Community Association Car Chat

In our latest episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Susan Yannessa, Associate Realtor at Realty One Group, also known as "The Property Poet." Susan opens up about her journey in real estate, detailing how she became "The Property Poet" 

She also dives deep into the specific challenges and opportunities of working in the Community Association segment, shedding light on why this niche appealed to her in the first place.

Navigating today’s challenging real estate market is no easy feat, and Susan offers valuable insights to help you make informed decisions. 

Don’t miss this chance to elevate your real estate knowledge with insights from one of the industry's best!

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ Steve Roderick asks Susan Yannessa to share how she became The Property Poet. (1:04)

✅ Susan shares more about RealtyOne Group and how she got started there. (2:17)

✅ David Velasco asks Susan to share the difference of being a realtor when working with the Community Association segment. (3:00)

✅ Steve asks Susan why moving to a community association appealed to her. (4:11)

✅ David asks Susan to share more about the challenging real estate market. (5:09)

✅ Steve asks Susan how she helps buyers determine whether or not they want a single family home or a condo. (7:17)

✅ Susan shares the most common misconception about moving into a common interest community. (8:28)

Key Quotes:

💡 “It's very frustrating. People are still offering over asking, but there's just no inventory. And in the condo market, I think I mentioned, my condominium is 481 units and there's nothing for sale right now.” Susan Yannessa

💡 “You have to educate your client because a lot of them think they're coming into more of an apartment situation. And they don't realize that there are rules and regulations in a community. That you're paying a monthly fee for those rules to be maintained and oftentimes it can get them into a little bit of trouble and we don't like to see that.” – Susan Yannessa

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

Meet Dave Bodnarchuk, President and Co-founder of ElectionBuddy, we got the scoop on the challenges and nuances of community elections. 

Dave stresses that community associations often wrestle with low voter turnout and complicated rules, especially during the bustling spring election season.

He also offers helpful tips for HOAs, emphasizing that using a service provider like ElectionBuddy can make elections far more efficient and accurate.

 Dave touches on the emotional side of elections and highlights his passion for helping communities make impactful decisions.

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ David Velasco asks ElectionBuddy Dave to share a bit about what ElectionBuddy is. (0:42)

✅ David asks Dave how he started in this specific segment. (2:16)

✅ David asks Dave to share the two biggest challenges that community associations face when it comes to elections. (3:27)

✅ David asks Dave when the typical election season occurs. (4:48)

✅ Dave shares tips on where an HOA should start when preparing for an election. (5:33)

✅ David asks Dave to explain the difference between managing an election on your own and using a service provider. (6:22)

✅ David asks Dave to share how his organization handles the emotional aspect of an election. (8:06)

✅ David asks Dave to summarize the craziness of his industry. (9:07)

Key Quotes:

💡 “So we want to make sure that your vote goes well. And there's many times people just talk to our support team and talk to our services team, talk to our success team and just ask them questions about the vote. We have lots of guides online as well that can take you from that beginning to the end. And we don't charge anything for those guys because ultimately.” ElectionBuddy Dave

💡 “Ultimately, what we're trying to do at ElectionBuddy is streamline that entire process. From that perspective, to really make it simple, you work with our team to set up the vote to make sure that vote reflects your bylaws, but also will help you reflect the state legislation. We can even coordinate with your legal team or your legal counsel to do some of that. Because the bylaws in Florida and the statutes in Florida are very different from Arizona.” ElectionBuddy Dave

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

Get ready for some real gems of wisdom from Lauren Vadenais, Director of Business Development at Rezkom!

We talk budget season hacks, and share valuable tips honed through years in the community association business.

Wondering about the rising costs of services during inflation? Lauren’s got you covered. She reveals the major cost-driving factors and how Rezkom's clients are navigating the changes.

Plus, she gives solid advice for those tricky conversations with community association boards about vendor cost increases.

Don't miss out on her parting wisdom for young professionals entering the field and how to get involved with CAI. This interview is packed with insights you won’t want to miss!

