughout this region of the state,” said Desert Resort Management’s Senior Vice President, Paula Tapia. “As a leading provider of jobs and community management services in this area, we are proud to play a role in their ongoing efforts to maximize the quality of living for its residents.”
CM Squared, Inc. (CM2) added three new employees to their team. Matteo Rapallini was hired as a new architect, Carlo Baldacchino joined as a Senior Estimator and Rich Adams is the new Senior Reserve Analyst and Construction Manager. In addition, Tad Black has joined the company as its new president, replacing Theresa Ostrander. Black recently
served as the Regional Field Services Director for a large management firm and oversaw maintenance and construction teams throughout California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. As President, he will lead business development, marketing, sales, and client experience initiatives with an emphasis on
enhancing customer outcomes. Shahrzad Mansouri, CM2’s Interim President and COO shared, “I am excited to have Tad join our team as the new President with his extensive experience and look forward to partnering with Tad in our overall efforts to continue the CM2 journey to improve and streamline operations and client success.”
Optimum has hired Tracie Blankenship, a veteran in the regional Southern California community management world, as Vice President of Community Management. Blankenship has worked in the community management industry since 1999, managing large-scale master-planned developments and a wide range of communities and property types, including condominiums, single-family homes, mixed-use and high-rise buildings. Optimum CEO Debra Kovach said, “Tracie’s unbeatable scope offers both Optimum and the communities that depend on us the skills, connections, and insights to reach their next level of growth, development, and stability, allowing us to make a difference together.” Prior to joining Optimum, Blankenship held executive-level positions at other community management companies throughout Southern California. In her new role, she will be responsible for oversight of the company’s management-division operations.
Another amazing CACM Law Seminar in the books! Thank you CACM and to all our amazing vendors for making this such a memorable event. I’m so blessed to be a part of such an inspiring industry. We all work so hard, continue to educate ourselves and strive to be better than we were yesterday, and for that I’m grateful
— Kristina Alvarez, CCAMThank you so much CACM! As per usual the event was very well organized and incredibly inspiring. Our team enjoyed the education sessions as well as the expo.
— The Manor AssociationThe people we choose to surround ourselves with make a huge impact in our lives. The #CACM #NCLSE23 truly brought that home to our team. What an incredible event this year to see colleagues, friends and make new connections! The educational opportunities and legal updates keep us current in our roles and the networking is topnotch! Being back in Oakland was so appreciated. A huge thank you to our CACM family and all our vendor partners for the amazing show put on this year. #CACM4LIFE #BAPS&CACM
— Lisa Triplett, CAMEx, CCAMOur team at Bay Area Property Services (BAPS) had the immense pleasure of spending the greater part of last week at the Annual CACM Law Seminar.
A big thank you to Tom Freeley, Melissa Hurtado, and Natasha Fierro for organizing such a wonderful event. Debbie Griffiths was everywhere making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be and prepared. She is invaluable!
We are so appreciative of all the efforts that Tom and his whole team make to ensure community managers of all experience levels are educated, empowered and supported. I’ve had great feedback from our team that the subjects spoken about, and the presentations (including the panelists) were very topical, engaging and educational.
We here at BAPS would also like to celebrate and congratulate our three newest certified community managers! Congratulations to Claudia Maldonado, Valerie Bendana and Andrea Gomez who all went through and successfully completed our Manager in Training program to become Certified Managers!!! BAPS Team stronger than ever!
— Kimberley Flickner,CAMEx, CCAM-PM.LS
Connection- there’s nothing like it and it’s the heartbeat of our industry. I’m pleased to have been able to spend the last 2 days at the CACM #NCLSE learning and spending time with industry colleagues. I haven’t been able to attend this conference since 2019 due to COVID and other factors and it was a joy to be back here again. Thank you to the staff and sponsors for all their hard work in making this event happen!
— Kelly ZibellWe had a fun and successful 2023 CACM Northern California Law Seminar and Expo this week connecting with new and old faces, debuting our gorgeous new booth, handing out 300 succulents, raffling off two 15-gallon trees and having a fantastic time!
Thank you to the CACM team and for everyone who stopped by to say hi.
Looking forward to next year!
#NCLSE23 #thankyou #arborists #arbormdtreecareinc #tradeshowbooth #bestteamever
— Arbor MD Tree Care, Inc
This year’s Northern California Law Seminar & Expo was an amazing event, and we hope those of you who attended feel more empowered to lead your communities with confidence. We enjoyed sharing our knowledge with all of you and meeting both new and familiar faces! A big thank you goes out to CACM for hosting events like this to help foster growth and education in our industry.
#cacm #educationalleadership #attorney #hoaboard #hoaboardmembers #hoaeducation #communitymanagement #commoninterestdevelopments #neighborhooodassociation #californialaw
— Berding | Weil
As we find ourselves already in the first quarter of 2023, the focus of this issue is Relationship Building.
We are in a people business delivering customer service to our boards and communities done by the relationships we build both internally and externally.
Building the relationships is the key to success – starting with focusing on the internal team members. If your team is engaged and enjoy their time with their fellow employees, that creates a strong work environment for success.
On the other side, if they don’t like where they work or who they work with, then the chance of them delivering the level of customer service necessary to keep the relationship strong is reduced dramatically. Unhappy, unmotivated, and resentful team members do not build strong relationships either internally or externally.
Leaders must set the example and celebrate the delivering of exceptional customer service. They must be engaged in the process and be connecting with the clients while showing their team members what exceptional service should look like.
This process will highlight that the leaders are not asking you to do anything that they wouldn’t do, which in turn helps the team member understand how important it should be to them. Leaders should acknowledge, celebrate, and reward when they see exceptional service, making it the bar to exceed to for all team members.
Another important area for relationship building would be active listening when the feedback is being given whether it is favorable or sometimes not – whether it is coming from internal or external. Listening to them will enable you to make the best use of every opportunity to make them feel valued and appreciated.
Allow them to speak freely without interruption, and then work with them to resolve their concerns. This will also help you determine what your internal and external customers want and make them feel their feedback and opinions are important to meet and exceed their expectations.
Ultimately, you need to act or at least address the concerns in a timely manner or the goodwill you have built for the relationship will fail due to trust concerns.
Team members should know how to communicate with your clients even through negative experiences as it can build a stronger relationship if handled right – not that we want to teach having negative experiences, but realistically, they will occur.
What a team member says is important but how they say it can strengthen or break a relationship. Phrases like “I don’t know, or we cannot do that” will damage a relationship instead of using “we apologize for any inconvenience or let me look into that for you.”
Showing a sense of empathy helps build the relationship even when you don’t have the solution that they may want to hear. “I am sorry that happened to you,” or “I understand that must have been tough” are a couple that can be used, and if you personalize the statement, it makes it more sincere. Personalized communication is key to building healthy relationships.
Share a random act of kindness – also helps in building relationships!
In early January 2022, CACM reintroduced the Master of Community Association Management credential (MCAM) to experienced managers with 5 or more years of industry experience. The revamped program makes the ultimate achievement in community association management in California more tangible for highly-driven managers to obtain.
So how is the MCAM more obtainable? For starters, the requirement to first earn a Specialty Certificate has been removed, and the courses, BDA 500 –Effective Governance Principles for Community Associations and LDR 500 – Advanced Ethics: Leadership and Decision Making are no longer required. The new requirements are as follows:
BDA 300 – Fundamentals of Effective Governance
LDR 400 – Human Resource Management
LDR 550 – Ethics Mastery
By Debbie Griffiths, CCAM Director of Education and Credentialing
INS 300 – Advanced Insurance Principles
INS 400 – Risk Management
FIN 320 – Strategic Financial Planning
In addition to taking these courses, applicants must pass a 100 multiple-choice exam. The questions will test you on these areas: Risk Management, Human Resource Management, Ethics, Policy Governance, Financial and California Law. Once the exam is passed, applicants will visit a site and provide a written paper and oral presentation based on a series of questions posed from the site visit.
Have you been frustrated to learn that you are short just one or two CEUs for
recertification and had to apply for an extension? Well, look no further! The Education and Credentialing Department has brought back the Law Journal exam.
According to Darren Shaw, CAMEx, MCAM-LS.AA, “It means for me that I want to be the best at what I do.”
Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR, pursued this designation “because I love to learn and knew that the work required to achieve the designation would, in itself, improve my knowledge of the industry.”
For Shaw, “It provided a special level of confidence to my employer and team that I knew my stuff.”
On the other hand, Vazquez “recently applied for a new position and was chosen out of a group of other highly qualified candidates. The recruiter highlighted my MCAM accomplishment as indicative of my caliber. The tangible benefit was that the position came with a 30% compensation increase.”
If you wish to be recognized as one of the leading community association managers in California, please visit the CACM website for more information or feel free to reach out to the Education Department at education@cacm.org. We look forward to seeing many of you earn this prestigious designation.
How will this work? Simply read an issue of the Law Journal, pass an exam, and earn 1 CEU. A maximum of 4 CEUs can be earned per year. The cost for the exam will be $50. For more information, reach out to education@cacm.org.
Contribute to a manager’s professional success by becoming an instructor with CACM. By joining our instructor cadre and contributing to our growing body of knowledge in this field, you will be recognized as an expert and mentor among managers.
Certified managers (CCAM or CAFM for financial courses) who have held their certification for 5 or more years, as well as Industry Partners with expertise in a specific area, such as legal, insurance, facilities maintenance, etc., are encouraged to apply. Please contact the Education Department at education@ cacm.org for more information.
Another legislative session is upon us but this time, the legislature looks a little different, or a lot different. Over one fourth of legislators are new to the legislature with historic turnover resulting from redistricting, resignations, and termed legislators.
