Community Association Car Chat

This week we're talking with Steve Lang, an architect at The Falcon Group. He's going to tell us how often building inspections should be performed, and what property managers should look out for when they're inspecting their buildings.

We also talk about how building neglect can impact your insurance market availability and cost you money in the long run.

The secret? Proactive planning and reserve funding goes a long way to eliminate assessments and surprises later on!

Enjoy this weeks episode of Community Association Car Chat with Steve Lang, Principal at The Falcon Group. #CarChatLive #insuranceisntboring

Episode Highlights:

✅ David Velasco asks Steven Lang to explain the difference between a building envelope and a building structure. (1:39)

✅ David asks Steven Lang what owners of communities should be aware of with respect to the building envelope. (3:29)

✅ Steve Roderick asks Steven Lang at what age should building owners or board members be concerned about a building envelope. (4:52)

✅ David asks Steven Lang who regulates and enacts building inspection requirements. (6:17)

✅ Steve asks Steven Lang to provide some examples of façade requirements that inspectors typically look at. (7:37)

✅ Steven Lang talks about how the lack of standardization in building requirements is challenging for building owners and building professionals. (8:23)

✅ Steve asks Steven Lang how a property manager would go about getting an inspection. (11:12)

✅ David asks Steven Lang the most common reason managers pushback when it comes to updating the building envelope. (12:38)

Key Quotes:

💡“There's a number of things that can factor into that question. But essentially when it comes to the building envelope, typically anytime a building is 10 years, that's when you may start to have conditions that are starting to become, could potentially be an issue. And so a lot of times, you know, your general rule of thumb when it comes to the building envelope is that buildings that are over that 5 to 10 year range should really start considering having inspections performed.” Steven Lang

💡“I, for one am looking forward to what CAI is putting together. I think that we better have a more formal recognized standard, more standardized requirements instead of having each individual city be tasked with trying to put this together on their own. Because there are differences and nuances to each of them that make it very challenging for your professionals to go out and do these evaluations.” – Steven Lang

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

The most successful communities are ones where all of the residents feel like they have some say in what happens there. Creating an environment where this can happen by giving them plenty of opportunities to have their voices heard is key.

How can property management companies and their managers bring control to their Board of Directors?

What is the best way to manage expectations in your community?

Are water leaks causing headaches in your community? Learn about technology advancements that provide the opportunity to stop problems before they even start.

We'll tackle all this and more in this episode of Community Association Car Chat with Doug Newman, President / Owner at CPE Property Management Solutions. #CarChatLive #insuranceisntboring

Episode Highlights:

✅ Steve Roderick asks Doug Newman to share more about CPE Property Management. (0:55)

✅ David Velasco asks Doug how he started in the property management industry. (3:44)

✅ David asks Doug to explain the “chasing the wrong dollar” concept. (4:52)

✅ Steve asks Doug to share his strategy for bringing control of the community to the board of directors. (5:54)

✅ David asks Doug for his opinion on the most difficult challenge business owners face with communities today. (7:20)

✅ Steve asks Doug how his business deals with the apathy of the community. (9:00)

✅ Steve asks Doug how communities can be proactive in addressing the issue of water leaks. (10:03)

Key Quotes:

💡“But I always, at annual meetings or whenever I get in front of the unit owners, I like to tell them that they're as much as a stakeholder in this process too. For the community to be successful, you need engaged unit owners.” Doug Newman

💡“First of all, it goes back to maintenance standards, which most of our clients have. But it's one thing to have them, but are they sitting on the shelf collecting dust or are the unit owners really listening and paying attention? So again, communicating with the unit owners and all it takes is one unit owner who's not paying attention and you have a big loss and a big claim, and it. It's not good.” Doug Newman

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

In this episode, we'll hear from Ray Venturino, Fire Protection Sales Consultant at City Fire Equipment Company with tips on what fire suppression systems to watch out for and what issues could come up in the upcoming months.

