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In this episode learn to unlock the power of effective HOA communication tone! Improve your board's relationship with residents and elevate your community.
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Today  we explore the crucial topic of Association communication tone in HOA communities. Robert Julie dive deep into the power of clear, concise, and positive communication with homeowners. Discover actionable insights on effectively conveying messages, setting the right tone, and fostering a sense of community in your HOA. Learn the importance of clarity, brevity, and tone in written communication, and how these elements can impact resident engagement and satisfaction. Explore real-life examples of transforming negative communications into positive opportunities for growth and improvement. Gain practical tips on using newsletters, emails, and other channels to engage homeowners and create a sense of community.

Chapters from today's episode: Revamp HOA Relations: Mastering Your Communication Tone:

00:00 The people are not something you can ignore

01:48 How do you set the tone for your HOA? 

05:26 The importance of clarity and brevity in business communication.

09:38 Examples of two different ways to communicate the same message in a HOA newsletter.

14:01 When you’re pushing back, it’s a pushback

17:30 The importance of having a community feel like a part of your association.

19:48 If you have a positive tone, it trickles down to committees that can help the HOA
 
23:56 The community is made up of the people.

27:34 Support Common Sense For Common Areas

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Today  we delve into the challenges of taking HOA meeting minutes and the impact on volunteers. Learn how to streamline the process and make informed decisions!
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Are you tired of struggling with HOA meeting minutes? As volunteers, it's a challenging task to capture accurate minutes while focusing on the meeting. But fear not! In this episode, we have Matt McEwan, VP of Sales and Marketing at Minutes Solutions, sharing valuable insights. Discover how properly prepared minutes provide a clean record, empowering your HOA board to make informed decisions. Say goodbye to vague or overly detailed minutes.

Chapters from today's episode: Reclaim Your Time: HOA Meeting Minutes Made Easy!

00:00 Remember they’re HOA volunteers…
01:54 Meet Matt McEwan
02:35 What Got Matt into Minute Solutions
05:48 The Roles of Board Members
09:05 Top TIPS for Taking Minutes
11:19 Documenting the Facts, Not a Story
13:53 The “Moderate Level of Detail”
16:53 1-Hour Board Meeting Recommendations
18:31 How to Document in an Open Forum
21:11 Ideal Turnaround Time
22:24 How Meeting Minutes Help You
25:19 Making Revisions to Minutes
26:58 When You NEED Help with Meeting Minutes
30:13 Learning About Meeting Minutes & Minutes Solutions

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In this episode we unearth the surprising connection between HOA location and insurance risks!. Listen to Robert and Kevin delve into an enlightening exploration of how your zip code can fuel the drama and affect your wallet.
❗Join our LIVE Podcast April 1st 2024 on Youtube! 👉  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KbKsKyoNY
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

Today our podcast takes a journey that traverses the unique intersections of geography and governance, where Home Owners Associations (HOAs) reside, and their insurance risks unfold. Kevin and Robert explore how the seemingly innocuous detail of your HOA's geographical location can fan the flames of drama, disrupt the harmony of communities, and most importantly, contribute to the often underestimated factor of insurance risk.

Chapters from today's episode: HOAs & Insurance Risk: How Location Influences Drama and Costs!

00:00 HOA associations run better without drama for insurance
01:09 Introduction to today’s topic - HOA insurance risk and how location matters
02:54 The importance of having well-managed HOA
04:26 Where are the bulk of HOAs in America?
06:36 West Coast Community Associations are Headaches! 
10:15 HOAs on the West & East coast have people with more money & time
12:15 The difference in the mindsets of people from a Condo Association to an HOA
13:03 What’s happening with nuisance claims in South Carolina and Georgia
17:44 What are the different types of HOA insurance claims at different locations?
20:21: What can a HOA board do to lower their premiums & living peacefully in a community associations
26:37 Cyber Coverage (future topic on the podcast)

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Today we’ll hear from a HOA “board hero” member about HOA a 'Special Assessment Vote' gone wrong and the invaluable lessons learned from it.
 ❗Join our LIVE Podcast April 1st 2024 on Youtube! 👉  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KbKsKyoNY
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The Special Assessment, often dreaded by members, is a crucial aspect of HOA functioning, and its failure can reveal critical insights for boards everywhere.