We now have the most diverse legislature ever, with the most women and LGBTQ members ever elected and an expansion of racially and ethnically diverse legislators. It is an exciting time in Sacramento, and this year will be interesting to learn what stances legislators take on CID legislation.
What is not new is the massive number of bills that were introduced. Thousands of bills have been introduced and will soon start to make their way through the legislative process. These include bills that the management industry will certainly care about. Some key bills that we are watching and/or will be engaging on include:
AB-572
Haney: CIDs: Imposition of Assessments
This bill would prohibit the increase of a regular assessment on the owner of a deedrestricted affordable housing unit that is more than 5% greater than the preceding regular assessment for the association’s preceding fiscal year.
AB-648
Valencia: CIDs: Meetings by Teleconference
This bill is co-sponsored by CAI and CACM and would authorize a board meeting or a meeting of the members to be conducted entirely by teleconference if the same conditions are satisfied that exist for teleconferencing under a state of emergency, such as clear technical instructions on how to participate, a person who can assist before and during the teleconference, and the counting of ballots having to be done via videoconference.
AB-225
Grayson: Real Property: Environmental Hazards Booklet
Current law requires the Department of Real Estate to develop a booklet to educate and inform consumers on, among other things, common environmental hazards that are located on, and affect, real property.
Current law requires the types of common environmental hazards to include, but not be limited to, asbestos, radon gas, lead-based paint, formaldehyde, fuel and chemical storage tanks, and water and soil contamination.
This bill would express the intent of the legislature that when the booklet is next updated, as existing resources permit or as private resources are made available, it be updated to include three new sections on wildfires, climate change, and sea level rise, as specified. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to seek the advice and assistance of departments within the Natural Resources Agency in the writing of the booklet, as specified.
AB-905
Essayli: Residential property insurance: Wildfire risk reporting penalties
Current law requires an admitted insurer with written California premiums totaling $10,000,000 or more, to submit a report, as specified, to the commissioner with specified fire risk information on its residential property policies.
Existing law subjects an admitted insurer that fails to submit a report to a civil penalty
to be fixed by the commissioner, not to exceed $5,000, or $10,000 if the act was willful. This bill would increase the limit of the penalty against an admitted insurer for a willful failure to report specified fire risk information on its residential property policies from $10,000 to $15,000.
AB-976
Ting: ADUs: owner-occupancy requirements
The Planning and Zoning Law, among other things, provides for the creation of accessory dwelling units by local ordinance, or, if a local agency has not adopted an ordinance, by ministerial approval, in accordance with specified standards and conditions.
Current law requires a local ordinance to require an accessory dwelling unit to be either attached to, or located within, the proposed or existing primary dwelling, as specified, or detached from the proposed or existing primary dwelling and located on the same lot as the proposed or existing primary dwelling.
This bill would instead prohibit a local agency from imposing an owneroccupancy requirement on any accessory dwelling unit.
AB-1236
Grayson: Fire protection: residential fire sprinklers
Current law authorizes specified local jurisdictions and fire protection districts to make changes or modifications that are more stringent than specified state standards, as provided.
Current law explicitly neither mandates nor prohibits a fire protection district or a local jurisdiction from mandating the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems in the construction of new dwelling units or the retrofitting of existing dwelling units.
This bill would state the intent of the legislature to enact subsequent legislation that would identify a consistent and safe minimum size of residential fire sprinklers that would reduce costs for homeowners and property owners.
AB-1269
Schiavo: Fire insurance
This bill is currently a placeholder bill but states the intent of the legislature to enact legislation to require fire insurance companies to send notifications to their insureds about how they can qualify for discounts on their fire insurance.
AB-1458
Ta: CIDs: association governance: member election
This bill is sponsored by CAI and supported by CACM and states that for election or recall of directors, if an association fails to attain quorum as required in the governing documents, then the proceeding may be adjourned to a date no less than five and no more than thirty days after the adjourned proceeding, at which time the quorum required for purposes of a membership meeting shall be the number of persons present in person, by proxy or by secret written ballot.
AB-1693
Bauer-Kahan: CIDs: Association Governance
This is currently a placeholder bill that amends the Davis-Stirling Act in a nonsubstantive way but will be amended with more substantive content in the future. We are working to learn the author’s intentions for this bill.
SB-71
Umberg: Small Claims
Current law provides that the small claims court has jurisdiction over actions seeking certain forms of relief, including money damages in specified amounts and claims brought by natural persons, not exceeding $10,000, except as specified.
Current law requires an action or special proceeding to be treated as a limited civil case if certain conditions exist, including, among others, that the amount in controversy does not exceed $25,000.
This bill would increase the small claims court jurisdiction over actions brought by a natural person, if the amount does not exceed $25,000, except as specified, and would also increase the amount in
controversy permitted in other specified actions within the jurisdiction of the small claims court.
The bill would increase the limit on the amount in controversy for an action or special proceeding to be treated as a limited civil case to $100,000.
SB-839
Bradford: Insurance: cancellation
Current law prohibits cancellation of an insurance policy, as specified, that has been in effect for 60 days, unless, after the effective date of the policy, certain acts have occurred, including nonpayment of the premium, conviction of the named insured of a crime having as one of its necessary elements an act increasing any hazard insured against, or the discovery of fraud or material misrepresentation.
This bill is currently a placeholder bill to be amended with more substantive content relating to insurance cancellations.
Thousands of bills have been introduced, many of them with only placeholder language for now. At the time of the writing of this article, we are digging through the substance of all newly introduced bills with the goal of advancing the objectives of the community management industry. It will be a busy year for CID legislation so stay tuned as things develop this legislative session.
By Ryan Kwon
According to the Levy, Erlanger & Company’s latest tracked data, there was a reduction of approximately 50 HOAs in the state of California compared to 2021, representing an approximate 0.1% decrease. According to David Levy, founding partner of the Levy, Erlanger & Company, “the actual number of new associations from September 2021 to September 2022 was approximately 250. The apparent net decrease was due to the deletion of about 300 nonprofit organizations that were researched and determined not to be community associations.”
Despite the decline in HOAs, gross revenue increased from $14.1 billion in 2021 to $14.3 billion in 2022, or 1.4%.
“The increase in revenues was likely due to the modest increases in assessments during COVID and perhaps a greater number of ‘no increases’ due to COVID,” said Levy.
California currently has around 55,000 (55,350 associations to be exact) HOAs, and according to Levy’s statistics, around 66% (36,369) of those associations are in Southern California while the remaining 34% (18,981) are in Northern California.
In terms of development types, condos and condo conversions are sweeping the majority with 65% (33,620 associations) while planned unit developments remain in the minority with 34% (17,975 associations). The other 1% (3,755
54,782 55,399 55,350
ASSOCIATIONS
18,715 36,066 36,409 18,990 18,981 36,369
BThe decrease was due to nonprofit organizations determined not to be community associations
REVENUE
DEVELOPMENT TYPES
93 93 93
$13.7B
$14.1B
$14.3B
associations) are cooperatives, timeshare and unclassified developments.
As house prices are predicted to drop 8% in California due to the significant rise in interest rates, “the construction of new homes will probably be fueled by demand for larger and nicer homes due to the trend of working from home, but this could potentially be somewhat offset by the number of people moving out of California,” said Levy.
Levy obtains his data for his statistics from various sources that include: California’s Department of Real Estate public reports
34 %
65 %
1 % CONDOS/CONDO CONVERSIONS
COOPERATIVES/TIMESHARE DEVELOPMENTS/UNCLASSIFIED PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS
and Secretary of State, over 1,500 Northern Californian managers, other state sources, and the internet. Annually, Levy compiles his statistics in September using a program that pulls all the necessary information for his statistics from his sources.
Levy, Erlanger & Company has been compiling its annual statistics book for more than 14 years, but began tracking the number of HOAs in California for much longer. David Levy, founding partner of the firm, has been building the firm’s database since 1985.
If you want your HOA to make a positive impact on the community it serves, the first order of business for you or your management company should be finding an HOA-friendly banking partner.
Unique and nuanced, HOA banking requires a very specific focus and skillset. The right banking partner, combined with the latest in technology and best practices, will help keep your funds safe and secure while also streamlining your processes.
Look for a bank with a dedicated department of HOA banking specialists that offers a comprehensive program including collections and payables, investments and loans while also providing the tools that allow you to manage appropriate oversight, control, and triggers.
When it comes to specialty deposit accounts, your bank should be focused on achieving good yields, with low or no bank fees and a strong treasury management offering that includes ACH, online banking, and lockbox services.
One of the most important things to remember: keep signature cards current. Since the board of directors and/or authorized signers may change each year, up-to-date signature cards allow a smooth and streamlined way to handle execution and avoid delayed access to funds. Without current signatures, certificates of deposit may renew and special requests such as cashiers’ checks and fund transfers may not be completed.
To streamline the check writing process, be sure that the latest signatures are scanned into the payables system and the system is set up to circulate invoices appropriately so that the board knows exactly what is being paid.
An HOA-friendly bank will have a multitude of ways to collect homeowner assessments including eCheck, checks mailed to a lockbox, credit card, debit card, bill pay through online banking, and ACH.
ACH or electronic transactions can now be originated easily through online banking systems and accounting
systems to streamline payment and collection activities. A best practice is to utilize dual control by ensuring that two different people process the ACH/electronic transactions. Most accounting systems have the ability to originate ACH transactions — make sure it allows for dual control. Leverage technology like Positive Pay and ACH Blocking where you can for account and transaction oversight.