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ Steve Roderick welcomes Lauren Vadenais to the show and asks her to share more about what Rezkom does for the community association world. (00:42)

✅ David Velasco asks Lauren to share a valuable budget season tip that Rezkom has learned over their many years in the business. (1:32)

✅ Steve asks Lauren how Rezkom’s clients are reacting to the increases in prices and services during inflation. (2:56)

✅ David asks Lauren to share the biggest cost driving factor in today’s service increases. (4:07)

✅ Lauren shares Rezcom’s typical outreach timeline to prepare clients for budget season. (5:23)

✅ David asks Lauren to share her tips on communicating with a community association board when dealing with price increases. (6:11)

✅ David asks Lauren to share her one piece of advance to a young professional entering the community association world. (8:21)

Key Quotes:

💡“I think from a service provider perspective, you need to be really confident in the ask…Certainly it's a little more challenging if there's service concerns and things like that. Those definitely need to be addressed, but the confidence factor and really just explaining in a very matter of fact, fashion, kind of the facts of where our money's coming from. I'm very transparent about what our overhead is, what we're looking to achieve from a profitability standpoint.” Lauren Vadenais

💡“As the communities age and as their needs change over time they need to reevaluate kind of the overall services that they're receiving on a regular basis and decide if the current contracts they have are aligned.” Lauren Vadenais

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

Meet Doug Malawsky, COO of Horticultural Asset Management, a national company specializing in disaster recovery and risk management for outdoor properties. 

We discuss the common problem of communities underinsuring their outdoor properties, stressing the importance of a well-thought-out plan. 

Doug gives advice on what property managers and board members should consider while reviewing their policies and highlighted the essential components of an effective plan for outdoor properties. 

Learn tips on how to document outdoor property damage and emphasized the importance of preparing for wildfires. 

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ Doug Malawsky shares how HMI began working in the field (1:29)

✅ Doug shares how communities are underinsuring their outdoor properties (2:10)

✅ Steve Roderick asks Doug what property managers and board members should look for while reviewing their policies (3:26)

✅ Steve asks what the primary components of a plan are for outdoor properties (5:15)

✅ Doug shares how individuals can document outdoor property damage (7:43) 

✅ David Velasco asks Doug how important it is for communities to plan for wildfires (9:02)

Key Quotes:

💡"So we created a methodology for valuing trees and landscaping, and we began working with the insurance industry on the underwriting side of the table. We created insurance products that were primarily used on commercial properties, hospitality properties, golf courses, and the like, and then started spreading throughout the industry in which trees and landscaping indeed were insured. "(1:33)

💡"Do your due diligence before the storm hits and create those relations. Believe me, the storm chasers will descend as they did in Southwest Florida after Ian, they descend upon, you know, all of the properties that have had a lot of tree damage and they are gouging, they are coming in and offering an immediate solution and then a property owner is left with a $500,000 bill and no coverage to pay for it. "(6:08)

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

Tony Booth shares insights about Electric Vehicles (EVs) and community development. 

He highlights the significance of integrating EV infrastructure into community plans and the foresight needed for smooth integration.

He discusses the engineering and financial challenges surrounding EV chargers, especially in parking garages. 

Plus, for those dipping their toes into the EV realm, Tony offered tips on avoiding scams. 

As EVs zoom ahead, staying informed is key!

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ David Velasco asks Tony Booth if it is necessary for communities to incorporate EV infrastructure into their developmental plans (1:18)

✅ Steve Roderick asks Tony how far out communities associations should look in terms of planning for EV integration (2:11)

✅ Tony shares the difficulties of EV chargers from an engineering and financial standpoint (3:11)

✅ David asks Tony what kinds of challenges EV charging stations bring to parking garages (3:56)

✅ Steve asks Tony how consumers can avoid EV scams (5:34)

Key Quotes:

💡“Right now I tell everybody to look out at least five to ten years, but to start you don't need to go crazy. Just get started with one or two chargers then you can look at how it works and how it grows before you dig in and spend a ton of money with all new infrastructure.“ - Tony Booth

“Stay N Charge is set out from the beginning to be kind of a white glove, one call solution for EV charging for any community, hospitality, places like that, where they have other things to do besides worry about EV charging. So we handle it from the considerations, the assessments through design installation. Then we'll maintain them and do all the operations, including driver support on behalf of our host property. “ - Tony Booth

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

We are chatting with Christopher Lemish, Founder and Principal Architect at Sniper Watch. 