Episode Highlights:

• David Velasco asks Ray Venturino to explain how an individual gets their start in the fire consulting business. (1:24)
• Steve Roderick asks Ray to share tips on what managers should watch out for when it comes to fire suppression systems. (2:29)
• David asks Ray what issues to look out for during the summer months. (2:57)
• Ray shares one of the most complicated issues that can arise with fire suppression systems. (3:42)
• David asks Ray to explain what a jockey pump is. (3:55)
• Steve asks Ray to share more about the lifespan of a fire suppression system. (4:41)
• Steve asks Ray to explain what the pipes are made out of for each type of system. (5:21)
• Ray talks about the costs involved in retrofitting a building with sprinklers. (7:24)
• David asks Ray to share more about any technology that recently launched. (7:57)

Key Quotes:

“Well, the sprinkler system's, like a wet system, a regular wet system , those could last up about 50 years…It's definitely the easiest system to maintain and the one that's going to last the longest. Dry systems are completely different. There's a lot of corrosion that happens in the dry system. So those pipes, maybe you get like 20, 30 years out of them.” - Ray Venturino

“The nitrogen system will take all the oxygen out of the pipes, so that really stops the corrosion right in its tracks. That is one of the most important things, I think, the technology that's really helping people save money in the long run. It costs a little bit upfront, but if you're a long term condo owner or an investor, you will benefit in the long run from the less corrosion in the pipes.” -Ray Venturino

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 are joined by Larry Thomas a man who has been instrumental in the Community Association world for decades. Larry is a staple in the CAI organization and his dedication to members and business partners is unparalleled.

Most recently, Larry made the decision to retire. For this episode we discuss retirement, shout-outs to his mentors, reminisce about his career path and much more.

Don't miss this chance to hear "the man himself" talk about his decades in our industry.

Episode Highlights:

• Steve Roderick welcomes Larry Thomas to the show for the third time! (0:32)
• Steve asks Larry to share some of his accomplishments in the industry over the years. (2:36)
• David Velasco asks Larry to explain his new role at Talent Management. (4:06)
• Steve asks Larry if he has plans to continue working in the community association industry. (5:10)
• David asks Larry to share some of the biggest lessons he learned during his career. (6:33)
• Larry shares one thing he regrets during his career. (8:07)
• Steve asks Larry to share one thing the audience might not know about him. (8:52)
• David asks Steve what he would do differently if he was 35 years old again. (10:01)

Key Quotes:

• “Let your manager, they're not going to, Disney World, they're going to a educational seminar for a half a day. Let 'em go, let 'em get all the education they can.”-  Larry Thomas
• “It's a great industry and if you're the person that can handle that, your personality and your family and your surroundings, your immediate surroundings. Then make the most of it. Go out there and do the best you can.” - Larry Thomas

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

David & Steve chat solo on this week's episode as they catch up and reminisce on their favorite guests from the past 2 years of Community Association Car Chat.

There are some exciting guests lined up for Season 3 of Car Chat! The guys are excited to introduce you to some new faces and voices in this community. So kick off your shoes, get some popcorn -- it's going to be a fun ride!

Episode Highlights:

• Steve Roderick asks David Velasco to reflect back on his favorite episode over the years. (1:46)
• David asks Steve if he has a favorite episode or one that sticks out in his mind. (3:15)
• David and Steve share some of their most memorable moments over the years. (4:02)
• David introduces the 2023 season and asks the audience to share episode ideas. What do you want to see this year? What questions do you have? What guests do you want to see? (4:26)
• Steve shares that the team will be attending the CAI National Expo in May. (5:33)
• “What's the wider impact that we can actually have in the world as a professional? Making that part of your career, making that a key part of who you are as a professional. It was so impactful to me and really opened my eyes on different things.” David Velasco

Key Quotes:

• “Fun fact, I'm a boater and I had my eye on the weather, but I did not realize how fast the weather was coming up. And I don't know if you guys ever saw that episode, but if you go back through the archives, I got caught in a storm.” Steve Roderick
• “If you feel like you have some things that you can share with us and share with the audience bringing some knowledge, bringing ideas to the industry we are an outlet for you. Just reach out to Steve or reach out to myself.” – David Velasco

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