The right HOA banking partner will offer easy management of funds between operating and reserves i.e., automatic reserve transfers and investing excess reserves.
To keep your funds safe, FDIC Insurance covers up to $250,000 per corporate Tax ID number at any one bank. SIPC covers $500,000, and up to $250,000 of that can be cash. Private coverage may be offered by some banks, and it is important to clearly understand the limits, underwriting, and which accounts are covered.
For full FDIC coverage, look for a bank that offers placement services using either automatic sweep or certificates of deposit. Use one program to ensure all your investments are covered, where only one signature card is required, and the investment process is streamlined with one monthly statement and one 1099 at year-end.
You may find a time when your association needs to get a repair completed, but the funds just aren’t available. Perhaps there is more hidden damage than anticipated, something unexpected occurred, or there was just poor planning on the part of prior board members.
A loan from a bank with HOA expertise can be the answer. The collateral for an HOA loan can possibly be the assessment stream. The bank will need to know there are enough funds coming in to cover the association’s expenses, continue to fund the reserves, and make the loan payment. If a special assessment is needed, the bank loan will allow those owners who cannot make an upfront payment to pay the association over time, while the project proceeds as planned.
Keep your association on solid ground and partner with a team of experienced HOA banking specialists who will help lower costs and improve efficiencies and cash flow, all while providing effective management control to keep your funds safe and secure.
If a check is stolen (for example from the mailbox of a board member or vendor), the account should be closed. Fraud on the old account could occur months after the theft.
Over 45-60 days, place a stop payment and contact the payee to determine if the check was lost or stolen.
Never include full account numbers and Tax IDs in email exchanges. Emails are not secure, and once a fraudster has access to this information, they can use it for fraud. Be wary of clicking on links or opening attachments in an email. These can be utilized to deliver a virus to your computer and then be used to compromise much of the information or activity on your computer.
The payee and possibly the amount on a legitimate check are altered. Accounts should be monitored frequently to ensure the correct amounts have cleared. Positive Pay can assist with this process as it will flag checks with an incorrect amount and possibly, an incorrect payee.
It is important to periodically monitor accounts to ensure the amount matches your ledger, especially if the accounts are not reconciled monthly. Positive Pay can assist with this process as it will flag checks with an incorrect amount and possibly, an incorrect payee.
Confirm who is authorized to transfer funds between accounts and determine if two approvals are required.
If possible, have dual controls/separation of duties within the association or management company to avoid fraud or errors committed by company employees.
If the accounting system allows, use blank check stock so there are no pre-printed checks to be stolen. Pre-printed checks should be stored in a locked cabinet.
CACM is committed to our members’ professional success. Whether you are hiring or looking for the next industry-specific position, the Career Center is your “go-to” resource. Bookmark the Career Center and visit often.
Jobs can be posted for 30 or 60 days and are optimized for mobile and SEO. Premium and enhanced posts include increased visibility.
On top of posting your job opening, CACM delivers new job posts directly into email inboxes through its monthly Job Watch email and in its monthly MyCommunity member newsletter – both are sent to all of CACM’s members.
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Please ensure you select your membership type before purchasing (we want to make sure you receive your discount!). You’ll also find there is a live chat feature on the page. Those individuals are ready to assist you with any questions you have in real time.
If, after this, you still need assistance, please feel free to reach out to help@ webscribble.com, and a representative from the company that supports CACM’s Career Center will further assist you in answering your questions and assisting you with your posting.
It is with great pride that we recognize managers who have taken the next step in their professional career by pursuing advanced educational opportunities. Congratulations to our newest Certified Community Association Managers (CCAM) and Specialty Certificate recipients for the period of November 12, 2022 through February 23, 2023.
Dominique Albrecht, CCAM
Eric Allshouse, CCAM
Sean Archer, CCAM
Leanne Ardilla, CCAM
Mark Arnold, CCAM
Hector Bacasehua, CCAM
Justine Beltran, CCAM
Nicholas Bowers, CCAM
Lisa Bryce, CCAM
Cassandra Carrasco, CCAM
Dayla Cook, CCAM
Anita Davis, CCAM
Maria Del Carpio, CCAM
Cynthia Duffy, CCAM
Angeline Elmasian, CCAM
Maria Enriquez, CCAM
Lisa Everett, CCAM
Nicole Fisher, CCAM
MaryBeth Forcier, CCAM
Nicole Gloudeman, CCAM
Paul Gomez, CCAM
Wendy Gonzales, CCAM
Jeff Gorman, CCAM
Coral Gross, CCAM
William Hamilton, CCAM
Tenaya Hearns, CCAM
Bertha Hernandez, CCAM
Amanda Hiles, CCAM
Alisha Horn, CCAM
Kayla Hvezda, CCAM
Jason Jordan, CCAM
Renee Martinez, CCAM
Christy Masterson, CCAM
James McCarthy, III, CCAM
April McNicholas, CCAM
Robert Mireles, CCAM
James Moreno, CCAM
Kirk Muldarry, CCAM
Rodolfo Munguia, CCAM
Yvonne Neighbor, CCAM
Lauren Ornelaz, CCAM
Brandon Park, CCAM
Monica Parra, CCAM
Aaron Richardson, CCAM
Janette Romero, CCAM
Jennifer Sanocki, CCAM
Robin Santillan, CCAM
Caitlin Schlussler, CCAM
Stephanie Sena, CCAM
Holly Smith, CCAM
Patricia Stavros, CCAM
Paige Thorgersen, CCAM
Cristina Trevino, CCAM
Nicole Villegas, CCAM
Patricia West, CCAM
Selena Williamson, CCAM
April Yu, CCAM
Brittney Zaragoza, CCAM
Itay Zigdon, CCAM
Skyler Jewell, CAMEx, CCAM
Susanne Darner, CCAM-HR
Sergey Gorokhovsky, CCAM-HR
Sergei Bokov, CCAM-PM.HR.LS
Priscilla Marin, CCAM-LS
Eugene Osipov, CCAM-LS
Brent Uridge, CCAM-LS
Liane Cunningham, CCAM-PM
Veronica Rodriguez, CCAM-PM
Corinne Crawford, CCAM-Emeritus
Edward Szaky, CCAM-Emeritus
Phyllis Harkins, CCAM-Emeritus.LS.AA
We want to congratulate all of the winners of the Vision Awards, who were recognized at the Northern and Southern California Law Seminars earlier this year. In the following pages we highlight some of their accomplishments.
Andrew Crowley, CCAM, began his community management career as a portfolio manager in June 2021 after selling his interest in a local tire and automotive business. He was immediately tasked with taking an upscale, developer-controlled board/community that had experienced a lack of communication and action from its prior management and restore the faith of the board members and residents.
Crowley saw a need for a more hands-on approach, and even though he is a portfolio manager, he began working at a make-shift office in the high-end community two days per week to greet community members, answer questions and solve their problems face-to-face.
The turn-around was almost immediate. The developer noted that they were fielding less questions from homeowners, homeowners’ architectural applications were more complete and getting approved more quickly.
Crowley also found that being onsite allowed him to see other areas within the community that needed attention. He took proactive steps to educate the membership and he also helped reduce the liability for the association.
“By challenging the status quo and not working solely from behind his desk, but truly putting his boots to the ground, the nominee has earned the respect of the community and a reputation throughout the area,” said his nominator. “No matter how many communities he manages, Crowley will always remember what he learned – that a manager that is visible in the community and isn’t afraid to get out and meet with homeowners, vendors and board members will ultimately allow him to do what he does best - help make each community he manages a little bit better every day.”
The Rising Star award recognizes a manager with less than two years of experience in the California community management industry who has consistently raised the bar and exceeded a board’s expectations by solving a challenging situation, gaining confidence of a board or exceeding the board’s expectations.
When Anthony Garcia, CCAM, received a call from a frantic board over the weekend that a pipe had cracked and flooded two units in the community he manages, he quickly worked to notify the insurance of the leak and kept diligent records of coverage. The leak happened when homeowners were out of town, so the situation went unnoticed and the damage was considerable.
Garcia also had the added difficulties of dealing with an underfunded community and budget-conscious board. The homeowner of the unit in question also provided challenges. Throughout the process, Garcia kept his composure, but remained assertive to ensure the problem was solved.
Garcia sought legal counsel to find out who was responsible and to what extent for the damages, then he communicated constantly with the homeowner about repairs that needed to be made, the expenses, and the process for completing the work. His calm demeanor helped diffuse the tension with the homeowner.
“No one ever wants to face challenges, but the obstacles Garcia overcame revealed his commitment and integrity,” said his nominator. “He worked with diligence and communicated with fairness and understanding. He gained his board’s, vendors’ and the homeowner’s trust and confidence, which will serve him well as he continues in the management industry.”
Todd Greisen, CCAM, has faced great challenges in his 15 years as general manager for a high-crime community. Security became a high priority for this HOA early on. The 50-year-old community of over 300 condos has a combination of private and public streets, making it easily accessible for criminal activity.
Greisen immediately implemented many practices common in higher-end communities and newer developments, such as increased lighting, security cameras, and other improvements – all intended to mitigate the criminal element of the surrounding area for residents’ safety. He employed strategic landscaping to enhance the beauty of the property while increasing perimeter security and worked with legal counsel and the board to revise the CC&Rs to convert
carports into garages for better protection and to improve property values. Under his watch, portions of the association’s private streets have been fenced and gated to minimize access and he also worked with the city to block off a public street intersection access point.
Greisen has worked closely with the Chief of Police to reduce drug trafficking and other gang-related activity within the community. Local law enforcement has been given full remote access to the 16 strategically-located cameras in the association. And he’s managed the budget to allow for extended security patrol hours.