Christopher explains the importance of cyber security risk assessments, highlighting how crucial they are for organizational safety. 

How community associations can protect themselves through risk management strategies? We discuss this topic and how these practices can defend residents who could be targeted through their community association.

We'll learn the present characteristics of cybercriminals and three simple steps that organizations can follow to ensure safety.

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ David Velasco asks Christopher Lemish to explain why cyber security risk assessments are important for organizations to conduct in today’s society (1:23)

✅ Christopher explains how community associations can benefit from adopting risk management strategies (3:05) 

✅ Steve Roderick asks Chris to describe how a resident or unit owner could be targeted through their community association (6:14)

✅ David asks Chris to outline the present characteristics of a cybercriminal (7:08)

✅ Christopher lists three steps small organizations can take to avoid pitfalls and ensure safety (8:44)

Key Quotes:

💡“So did you know that six trillion dollars have changed hands in ransom payments? I think that folks truly don't believe in the magnitude of what's going on out there. I think they're not hearing people talk about it.” - Christopher Lemish

💡“There's nothing out of bounds for a cyber criminal, and at the end of the day, that's what they are. They're a criminal. So they don't play by the rules. And yes, you know, Business folks will transition to their personal lives after 5pm and 78% of attacks happen after 5pm because nobody's there watching.“ - Christopher Lemish

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

This week we're chatting with one of JGS' summer interns! Meet Frank Cicala rising senior at Florida Gulf Coast University and boy, did he share some gold! 

College was his secret sauce to acing his internship. And guess what? He's now head over heels for the insurance industry! 

His two cents? Hiring interns is a win-win: businesses get a breath of fresh air, and interns get their feet wet in the industry. 

Frank's journey is one heck of a sneak peek into the magic of internships in the business world today and after a few weeks with us he's convinced that insurance isn't boring!

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ David Velasco asks Frank Cicala to describe how he acquired the internship (2:11)

✅ Frank shares his story on how he became a Monster ambassador (2:32)

✅ Steve Roderick asks Frank to share how he feels college is helping him prepare for the business world (3:44)

✅ Frank describes his most notable takeaway from his internship at JGS (4:25)

✅ Frank describes his newfound interest in the insurance industry (6:07)

✅ Frank shares his thoughts on how business owners can benefit from hiring interns (7:50)

Key Quotes:

💡"I really was interested in doing sales and just being in business in general. Now I'm here and I just have a real newfound passion for the insurance industry and truly just helping people out because that's really what JGS does is we're just helping people, you know, every day. So that's really what I'm passionate about." - Frank Cicala

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

Meet Mark Hall, Founder and CEO of MCH Consulting. Mark provides an intricate explanation of the FSS 768.0706 statute, painting a clear picture of the law's inner workings and how associations could find true value from it.

Mark enlightened us about what a CPTED assessment encapsulates and its significance. As a cherry on top, he detailed who's authorized to conduct inspections and the power dynamics involved.

All in all, our conversation with Mark offered a comprehensive and engaging exploration into this statute for multi residential property safety and security.