 Through these stories, we aim to underline the importance of a board that takes their responsibility seriously, inspire the 2 million board members across the country, and offer practical, hard-earned wisdom from inside the trenches of the HOA world.

Tune in to uncover the reality behind these community heroes, the daunting challenges they face, and their resilient journeys to overcoming them. Whether you're an existing board member, aspiring to be one, or just intrigued by the dynamics of an HOA, this episode promises to deliver a compelling narrative you wouldn't want to miss.

Remember, it's not just about leading, it's about making a difference. And every story shared, every lesson learned, brings us one step closer to a better, more effective community.

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Today we dive into the crucial topic of time management in HOA board meetings. Discover practical strategies and insights for making your meetings more efficient, productive, and stress-free.
❗Join our LIVE Podcast April 1st 2024 on Youtube! 👉  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KbKsKyoNY
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/
 
In this episode, we continue our discussion on running effective board meetings with our regular co-host, Julie Adamen. We start off by addressing the common challenge of time management in board meetings. Julie shares her observation that board meetings in many organizations tend to last longer than necessary. She recalls a personal experience of attending a two-day board meeting that turned into a stressful ordeal due to a crowd of angry people and poor management.

The conversation touches on the importance of finding a balance in allowing time for members to express their concerns and frustrations while avoiding excessive delays and unproductive tangents

Tune in to this episode as we delve into strategies for managing time effectively during board meetings. Julie and Robert will provide valuable insights and practical tips that you can apply to your own association meetings. Don't miss out on discovering how to make your board meetings more efficient and streamlined.

Chapters from today's episode:
 00:00 Show that you’re competent to your HOA Board
 02:05 How long should an HOA board meeting be?
 04:02 Basics to have an effective HOA board meeting
 06:51 How to make sure your HOA board meeting is well run 
 10:07 The importance of orientation for new members
 16:14 How to keep your HOA board on track month-to-month
 19:03 The importance of building trust in your HOA board 
 21:57 How to deal with dissident groups at annual HOA meetings 
 24:25 How to stop an HOA meeting if it gets abusive
 27:08 The importance of setting the tone for your HOA meeting 

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Today we're diving into the heart of HOA Parliamentary Procedure & Robert's Rules with our esteemed guest, Jim Slaughter.
❗Join our LIVE Podcast April 1st 2024 on Youtube! 👉  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KbKsKyoNY
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In this episode, we'll decipher the essence of Robert’s Rules of Order to help you navigate organized meetings with ease. A nationally recognized expert in community association law and a distinguished Parliamentarian, Jim brings his vast experience to our discussion. So, sit back and prepare for insightful conversation that could transform your meeting experiences!

Chapters from today's podcast:

0:00 Most HOA meeting disruptions are due to members not getting to talk
2:06 Introduction to Jim Slaughter05:39 Who is Robert and why do his rules of order matter? 
07:23 The importance of rules of order for small boards.
12:24 Parliamentary procedures and rules
17:39 The importance of orderliness.
19:45 The importance of a fair HOA meeting
25:14 The difference between a committee and an association meeting
27:55 Fast Track Rules of Order.

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Today Robert and Kevin discuss a trending subject almost every HOA in America is dealing with: The high cost of HOA insurance.
❗Join our LIVE Podcast April 1st 2024 on Youtube! 👉  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KbKsKyoNY
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

Today we’ll be discussing the hot topic of the high cost of HOA insurance. A regular feature of our podcast series will be “hot topics” and current events, and right now, there’s nothing bigger than insurance. It’s disrupting budgets all across the country, and forcing boards to scramble in order to get sufficient coverage. So we’re going to dive right in, to make sure you have the insights you need to lead your association safely and successfully into the future. Fortunately, co-host Kevin Davis has been serving the insurance needs of community associations for decades, so he’s exactly who we need to give his perspective on what has changed that has created the increasing insurance costs associations are seeing, and help us all understand and be better prepared to deal with this challenge.