Through all of his efforts, he strives to provide the best quality of life possible for residents.
The Innovator award recognizes a manager who uses their unique resources to kick start innovation and solve critical issues or improve association conditions. Managers should show innovative thinking and action in one or several of the following: board management, financial management, community building, out of the box solutions.
Eric Kazakoff, CAMEx, CCAM-LS, has brought his previous experience in construction management to the role as general manager of Canyon Lake Property Owners Association, one of the largest property owners associations in California with nearly 5,000 properties and a $17-million budget. He oversees 150 employees, 37 miles of road and unique amenities.
But it’s his construction management experience that has proven helpful at the 50-plus year old community where he has led the development of custom access control hardware that allows truck and commercial vehicles better visibility upon entering the gated community; helped facilitate more than $100,000 in annual water and energy savings; personally spearheaded the interior redesign and renovation of one of the community’s restaurants; and facilitated more than $400,000 in savings in the development of a new family park. Because of Kazakoff’s oversight, the
park was completed within the budget approved by the board.
He also was able to get the board to approve a spending authority policy that frees up staff to make crucial asset repairs. This has helped the association stave off deferred maintenance by allowing it to keep up with asset repairs and modernization. The policy allows staff to make substantial purchases for repair and replacement projects without prior board approval and includes transparent reporting in the immediately following board meeting agendas.
This innovative solution has completely changed the way the association operates. “The community saw the benefits and the culture has slowly changed to recognize and appreciate the value in making improvements to our aging facilities,” said the nominator.
Stephanie Ripley, CCAM, joined Eugene Burger Management Corporation, where she manages a large group of professionals and several teams, at the start of 2022. But she has many years in the industry.
As soon as she joined, she began setting up systems to make daily tasks easier, including regular meetings and training sessions, formal and informal, using every opportunity to help her coworkers feel connected and knowledgeable.
She takes any opportunity to teach and empower those around her. No matter how busy she is, when co-workers walk into her office, she stops what she is doing and takes the time to support them and share her extensive knowledge and experience.
“Her impact on the team is clear and regularly acknowledged at our meetings by the team with gratitude for her kind and confident leadership,” said her nominator. “She not only brings extensive knowledge followed by action but also a positive and calming attitude.”
Recently, she stepped in to handle two portfolios for managers who were unexpectedly out on personal leave. This involved attending board meetings and other administrative tasks while still leading her teams. This year brought changes and loss to EBMC and she brought the team together through tough times and change, carefully honoring where the team was for many years while leading the team forward with her positive outlook.
The winner of the Innovator award this year also won for Leadership. Eric Kazakoff, CAMEx, CCAM, sees the value in lifting those around him by cross-training and investing in their continued education. Under his mentorship, six employees have been supported all the way through CACM training to obtain their CCAM certification.
In the office, Kazakoff is known for saying “never ask a barber if you need a haircut.” In an industry where it can be easy to spend money hiring vendors before a creative solution is considered, he reminds his staff of the need to think through a problem and encourages them to find creative ways to meet expectations while also being fiscally conservative with members’ money.
“He leads by example and leaves room for his managers to make their own mistakes to learn and grow from,” said the nominator. But he also teaches staff to manage and operate the association from a business perspective rather than letting politics and emotion drive their decisions.
In a job that requires ground-level attention and a 30,0000-foot view, Kazakoff has guided staff to look at management from all corners of its operation. His approach to mentorship and leadership has resulted in a fiercely loyal staff.
The Leadership award recognizes a manager who has fostered another’s professional growth. Nominees are known for mentoring and inspiring others, helping define professional goals and supporting the success of their peers.
Kim Flickner, CAMEx, CCAM-PM.LS regularly volunteers as an educator and teaches a wide number of CACM courses. She can often be relied on to fill in at the last minute.
Students note that her teaching style is very interactive and engaging. She is able to take the CACM course material and enhance it with real-life scenarios. When not teaching, Flickner can be found taking courses and has achieved several specialty certifications. Flickner also serves on educational panels at CACM’s Law Seminars and Regional Forums.
“Her commitment to education and our industry has inspired many others to further their educational opportunities with CACM as she encourages others to pursue opportunities offered by CACM,” said her nominator. “I recently had the opportunity to take her class .. this was the first time in a long time that I enjoyed the class,” said another nominator. “Before I knew it, class was over.”
The Educational Excellence award is presented to a member for their contributions to continuing education and professional development and growth of managers. Nominees further CACM’s education programs and provide outstanding service to the organization.
Whether it’s speaking at CACM’s annual Law Seminars or serving as chief editor of CACM’s Law Journals, Fred Whitney, Esq., volunteers enthusiastically to expand on the education of community managers. He helps develop topics for the Law Journal quarterly publications and also presents on topics at the Northern and Southern California Law Seminars. He’s spoken on topics including management of large-scale developments, Civil Code 5200 document inspection requests and election issues.
Whitney’s goal when presenting is to ensure that managers have information they can immediately put to use and that the material is
presented in a way that allows them to educate others including board members, homeowners and fellow staff members.
Through his law firm, Whitney also works with many management companies every year to explain the requirements of new laws and help adapt each company’s procedures and written materials. He works with colleagues in his field to achieve consistent interpretation of new laws and create a group of advocates who speak with one voice on behalf of all homeowner associations when the state legislature is considering new legislation.
Gordian Staffing’s growth took off in 2020 as the industry’s hiring crisis put a strain on many companies. Company founder Rob Buffington visited companies to offer free consulting to help them learn how to navigate the ins and outs of working with remote employees to relieve their turnover and hiring problems. The need was so great, that Gordian Staffing grew exponentially.
“What I love most about [Gordian Staffing] is that the company uses that growth and success to give back to others,” said the company’s nominator.
The company’s philanthropic work includes donating 900 pairs of shoes
to children in need; donating funds to pay for cleft palate repairs in underserved countries; donating to a human trafficking education and prevention program for over 10,000 children in the U.S.; supporting an orphanage in Guadalajara, Mexico; donating $5,000 to local Bay Area charities; and donating 127 hours of free services to nonprofits.
Gordian has also hired more than 100 employees to work at California companies in the last 12 months at a wage 20 percent above the local average wage, but saving those companies $2.8 million annually. It has given $44,000 back to its employees in profit sharing and also designed a private training platform for employees so they continue to grow.
“The company promotes good careers, good employees and ambitious charitable goals,” said the company’s nominator. “It’s been quite an experience to watch such a special place grow and to be a part of that growth.”
The Company Culture award recognizes businesses that work hard to create a culture and identity that helps retain staff and positively impacts the actions and attitudes of their team while fueling growth. It also recognizes community service and social responsibility.
Small companies can make a big difference. Murrish Maintenance is a small family owned business started six years ago by a husband and wife team. From the onset, Suzie Murrish said she wanted to start a business where employees wanted to come to work, feel welcome and share the same vision.
But in addition to creating a culture of retention, Murrish Maintenance has made community involvement and philanthropy a key part of its operation. When the city of Ontario where it is located was hit with a firework explosion that damaged many homes, the company along
with other local small businesses collected and distributed clothing, food and personal hygiene items to those affected by the fire.
The company also gives back to its local community through involvement in nonprofits including The Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Pug Rescue of Los Angeles.
“As a small family owned business, we don’t have as much money as larger corporations but we try our hardest to do our part to help make this world a better place,” Murrish said.
serving your communities
CACM members further their success in the industry and benefit by partnering with colleagues to share new ideas and best practices. Join us in welcoming these new members from the fourth quarter of 2022 (November 1st – December 31st.)
Blue Mountain Heating & Air Vacaville | (707) 451-8111 bluemountainair.net
Capital One Newport Beach | (714) 294-4063 capitalone.com/small-business/bank
Flock Safety Santa Monica | (706) 581-4013 flocksafety.com
Independent Building Analysis, Inc. Mission Viejo | (949) 290-6366 ibainspections.com
Job Masters Construction Inc. Stockton | (209) 395-3177 jobmastersinc.com
Lester Land Planning & Design Review Services
Costa Mesa | (949) 430-8680
Roof Solutions, Inc. Vacaville | (707) 449-7663 roofsolutionsca.com
RT Painting Inc. Sacramento | (916) 900-8112 rtpainting.com
Commercial Bank of California Los Angeles | (310) 882-4812 cbcal.com
Edward Jones Financial Advisor David Soltes Fresno | (559) 492-1345 edwardjones.com/david-soltes
Hotwire Communication Playa Vista | (213) 819-6879 hotwirecommunications.com
Lombard Consulting Services, Inc. Huntington Beach | (714) 840-8230 lombardcs.com
Loop Global El Segundo | (888) 385-6671 evloop.io
Reliance Roofing Inc Rancho Cucamonga | (888) 799-9220 relianceroofinginc.com
SimplySeal LLC
La Mesa | (619) 871-1445 simplyseal.com
maintaining high standards
CACM members further their success in the industry and benefit by partnering with colleagues to share new ideas and best practices. Please join us in welcoming these members from the fourth quarter of 2022 (November 1st – December 31st.)