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ Mark Hall describes the FSS 768.0706 statute in further detail (1:37)

✅ Steve Roderick asks Mark to explain how associations can benefit from FSS 768.0706 (2:25)

✅ Steve asks Mark to elaborate on the criteria required for a presumption against liability (3:08)

✅ Mark describes what a CPTED assessment includes and how it is used (4:47)

✅ Mark describes who can conduct the inspections and who has the authority to do so (5:34)

Key Quotes:

💡"The assessment helps make the property obviously safer, but the purpose really of the statute is to enable associations and property owners to avoid frivolous lawsuits by people who are attempting to file lawsuits for what they would consider negligent issues but if you've had this assessment you have a protection against that." - Mark Hall

💡 "We're connected with a whole network of practitioners across the state of Florida and organizations of peers. If you contact MCH Consulting and you can do that through MCHconsulting.net and reach out to us, we'd love to help you, and provide you a proposal or connect you with the properly credentialed, practitioners. There will be people out there who try and pitch this and they don't have the proper credentials from the proper place. "  - Mark Hall

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

This week we're chatting with Tod Spooner, Chief Revenue Officer at Kings III Emergency Communications. We're talking about the nail-biting challenges property managers face during emergencies - like someone being stuck in an elevator!

Tod creates custom solutions for different communities. Every community's different, right? And he gets that! And guess what? Every single emergency call? It gets an answer, pronto. And boy, does he have some cool technology to show off! 

Kings III is all over the latest tech in the emergency communication world. Tune in and learn more!

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ Tod Spooner shares some of the challenges property managers face regarding emergency telecommunication (2:11)

✅ Tod  shares how Kings III Emergency Communication designs custom solutions for different types of community associations (3:56)

✅ Tod  explains to Steve Roderick how he can guarantee a response to each emergency phone call placed (4:25)

✅ David Velasco asks Tod  to describe the innovative products and services Kings III offers to their clients and to the emergency telecommunication industry (6:56)

✅ David  asks Tod if there are video cameras inside of elevator cabs (7:57) 

Key Quotes:

💡“We're answering every call as an emergency the first time, every time, even though it may not be, because we know seconds count. As a result of that often gets people in a place that's a lot better than maybe where they were when they first called and got entrapped.” - Tod Spooner

“ As soon as someone gets in an elevator, you're going to want to look for that help button on the elevator. You hit that help button, that help button should hopefully be answered within 30 to 45 seconds. We answer that phone on an average of six seconds. We answer almost 200,000 calls per month. So that button gets hit, we immediately answer that phone and follow a really strict script." - Tod Spooner

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat

Brimming with insights, Daniel Tekunoff, a familiar face in the world of condo and homeowner associations, explains what sets this industry apart from other business sectors. 

He further shared the story behind the birth of TechResidential, a platform he enthusiastically developed to inject a much-needed digital upgrade into these organizations.


Danial gives us a peek into the future of technology in the association management industry, emphasizing how TechResidential is all geared up to adapt and thrive in the changing landscape. 

#CarChatLive #InsuranceIsntBoring

Episode Highlights:

✅ David Velasco asks Daniel Tekunoff about how HOA, condo/community associations compare to other sectors in the market (2:02)

✅ Daniel  shares why and how he built TechResidential (3:19)

✅ Daniel describes the purpose of BoardPocket.Cloud and how it can be a useful tool for board managers and associations

✅ Steve Roderick asks Daniel to describe TechResidential’s strengths and skills in the industry (5:03)

✅ David asks Daniel to forecast the upcoming changes in technology for the community association industry (6:31)

Key Quotes:

💡“So I've, I've worked in accounting, I've worked in collections, I've worked in, you know, their, their management operations and so yeah, there was a lot that I got to learn through that experience and have a lot of fun, automate all that. So I sort of just kind of landed here and but I really like it because this kind of work, it's like, where else do you get to like write software that literally makes people's lives better, like in, in their communities where they're living?“ - Daniel Tekunoff

💡“So right now it's important to realize that we're, we're in the hype of, of AI and so what's important is that we don't get caught up in, in just getting amazed by this and not understanding it... It's very important that we understand both the capabilities and the limitations“ - Daniel Tekunoff

Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn and watch us LIVE every Monday at 9am EST! http://www.linkedin.com/company/community-association-car-chat