Chapters from today's podcast:

00:00 The rules have changed for HOA insurance

02:10 Why have HOA insurance rates risen so much in the past few years?

04:43 Climate change and insurance rates

06:53 How COVID has change insurance

07:41 Supply chain & uncertainty issues with insurance

09:01 How Champlain Towers changed things even more

12:16 How much is inflation a factor in insurance rates?

13:13 The human factors involved in the increase of insurance

 21:43 Do insurance restrictions on price pin board members into a corner?
 
30:36 Ending encouragement

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Today we are highlighting and hearing the story of HOA board member hero Zac Perry as he talks about the experiences and things he’s learned from volunteering for his community’s board
 ❗Join our LIVE Podcast April 1st 2024 on Youtube! 👉  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KbKsKyoNY
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/
 
A thankless job. What comes to your mind when you hear those two words? There is one job that without a doubt deserves to be at the top of the list. An elected volunteer or community association board member. So a regular feature of our weekly podcast is a once a month episode devoted to sharing the stories of real life, unsung board heroes and in our eyes a board Hero. As one of the 2 million elected volunteers who are worthy of recognition for simply performing a thankless job well. We hope these HOA stories will affirm the value and importance of a board that takes their responsibility seriously and inspire and motivate board members across the country to keep up the good work.

Chapters from today's episode:
00:00 What people don’t understand when joining an association
01:05 A thankless job
01:57 Intro to Board Hero Zac Perry
04:41 What were the board meetings like in a post-covid world?
05:36 The profound problem Zac found in his association
07:32 How his board reacted to the results of their Reserve Study
08:27 The culture of Zac’s HOA board
09:36  The process of passing a special assessment and raising assessments.
11:23 Zac’s favorite and least favorite aspects about serving on a HOA board
12:36 Did the previous board set Zac’s board up for success or failure?
14:10 Zac’s board’s decision to have their community professionally managed
15:37 How the external world effects the internal world of an HOA 
17:45 Zac gives advice to anyone considering joining a board

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HOA Board Dynamics. Some can be toxic and some can be amazing. So how do you pinpoint what type of HOA board your association is? And what can you do to change your association culture to be prepared for the future? Listen to find out!
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Today on Common Sense for Common Areas Robert introduces his regular co-host Julie Adamen. They discuss some great questions on how to identify traits of a strong, toxic, and well functioning HOA board, recruiting new board members, and how to be prepared to the best of your ability for board meetings.

Chapters from today's episode:
00:00 What do home owners see at their board meetings?
01:11 Intro to Robert and Julie 
04:07 Julie shares some background on herself
06:41 Evaluating the right manager for an HOA board
09:25 The characteristics of a strong, toxic, and well-functioning board
14:16 Interesting dynamics with different kinds of people on a board
17:01 More traits of a healthy board
19:11 Boards changing with the times & new stressors
23:46 Recruiting & what keeps people away from volunteering for a board
25:32 Being prepared for board meetings for your HOA
30:55 How to deal with the certain personalities on your board currently

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Today Robert and Kevin talk about one thing that has drastically changed the mindsets of HOAs across the country: COVID-19.
❗Join our LIVE Podcast April 1st 2024 on Youtube! 👉  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KbKsKyoNY
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

Three long years of COVD-19 has changed our lives individually, but our community associations have changed drastically as well. People have become more distrustful and abrasive. Online HOA Board Meetings have become name-blame screaming matches. How did we get here and can we reverse course? Kevin and Robert discuss the current problems COVID-19 brought to communities and a way we can fix ourselves to become more peaceful community associations

Chapters from today's episode:
0:00 We need civility
 01:17 Changes to HOA Communities since COVID-19
 07:23 The challenges to video HOA Board Meetings
 12:49 Is our lack of trust and civility learned? 
 17:05 How communities challenge everything instead of living respectfully
 21:50 What percentage of people are not fit for community living in an association? 
 25:14 Reeducating buyers about community living
 28:12 Shared Humanity

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Stokelight Video & Marketing

The Inspectors of Election