Darren Zetena
Erica Amaro
Amber Andaya
Crystal Andrade
Carrie Ayala
Robin Baer
Mike Brasil
Robert Byars
Chelsea Carpenter
Wendy Cross, CCAM-LS.PM.AA
Christie Curtis, CCAM
Alyssa Dominguez
Amber Effinger
Ariana Field
Yvonne Figueroa
Kevin Gagne
Kristen Griggs
Ivette Guzman
Rochelle Jimenez
Nora Kessler
Humaira Kobakiwal
Kosta Makris
Spencer Mathey
Marlena Mattes
Robert Morgan
Tanya Murdock
Daniel Nakamura
Megan Paladini
Deedra Pfaff
Kyle Pieksma
Amanda Porter
Ricky Potts
Lizeth Ramos
Narda Rangel
Siera Robinson
Samantha Santana
Robin Santillan, CCAM
Briana Shields
Michelle Smith
Ed Snow
Sean Somers
Annessa Sosa
Heather Stanley
Mikala Stevens
Fariba Tomlinson
Lesley Walters
Scott Management Company
Torrance | (310) 370-2696 scottmanagement.com
Snow Properties
Stockton | (206) 406-5663
California HOA Solutions LLC
Woodland Hills | (818) 927-1001
cahoasolutions.com
Lindsay Management Services Carlsbad | (760) 436-1143
lindsaymgt.com
Uptown Property Management, Inc.
Whittier | (562) 444-8644
myuptownpropertymanagement.com
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Now more than ever, small problems or concerns can quickly turn into verbal aggression, threats or violence. Just how can community managers address a situation that begins to escalate and is it their role to do so? This interactive session will provide strategies for settling, resolving and de-escalating a situation while maintaining a safe environment for those involved and when to inform legal counsel or company leadership. Facing intense situations takes a toll on you. The discussion also will address coping strategies to relieve stress and impact from handling emotional interactions.
Join us for breakfast or lunch and ask your most pressing questions of our industry experts. Attending industry partners will be on hand to discuss key issues and solutions. Plus, learn from and network with peers who are facing similar challenges. You will walk away with a list of new strategies and ideas to implement in your communities.
REGISTER NOW: CACM.org
Note: MCAMs, CCAMs, & CAFMs earn 2 CEUs
Manager Support Sponsors
Angius & Terry LLP
AWT Construction Group, Inc.
Saarman Construction, Ltd.
Unlimited Property Services, Inc.
Varsity Painting
Whit’s Painting, Inc.
Micro Session Table Sponsors
Advance Construction Technology, Inc. (ACT)
Association Maintenance Services, Inc. (AMS)
Citadel Roofing & Solar
CM Squared, Inc.
Enviro Views, Inc.
Heritage Bank of Commerce
Pacific Premier Bank Community Association Banking
Recon 360, LLC
Signature Services
Manager Support Sponsors
MPS Financial, LLC
The Naumann Law Firm, PC
Pro Star Mechanical Services
Micro Session Table Sponsors
Accurate Termite & Pest Control
Berding | Weil LLP
CM Squared, Inc.
EmpireWorks Reconstruction
Mission Landscape Companies, Inc.
Pacific Premier Bank Community Association Banking
PCW Contracting Services
ProTec Building Services
SCT Reserve Consultants, Inc.
Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions
Manager Support Sponsors
Angius & Terry LLP
AWT Construction Group, Inc.
Kelly Moore Paint Co, Inc.
Saarman Construction, Ltd.
Unlimited Property Services, Inc.
Micro Session Table Sponsors
Citadel Roofing & Solar
Heritage Bank of Commerce
Hughes Gill Cochrane Tinetti, PC
MindMe Technology, Inc.
Signature Services
Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions
Manager Support Sponsors
Adams l Stirling PLC
MPS Financial, LLC
Pacific Green Landscape, Inc.
Micro Session Table Sponsors
A-1 All American Roofing Co., San Diego Inc.
Accurate Termite & Pest Control
Alliance Association Bank
BrightView Landscape Services, Inc.
Empireworks Reconstruction
Pacific Premier Bank Community Association
Banking
ProTec Building Services
Pro-Tech Painting Company
SCT Reserve Consultants, Inc.
Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions
Manager Support Sponsors
Adams l Stirling PLC
Alliance Association Bank
Angius & Terry LLP
AWT Construction Group, Inc.
Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors
CAM Construction & Painting
Micro Session Table Sponsors
Berding | Weil LLP
Citadel Roofing & Solar
EmpireWorks Reconstruction
The Greenspan Co./Adjusters International
Socher Insurance Agency
Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions
Micro Session Table Sponsors
Alliance Association Bank
EmpireWorks Reconstruction
Mission Landscape Companies, Inc.
SCT Reserve Consultants, Inc.
Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions
When it comes to reaching out to potential clients in the construction and maintenance industry, vendors have a few different options available to them. One option is to send unsolicited bids to community managers with the hope that these bids will lead to new business. But, is this strategy a good idea? In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the pros and cons of vendors sending unsolicited bids to community managers.
One of the biggest pros of unsolicited bids is that they allow vendors to reach a larger customer base and potentially gain new clients. By sending bids to community managers, who the vendor may not have had a relationship with previously, the vendor is opening themselves up to a whole new pool of potential clients.
Community managers may be interested in receiving bids from vendors that they were not previously aware of as it allows them to compare prices and services from a wider range of companies.
Another potential benefit of unsolicited bids is that they can be a way for vendors to differentiate themselves from competitors and showcase their unique skills or services. For example, if a vendor specializes in a certain type of construction or maintenance work, they may be able to use unsolicited bids as a way to demonstrate this expertise to managers.
Some managers who are new to the role may not know when certain projects or maintenance is supposed to take place during the year. In sending a bid, a vendor can help get the process going or put the specific project or maintenance on the community manager’s radar. Community managers, especially new ones, can use the support from vendors who have the expertise on when tree trimming or gutter cleaning, for example, should be completed.
However, there are also a number of cons to consider when it comes to unsolicited bids. For one thing, community managers may view unsolicited bids as spam or unwanted solicitations and may be frustrated by the number of bids they receive. Managers may be more likely to work with vendors they have an established relationship with or who have been recommended by other industry professionals rather than vendors who have sent unsolicited bids.
Another potential con is that unsolicited bids may be viewed as unprofessional or a sign of a less experienced vendor. This is because they may be seen as trying to drum up business rather than having a pre-existing client base.
It’s important to note that unsolicited bids may be against the legal policies of some organizations. If a community manager doesn’t want to receive any unsolicited bids, it should be against the law to force them to. Vendors should conduct research on the organization policies before sending any unsolicited bids.
Also, a lot of times turnover in the management of some HOAs means that unsolicited bids many times end up in the wrong inboxes or just unanswered. The manager who the bid was emailed to is no longer there and the information is not forwarded to the new contact.
While sending unsolicited bids can be a way for vendors to gain new clients, it is important to consider the potential negative perception that may come with them.
The legal aspect of it should be taken into account when deciding whether or not to send unsolicited bids. While it’s true that unsolicited bids can open up new opportunities, vendors should also proceed with caution to avoid any negative consequences.
When offering an unsolicited bid, vendors should make an effort to provide not only the scope of work and cost but any details on prior projects they’ve completed, potential references from those projects, and background on their company.
Fiduciary duty doesn’t always start with your board and certainly doesn’t end there.
As a certified manager, especially a manager certified with CACM, you too have a fiduciary duty to your board, membership, owners, and tenants alike. Bottom line, you are the gatekeeper for the association, and you hold both the power and obligation to ensure all of your residents have a safe and enjoyable experience to thrive in their community. Of course, we know that day-to-day tasks require this mindset, but this is especially true in an emergency response situation.
In this article, we share a cautionary tale of a community management team and an association that faced a barrage of obstacles but prevailed with this mindset.
It was a Friday morning like any other for our residents, but not so much for our management team. It was just about 9:20 a.m., and we were all in good spirits, excited to start our three-day holiday weekend. Then, everything changed when we received an urgent call on our two-way radios, “I think we have a sink hole.”
All joking was quickly put aside, and we swiftly moved into all-hands-on-deck mode. Our team seemed to know where to be, what to do, and moved into position. Many of us went to the site where the incident was reported. Once we arrived at the south driveway, the fast-rising flood was approaching up to two feet in depth with the length and width of a football field.
There were chunks of asphalt popping up off the ground as the water surged up from below. Our maintenance team ran to the maintenance shop for shut-off tools. Our manager ran to the office to call East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to report a mainline line leak and to request emergency assistance with the shutoff.
Our initial thinking was this must be a city supply line, which would explain the amount of water flow. Our property attendant took point for traffic and crowd
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control, and our office started communicating with the membership right away through our email distribution software and responding to phone calls. Everyone wanted to know what was happening. Office staff was also reaching out to the vehicle owners whose cars were in jeopardy of being flooded or worse if they didn’t move them immediately.
Within 30 minutes, EBMUD arrived onsite to assist in shutting down the water. Our initial concern was that the other 20 or so complexes on “condo row” near our association would be impacted during this shutoff. Our fear was that shutting off the backflows or water mains at the street carried some risk and liability as neighboring communities could have been affected.
With the help of the EBMUD, their maps, and their office support staff, we were able to narrow down the source and stop the water. Strange to say this, but we were relieved to hear that the break was on our side of the meter, thus, making it our problem to resolve. We averted a larger problem of notifying all the complexes and were able to focus our resources and isolate the break to fix it.
Remember, this was a Friday before a long holiday weekend, and we were conducting an emergency water shutoff for the entire complex. Did I mention that we had almost 800 units (about 2,500 residents affected altogether) without water? The phones were ringing, and emails were pouring in from our residents demanding answers. This is when the idea of fiduciary duty really kicked in.
We had no time to waste. Every second counted. We’re calling plumber after plumber. Of course, availability was limited, and we were being quoted long lead times. We didn’t have the luxury of time. The manager started calling in some favors from relationships honed over the years in this industry. There is a tip! Maintaining our relationships in this industry can help when you least expect it.
Thankfully, the manager was able to arrange a leak detection from lucky plumber number seven. They arrived within 45 minutes! It was unbelievable, and we were so grateful to see them as quickly as we did. This was important, and once we had the location of the leak identified, we were able to move into next steps.
Our initial thought was that the force of the water pointed to a leak with a fire hydrant. Our attempts to turn the valve to shut off the hydrant was a bust. It was frozen shut after 50-plus idle years and wasn’t going to budge. Again, our game of “would you rather…” was in full force.
It turned out that the leak was 10-plus feet deep and was caused by a failed AC transit pipe from the 1970s. So, would you rather have a fused fire hydrant or a 1970s transit pipe 10 feet deep? To be clear, the AC transit pipe was circa 1970s comprised with concrete and asbestos.
It is strange to say this, but “here came the hard part.” We had to advise the residents that the water would be off for “some (unspecified) period of time” plus, source the products for the fix, and then, obtain board approval for this emergency expense. Are you dizzy? We were!
Turns out that fire hydrant valve was just about three feet wider than the area necessary to excavate and fix the pipe break. That was three more feet in width times 10 feet in depth, which now doubled the price of the repair. We were looking at almost $100,000 in repairs.
We were a new management company hired by the association within only a matter of weeks. This was our moment to make it or break it. All eyes were on us, and we knew this was a pivotal moment. The only thing we knew to do was to provide solid, honest, and forthright information in a timely manner. Our team kept the membership and residents informed by the hour of what to expect.
Every email included photos of the work being done, challenges we were facing, and the transparency of what to expect over the next few hours and days. We advised the board that this was the time, if ever, to approve these emergency repairs to the failed pipe and the hydrant valve. We were all on notice of the necessary repairs, and it was up to our team to leave it better than we found it. So, we set our sights on fixing it, fixing it right, and getting it done quickly, but with a big emphasis on quality.
We gathered the board for an emergency meeting per civil code requirements. We explained the complexity of the needed repairs. Our forwardthinking board approved. Hark! We were in business! This decision was made just in time to deploy machinery and equipment and to source the hard-to-find parts compatible with our vintage piping.
We got our proposals signed, and within two hours, the excavators and other equipment arrived. We had to move vehicles to get this equipment situated, and the tow company was not comfortable driving on the asphalt where it was sinking. Again, with expert and swift work, our crew maneuvered the vehicles out of the way, so our on-the-clock workers could start.
They started digging, digging, and digging. Into the dark of the night with loud machines and residents without water, we kept sending hourly updates to advise of the relentless efforts of everyone involved and thank our residents for their patience.
More parts were sourced, which took more time. Excavation was done by hand and trowel at points to ensure safety. All the while, we kept the membership informed of the step-by-step detail. Drinking water was delivered to our residents who were housebound. Community leaders delivered water bottles to a central location for residents to pick up.
Working by truck light, the plumbing crew was able to complete the plumbing clamp installation, and after detailed training from our experienced maintenance staff, our property attendant was able to slowly power up the water flow to the 800 units around 10:30 p.m. that same night, just 13 hours later.
Additional repairs ensued over the long weekend, but what stood out the most was the resolve of the plumbing crew. Fiduciary duty extended and was exemplified by them as they didn’t stop working until the job was done, even during a long holiday weekend. This was impressive and forever imprinted in our minds.
We photo documented the whole project except for one very special moment. One of our board members brought ice cream sundae treats to the office a few days before, so we had a full box in the freezer.
Late in the long and hot holiday weekend, we checked in with the crew to see how the project was going. We brought the box of ice cream treats to the excavation site, and we all took a much-needed break to enjoy the cold sweet treats. We didn’t get a picture at the time, but the memory will live with us forever. There was a joy and innocence about it: strong, hardworking, dirty hands holding these ice cream cones, and hard working men with genuine smiles sharing a well-deserved break and some laughs.
Fiduciary duty means that the job is done when the job is done. If you commit to crossing the finish line, it will pay off in more ways than a salary. As a manager, your job isn’t done at five o’clock when it is time to clock out.
This profession has endless opportunities and brings amazing satisfaction when we rally together to achieve a common goal and to always “leave it better than you found it.”
Foundation Community Management, Inc. (FCM) was founded by Melissa Hajostek, CCAM-PM-LS.ND, in 2022. The FCM philosophy of community management is “Leave it better then you found it.” In other words, do it right, do it because it needs to be done, and don’t cut corners.
Allies in the community management industry are extremely valuable, especially at a time when boards and homeowners seem to be more sensitive than usual. Who are these allies and what can they do to help you in the current climate?
By Jessica Melvin, CCAM
First on the list will be no surprise to anyone who has been in the industry longer than a month. Association attorneys are worth their weight in gold. From free advice on that extra strange situation you have with the neighborhood cat lady to in-depth help on writing a new set of documents, attorneys are always ready to help managers and their clients in times of need and uncertainty.
We really had to rely on them a lot during the last few years, and forming friendly relationships was mutually beneficial as we could help them understand the board or community dynamics. Having a few reliable attorneys with varied perspectives is unbeatable. A bonus is the famous attorney sense of humor. These folks have seen it all, solved it, and lived to tell the tale. With names and identities changed, of course.
Next up are those managers in the office (or on Zoom for some of us, still) that have been around for decades and seem to know everyone and everything. The historical knowledge of these senior-level managers can’t be replaced. In many instances, they can tell you the old way it was done, as well as the current procedures and
then further offer more streamlined solutions and tidbits of information for how it should be done.
Though the senior managers are quickly retiring or moving from the industry, see if you can grab one as a mentor going forward (I stole one myself!) and build a relationship that will provide you not only knowledge on navigating the office politics, procedures and various fires that strike up, but also, a friend to talk to on those extra difficult days who understand the pressures you are dealing with. After all, they did it without a computer, through a recession, and actually had to use a fax machine.
Every manager loves their vendors even if parts took a year to arrive and all the projects were heavily delayed due to staff shortages. This ally is the most immediately beneficial as we both have a job to do and rely on each other to meet deadlines, make money, and look good while doing it. Many management companies and associations have preferred vendor lists, but I bet if you ask any manager, they have their own preferred vendor list.
Vendors you have relationships with will go above and beyond for you and your clients. For instance, not every arborist can be called at 3 a.m. to get a tree off of a house, but an arborist who has a solid working relationship with you sure will.
Managers always have deadlines, on/off issues, and emergencies. Having a few vendors who are reliable and willing never hurts you or your clients. Build these relationships as you go through your career, and you will be glad you did.
This ally is far less talked about, but just like a vendor relationship, it can be extremely beneficial to both parties. Have you ever stopped to talk to the police officer who has your community in their patrol beat? If not, find out who it is and make an introduction.
When there is trouble that is outside of an association jurisdiction, it sure helps to know who to call and create a relationship between them and your community.
What about the public works manager, sewer district crew, or the animal control officer? All of these things play a part in how the community operates, and if you have a clogged storm drain just outside of your community, a loose dog running just outside your gate, or even a nearby park that just needs attention, it sure is nice to have the people who can fix these things on speed dial.
An added benefit to forming a working relationship with these individuals is that you also get to hear about upcoming projects or planned maintenance that may be of interest to your community or could deeply affect them.
The last on this list is another ally that many managers don’t immediately think about. HOA communities are everywhere, and they all have their own difficulties. Perhaps, you have a senior community! Did you know there is a free resource called Born to Age that provides a lot of vetted services to seniors?
Communities in challenged areas may be able to benefit from non-profit organizations who perform community outreach. The people involved in these organizations want to help and often know a lot about what is going on in your community and other available resources or connections that can be useful to you.
Though it sometimes seems as we are on an island in this profession, the truth is that there are so many moving parts and people in this industry. If you look around within your communities, you can build solid relationships that will help you and your associations flourish. Some of these reliable allies will turn into cherished friends and the knowledge you gain from building these relationships will transcend your professional career.
This exclusive event is designed for management company decision makers. The collaborative atmosphere provides executives with the freedom to discuss challenging issues in an effort to find creative and collective solutions for the future of our industry.
Be part of rich conversations among peers who are committed to defining the future of our industry. Share, brainstorm and collaborate in an innovative and thought-provoking setting, while developing valuable new connections.
Let’s work together to shape, define and drive our industry forward!
Back by popular demand!
Dr. James Doti, professor and president emeritus at Chapman University, will present the Chapman Economic Forecast – a highly anticipated forecast for business professionals. Discover what this rich insight means for your business and the industry.
Before allowing a contractor to repair, replace, or maintain the association’s maintained areas, associations must make sure the contractor is licensed and insured. Jim Lyons, owner of Construction Services Inc. says, “Successful construction requires proper planning.” Let’s look at this simple concept in more detail.
“The process begins by vetting vendors before they are invited to bid on your project,” says Connor Doyle, National Sales Director for Vendor Information Verification Experts (VIVE). Doyle shared an all-too-familiar story about a recent incident where a manager was tasked with a small (cost wise) drywall repair project.
The board hired a contractor and collected insurance information prior to the job start. The contractor hired a sub who set off the interior sprinkler system causing a catastrophic loss destroying three units.
The sub had no insurance, and the contract’s general liability policy lapsed prior to commencement of the job. The board/manager attempted to do due diligence by collecting insurance info. But, did they go far enough to safeguard the association and ameliorate risk?
Perhaps, the most important item to look for when reviewing a vendor’s insurance is whether
it has a “Multi-Family” or “Multi-Unit” exclusion in their insurance policy. If they do, they are essentially uninsured if they perform any work for a condominium association. If that is the case, do not hire the vendor.
Pushed by boards to “get jobs done,” managers find it hard to get apples-to-apples bids. It takes time to investigate the site conditions and prepare a written scope of work for which most managers don’t possess technical expertise.
“When requesting an RFP (Request for Proposal), it is most important to provide the contractor a clear scope of work,” says Mark Greening, Principal of RFI Construction Management, Inc.
The request should also include a bid request form or a clear format of how the bidder should present the bid. Lastly, the RFP should ask the contractor to include any clarifications or exclusions, including insurance exclusions for multifamily housing, that are not included in the bid.
These three elements should provide the manager and the board what they need to perform proper bid comparisons and to evaluate the most complete and competitive bid. Managers can also hold a pre-bid walk, so everyone can ask questions and agree on the scope of work. Still, managers should lean on experts who are too often underutilized.
While the internet has made sealed bidding somewhat obsolete, CACM recommended, as recently as 2016, that managers employ a sealed bid process wherein all bids are received sealed and are opened in the presence of the client board or its designated representative.
In other words, it is unethical to bid on a shop by taking another vendor’s scope without their express authorization and asking for competitive bids or asking vendors to beat this price. It is ethical to answer vendor questions about the scope of work and reply to all bidders with the answers.
Remember, it’s not about selecting the lowest bid. It is about selecting the best company for the job. Managers succeed when they provide context to bids and show a higher level of professionalism by preparing a complete bid presentation including exclusions.
If you are lucky enough to manage a community where prior managers have stressed board education and reliance on professional advice, then you don’t need this article. But, if you’re like most of the rest of us and have board members who are completely convinced they can run a community association without professional help, diminishing managers, and professional service providers, then “we need to help clients move away from trying to save money, which is not how boards have thought historically, and toward risk management above all else,” says Doyle.
Mark Grubaugh of OMNI Construction Management outlines just some of the basics for a concrete replacement RFP:
Lyons says, “It’s very hard to evaluate bids without a scope of work. Whatever you pick may or may not meet your needs.”
Construction managers are best utilized on larger projects that require property condition assessments, multiple scopes, competitive bids, and the proper oversight to ensure the property and the community receives the best quality work delivered on time.
The CACM Code of Professional Ethics and Standards of Practice, June 7, 2017, Standard of Practice 1-01: Education, c, that all managers sign, reads “The Member shall encourage officers, board members, and committee chairs of clients to participate in courses and seminars which will improve their abilities to serve community association members.”
Specifics:
• Marked areas for removal – all bidders have same square footage?
• Root barrier?
• Six sack mix, or?
• Six-by-six or four-by-four wire?
• Doweled?
• Broom finish, or?
Ifmy math is correct, 6,528 footballs are brought to NFL football games over a regular season. 32 teams x 17 games = 272 games, 12 balls per game per team. You likely know some trivia that makes my numbers wrong, but according to my sources, it’s around 6,500 balls stamped with the moniker “The Duke” hauled onto the gridiron each year.
Wait, not so fast; to head you trivia buffs off at the pass, there are also 8 additional balls provided by the officials for kicking. Again… according to my unofficial sources.
One industry provider hand stitches every last one of them, Wilson. We’ve all handled thousands of Wilson balls from one sport or another. Wilson’s not exactly a monopoly in the professional sports world, but in NFL football, they reign godlike.
It would be superfluous to say that the relationships between Wilson, CBS, Riddell (Helmets), Nike (just about everything else on the sidelines), and NFL football are important. Those relationships are the very essence of the modern game of football.
An NFL team is, according to Forbes, worth on average about $4.5 billion as of 2022. Use the average and multiply by those 32 teams, and you get $144 billion. It’s rough, but it’s a number to work with.
According to ipropertymanagement.com, American homes within HOAs are worth approximately $9.2 trillion. If the NFL finds its service and industry providers essential to their execution of the game, doesn’t it make sense that the HOA industry, 63 times greater than the NFL in value, should place high value on its industry partners also?
We all understand that this comparison breaks down quickly, for-profit vs. non-profit, centralized ownership of the NFL vs. the immensely decentralized ownership in HOAs, impersonal entertainment vs. the very personal nature of our homes, etc. But, the relationship between the industry partners and the owners compares pretty well.
Without footballs, the NFL doesn’t ever get an opening kickoff. Without landscapers and painters, a condo drops in value. Without Riddell, football would be ridiculously dangerous. Without pool vendors, the community pool would be no less fraught. Without CBS and other network providers, the games would play to far smaller audiences. Without management companies, the HOA industry would play like a sort of anarchic dystopian reality show.
Like with football and its suppliers, the relationship between the HOA and its industry partners is the very essence of the industry.
The HOA manager lies at the center of the success of many HOAs. Their skills repel the anarchy, and the management structure has, to date, prevented a dystopian alternative. The HOA manager doesn’t hold the line alone. Striving at their side are their trusty service providers: attorneys, landscapers, accountants, contractors, and arborists, etc. The strike force, when streamlined, works seamlessly and the HOA members can live happily, largely unaware of the machine that facilitates their peaceful coexistence.
When the strike force fails and the machine breaks down, the outcome is predictable. But, keeping the machine running is nuanced, and the machinery has changed over the decades as the grand social experiment called Common Interest Developments has matured into what I believe is now an awkward adolescence.
Cooperation between design professionals like engineers and architects and the aging community is becoming more important. Contractors, once asked to perform routine maintenance, are now being asked to get involved with reconstruction.
As you can imagine, the pool maintenance professional differs significantly from the pool replacement contractor. Same with landscape maintenance and replacement. Same with siding and trim. And yes of course, same with those pesky balconies. Getting the strike force on the same page as the maturing structures is becoming ever more important.
And that’s just the structures. The role of accountants, attorneys, and other industry consultants is transitioning also. As the grand experiment moves through time, communication between the service providers becomes increasingly important. Each provider relies on the expertise and objectivity of a galaxy of other providers to successfully keep up with the changes. There are no silos available for the modern CID service provider. It’s all glass houses here.
While healthy competition within the specialties is good for the customers, adversarial relationships between the different trade groups will only find the participants left behind. Community managers lie at the center of the system.
Call it a web or a spoked wheel, the impact is the same. The community manager is at the center. Their response to the maturation of the industry is critical to their own relevance. The burden is on the community manager to build relationships with industry providers who will bridge with them into the next phase of the CID lifecycle.
American homes within HOAs are worth approximately $9.2 trillion. If the NFL finds its service and industry providers essential to their execution of the game, doesn’t it make sense that the HOA industry, 63 times greater than the NFL in value, should place high value on its industry partners also?By Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR
The cornerstone is traditionally the first stone that is laid when a masonry structure is being built. All the other stones or bricks are then built around this cornerstone. It is therefore the most crucial stone in the whole structure.
Similarly, when you are new to a community, trust is the cornerstone upon which the rest of your work at the community will be built around. If you fail to build trust early on, then, the rest of your work will suffer, and you will struggle.
Given the importance of building trust, how does one build such trust in a new community, especially when your predecessor was a longstanding manager with a strong foundation of trust?
The first step in building trust is to become a student of the community and understand the community’s needs and concerns. As you meet the members of the community and staff, learn about the history of the community and ask questions like, “What have been the challenges?” “What have been the successes?”
By doing this, you can gain a better understanding of the community’s pain points and what they expect from you as the community manager. They will appreciate the fact that your first steps as a manager revolve around learning about their community.
This may go without saying, but it is also important to build a strong relationship with the board. This can be done by regularly communicating with them and keeping them informed about the community’s progress and any issues that may arise. Some have found a weekly summary email to the board helpful in keeping the lines of communication open.
Additionally, it is important to work closely with the board to establish clear goals and objectives for the community and to ensure that the community’s needs are being met. Ultimately, you and the board need to be in sync in order for the community to thrive.
Another important aspect of building trust is to be responsive to the community members. This means being available to answer questions and address concerns in a timely manner. This one aspect of trust-building is probably the most important and will make or break trust relatively quickly.
If a member brings up a concern and you tell them that you will look into it, you better look into it and come back to them with what you learned about the issue or, even better, how you are able to help resolve the issue for them.
A series of these successes will get you well on your way to building trust. Personally, I aim for several of these “successes” per week to continue to fill up the “trust tank” with the community.
Another key element of building trust is to be consistent in your actions and communication. This means being consistent in how you treat others and following through on your promises. Just because so-and-so is known to be a difficult resident does not mean that you don’t address his/her concerns as quickly. In fact, for me, it’s tempting to address them more quickly in order to win them over, but one must be careful to not swing to the other extreme.
I have found that consistently addressing issues, irrespective of whether the resident is the sweetest or the most bitter, is the best approach if your goal is to win trust within the community. This kind of consistent behavior will help you establish credibility and reliability, which are essential for building trust with a community.
Finally, it is important to be open to feedback and to be willing to make changes when necessary. This means being willing to listen to the community’s feedback along the way and making changes when necessary to improve the community’s experience.
Additionally, it is important to communicate any changes that are made to the community and to explain why they are being made. It’s tempting in a new community to want to make changes, but part of being a student of a community is learning about their tolerance for change. Too much change or a rapid pace of change will chip away at that cornerstone of trust.
Building trust with a new community and with the board when taking over from a longstanding community manager is a challenging task, but it can be done successfully by doing the following:
- being a student of the community,
- understanding the community’s needs and concerns,
- building a strong relationship with the board,
- being responsive,
- being consistent in your actions and communication, and
- being open to feedback and willing to make changes when necessary.
By following these steps, you will be well on your way to establishing the cornerstone of trust needed for your success and that of the community.
Building trust with a community and a board when you’re taking over from an onsite manager overseeing operations for 38 years can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.
The common interest development industry in California is one that is ever changing and has its share of ups and downs. As we emerge from the pandemic where we learned the essential nature of our services, a growing trend of consolidation and acquisition has started to present itself.
Consolidation is not new to our industry; however, the rate of acquisition and size of companies that partake in this activity have both increased post-pandemic.
Our industry is lucrative to both those companies operating within the industry and those that are seeking to enter the space. For individuals who have chosen community management as their profession, this change poses new and familiar opportunities in managing their communities and in choosing where to work.
As managers, it is important to remember that building lasting relationships with clients and employers is key to success, promotion, and longevity in this industry. In this article we’ll discuss some tried and true traits that one must possess to successfully navigate an acquisition transition and ways to keep your board members focused on the task of governing their communities when faced with a change they didn’t sign up for.
No matter what may be happening during an acquisition, those who consistently perform their duties will keep their clients happy and employers ecstatic that they have someone that they can rely on.
Have confidence in your abilities, and it will show. Being consistent is also valuable to your peers and subordinates. During a wave of uncertainty, consistency is the anchor to keep you and others grounded.
Early in my career, I had a mentor who liked to paint the visual of hugging a humansized quarter. This image is something I use to remember that change is inevitable and that we have a choice to embrace it or to fight against it, but regardless of what we do, change will happen.
When you embrace changes that are happening during an acquisition, you not only make your own experience more positive, but you are able to translate that positivity into your board meetings. In doing so, your clients will remain upbeat and focused on what their roles are and will not create additional havoc in your day.
Find the positive changes that will benefit your clients and remind them of those when they may be struggling with a new way of operating.
Most acquisitions are carefully planned out, and both, the exiting ownership and acquiring owners, look for cultural and value fits, including management styles and philosophies.
Take time to know what those are for your existing company so that as you learn the values and operations of an acquiring company (or the company your company is acquiring), you can relate these back to what has kept you with your organization for however long you’ve worked there.
Most clients choose to work with specific companies, because their management style is aligned with how the boards want to operate, so when common ground is found, it helps to build trust and lasting relationships even through transitions.
Whether you work for a company that is acquiring others or is being bought by one, the reality is that the relationships that you build will help you ensure a long and successful
Being consistent, embracing changes and adversity, and knowing the core values of the company you work for will ensure that you can tackle each day with confidence and certainty, especially during uncertain circumstances.
Andrew Hay, CAMEx, CCAM-ND.PM, is the Chief Executive Officer of The Helsing Group, Inc.
The relationships that you build will help you ensure a long and successful career.
Itake you to the board meeting of Happy Acres Homeowners Association, already in progress. As we join our cast of characters, the board president is apparently engaged in a private conversation with the treasurer, excluding the rest of the board, and quiet enough that calls are coming from the homeowners in attendance to “speak up!”
Meanwhile, the vice president is talking on her phone, whilst waiting on the cup of coffee that she requested of the manager, and the director at large and secretary are in the midst of an escalating disagreement over what may or may not constitute a violation of the Open Meeting Act, to which responses of “be quiet!” can be heard from the audience.
As the clock turns and hour three commences, our glassy eyed manager, having given up on taking clear minutes and having completely forgotten her barista duties, doodles and wonders what went wrong.
Many, if not most, managers have had meetings get away from them, have been treated by the board as a barista rather than a professional, and have been caught flat footed by a board that doesn’t know the role that their manager plays, the value their manager brings, and their own role in the process of HOA governance.
While many directors may come to the board with an agenda and a strong personality, their lack of enlightenment when it comes to the manager’s duties and theirs may not be entirely their fault. The manager who doesn’t set the correct expectations could be up for a rude awakening and frequent coffee orders.
Our business is a relational one. We have relationships with other managers, co-workers, service providers, individual directors, and the entities, who as a whole,
are known as the board of directors. While relationships can be one sided, the manager who can manage their relationships can be successful.
So how do you see your relationship with the board of directors? How do they see their relationship with you? How do they treat you? Many of us have had directors treat us as administrative staff, and nothing else, not trusting and often second (and third) guessing. While this may play into their sense of ego, the net result is that they lose the manager’s hard earned wisdom and honed skills, and they can land their association and themselves in hot water because of it.
Other directors may play the blame game. If something goes wrong (in their estimation), it’s the manager’s fault. If something goes right, the manager doesn’t get credit. There are those directors that neither prepare, nor ask questions, and others that need guidance and may or may not realize it. What’s a manager to do?
I have trouble putting down my phone, turning off my email, and enjoying some much-needed downtime. This has annoyed some of my colleagues, because when I have an idea or some information that I want or need to share with one of them, I will email them, regardless of the day of the week or the hour of the day.
I don’t expect them to respond, but they don’t know that. This bad habit is exacerbated when I answer emails from board members or homeowners at after hours or on the weekends. My intention is to get something off of my plate before the next work day, to solve a potential problem, or just to help.
You know what they say about good intentions paving a road. What I have inadvertently done is set the expectation that I will be at the association’s and the board’s beck and call regardless of the hour.
Now, the act of checking emails sets up a weekend full of stress instead of a weekend away from work. The manager’s relationship with the board of directors can be adversely affected, as the board may lose respect for the manager’s time, boundaries, and experience.
A manager who sets expectations early can avoid this pitfall. My friend and colleague Sara Ponsetti recently shared a golden bit of wisdom, “You will never be done at the end of the day. Learn how to let it go.” To that end, I added this to my email signature line. “Emails will not be monitored after office hours or on weekends.”
I am also trying to stop checking and answering emails when I am not working, and I don’t email my colleagues outside of work hours. I don’t always succeed with the answering and checking part, but at least, directors are no longer clamoring for weekend communications, and my co-workers have put away their pitchforks.
If a board of directors begins to see a manager as a professional, a wonderful metamorphosis can occur. The perception of the manager transforms from being a mere assistant to being a trusted leader. The manager is no longer an employee, but an advisor.
While some directors will never get it, many will recognize the manager’s professionalism when they keep their word, follow through, speak the truth (even the hard truths), and are proactive rather than reactive.
The manager who sees and communicates a vision for the community and shares a path to achieve that vision can inspire a board to work together to bring that vision into being. Whether it’s a path to healthy reserve funding, a plan to address prevalent dry rot or plumbing leaks, or a plan for community interaction, the manager who can articulate forward thinking to a board can forge a trusting partnership with them.
Annually, a certified manager is required to notify their boards of their certification status. This is an ideal opportunity to communicate with them the education and work the manager has put in to achieve that distinction.
Ultimately, the manager is responsible for managing their relationships with their boards. When the manager sets the proper expectations, shares their vision for the community, and acts as the professional that they are, a productive partnership can be created.
When the manager proactively addresses issues and fosters communication and trust with the board, the coffee orders can cease, and the real work of community governance can begin. It’s all about taking action. Nike had it right, “Just Do It!”
“Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.”
- Paulo Coelho
“Set the standard! Stop expecting others to show you love, acceptance, commitment & respect when you don’t even show that to yourself.”
- Steve Maraboli
“Professional is not a label you give yourself, it’s a description you hope others will apply to you.”
- David Maister
EXPLAINING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CACM’s Education and Credentialing Team has transitioned all educational courses to Zoom through July 2023. Please contact a member of the Education Department for further details and schedule.
AGE RESTRICTED ACTIVE ADULT
MANAGEMENT
CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIA LAW SERIES
Session 5 of 8 CMM123
ETHICS MASTERY
Session 1 of 8 CMM121
May 18
PM - 3:00 PM
Session 2 of 8 CMM121
May 22
PM - 3:00 PM
Session 3 of 8 CMM122
May 23
PM - 3:00 PM
Session 4 of 8 CMM122
May 24
PM - 3:00 PM
Session 5 of 8 CMM123
May 25
Session 6 of 8 CMM123
May 30
Session 7 of 8 CMM124 May 31
Session 8 of 8 CMM124
June 1
PM - 3:00 PM
June 21
June 26
PM - 3:00 PM
Session 4 of 8 CMM122
June 27
June 28
Session 6 of 8 CMM123
June 29
Session 7 of 8 CMM124
July 5
Session 8 of 8 CMM124
July 6
PM - 3:00 PM Session 1 of 2 June 22
FOUNDATIONAL ETHICS FOR COMMUNITY MANAGERS
Session 1 of 8 CMM101
June 27
AM - 11:00 AM
Session 2 of 8 CMM101
June 28
AM - 11:00 AM
Session 3 of 8 CMM101
June 29
of 8
Thank you to our sponsors for the fourth quarter of 2022 (November 1 – December 31, 2022) for their generous contributions. The next time you encounter a CACM Sponsor, please join us in acknowledging the work and generosity of these supportive members.
Accurate Termite & Pest Control
Advance Construction Technology (ACT)
Association Maintenance Services, Inc. (AMS)
Avelar
Bergeman Group
Black Diamond Roofing, Inc.
Brightview Landscape Services, Inc.
CID Consortium LLC, ACMC
CM Squared, Inc.
Community Legal Advisors, Inc.
DLC Construction Management
EmpireWorks Reconstruction
Fiore Racobs & Powers, A PLC FRONTSTEPS
GB Group Construction & Painting
Giuliani Construction & Restoration, Inc.
Gordian Staffing
Harvest Landscape Enterprises, Inc.
HUB International Insurance Services
IQV Construction & Roofing
Jim Murray Roofing, Inc.
The March Group
Nordberg l DeNichilo, LLP
O’Connell Landscape Maintenance
Prestige Paving Company
Professional Community Mgmt. - an Associa Co.
Recon 360, LLC
Signature Services
Socher Insurance Agency
Statcomm Inc.
