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Are you an HOA board member looking for strategies to manage a large community effectively? Jim Hopkins shares his experiences and tips for managing a 12,000+ unit HOA board!
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

 
In this episode of HOA Insights, Jim Hopkins, a board member at Laguna Woods Village, shares his journey of managing a large HOA board. Discover the unique challenges of serving on a board for a community of over 12,000 units and the importance of patience, professionalism, and strategic planning. Learn how Jim's board transitioned to self-managed property services, the importance of proactive reserve planning, and effective communication strategies to engage 18,000 residents. Whether you're a seasoned board member or new to HOA governance, this episode provides valuable insights into managing a large HOA successfully.

Chapters From This Week's Episode:

00:00 Patience is Critical For a HOA Board Member 
00:55 A Thankless Job - HOA Board Heroes 
02:09 Ad Break - Kevin Davis Insurance Services 
02:37 Intro to Jim Hopkins HOA Board Hero
04:04 What Motived Jim to Join a Massive HOA 
05:11 The Community Structure of Laguna Woods 
07:27 The Relative Ease of Getting Elected to Jim’s HOA Board 
09:27 How Many Hours Per Week Jim Works for His HOA & the Personality He Brings to the Board 
11:01 Jim’s Favorite & Least Favorite Parts About Being on a HOA Board
11:58 How a Post-Covid World Effected Virtual Meetings & Topics for Jim 
15:09 Jim Talks About the Culture of His HOA Board
17:22 How Jim’s Association Bought Their Own Property Management Company 
19:27 Jim Talks About How Well Funded His Associate is 
26:02 What Jim and His HOA Board Are Focused on For Next Year
28:52 Jim’s Words of Advice for Other HOA Boards and Their Members 

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Is your HOA board showing signs of dysfunction? Learn how to identify and address common issues that affect community associations!
 ✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

Julie Adamen and Robert Nordlund share from their past years of HOA experience the telltale signs of a dysfunctional HOA board. Learn about the importance of board members fulfilling their duties, such as maintaining community assets and finances, and the impact of internal political factions, stagnant dues, high board member turnover, and poor communication. See how you can turn your dysfunctional HOA community around with the benefits of strategic planning, forming committees, and maintaining good relationships with service providers! 

Chapters From This Week's Episode:

00:00 Does Your HOA Community Have This Sign of Dysfunction?
03:25 What Does a Dysfunctional HOA Board Look Like?
05:18 Major Board Dysfunction #1 - Having Silos in Your Community 
08:42 Major Board Dysfunction #2 - HOA Dues That Haven’t Changed in Years
11:42 Major Board Dysfunction #3 - High HOA Board Turnover (And Also the Opposite) 
17:46 Major Board Dysfunction #4 - If There’s Little to No Communication From the Board to the Community
19:44 Ad Break - Community Financials 
20:14 What Happens When You Don’t Have Open Board-to-Community Communication? 
27:46 Maintaining Good Relationships With Business Partners and Vendors 
29:28 The One Thing You Can Do to Start Eliminating Dysfunction in Your HOA 

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This week we look at the rising trends in HOA Insurance Claims for discrimination, harassment, and bullying (and how to avoid them!)
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

HOA claims are on the rise! Are you facing neighbor disputes, harassment, or discrimination in your community? In this episode, Kevin Davis and Sherry Branson go into the legal aspects of HOA claims, how protect yourself from costly legal battles, and tips for maintaining a harmonious neighborhood and resolving conflicts peacefully. 

Chapters From This Week's Episode:

00:00 The one red line you don’t cross at an HOA 
02:57 The increases in HOA neighbor-to-neighbor disputes 
06:01 How disputes become really expensive HOA claims
08:38 How bullying disputes grow 
11:43 How disappointment can turn into a defamation claim 
18:42 Ad Break - Association Reserves 
19:16 Having a policy for harassment, discrimination, and bullying in your HOA 

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Wanting to avoid costly HOA lawsuits? Today we’re giving some expert tips on financial planning, governance, and effective communication to help your community associations!
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

So you’ve heard of these costly HOA Lawsuits… Maybe your community has already gone through one. Well, today we hope we can help (and prevent) these scenarios from happening! Kevin Davis and Sherry Branson break down the critical steps homeowners associations must take to avoid costly lawsuits. From understanding fiduciary duties to dealing with deferred maintenance, this conversation highlights the importance of financial planning, clear communication, and strong governance. Learn how selective enforcement can lead to legal issues and why maintaining transparency with homeowners is key. If you're a board member or involved in HOA management, these insights could save your community from financial headaches and help build a more harmonious environment!

Chapters From This Episode:

00:00 Things that get an HOA in trouble… 
02:36 Pressing trends & issues facing HOAs for larger lawsuits
03:53 Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims 
07:58 Problems come into play for HOAs when it comes to deferred maintenance
13:51 Selective Enforcement - You’re gonna have a bad time
19:13 Ad Break - FiPhO Score 
19:45 Tips to deal with financial issues and reducing a claim size
26:18 Communication Tips for HOAs (Stop these issues before they happen!)

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Are you still thinking like a homeowner while you're on the board? Watch as we show you how to manage your HOA like a business!
 ✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

Your HOA is a community with real people, real finances, and real problems that need solutions. So what can you do as a board member to get ahead? It starts with changing your management mindset to fit a multi-million dollar business. Your are managing HUGE, EXPENSIVE assets. It's time to start treating your role as such and revamp your board. Learn the importance of full communication with all who are involved and affected by board decisions, assessments, and ignored deterioration. Take these tips with you to start managing your HOA like a business.

Chapters
00:00 Intro to How to Manage HOA Like a Business
02:52 Meet Kay & Her HOA
03:47 Why Be a Board Member
05:30 Best & Worst Parts of Being a Board Member
06:05 HOA Meeting Problems
07:07 California’s New HOA Water Use Law
08:17 Past Board Failures (Assessments & Reserves)
09:04 HOA Board Wins
11:35 Is Our HOA Funded Enough?
15:26 Restating 20yr Old Governing Documents
16:47 Communicate with Owners AND Tenants
18:21 The Best HOA Management Mindset

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This week we equip you with insights on the top leadership qualities essential for HOA board members to effectively serve their communities
 ✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

Robert sits down and talks with special guest Kelly Zibell about the crucial leadership qualities for HOA board members. Learn about the four C's of HOA leadership: competence, character, courage, and collaboration. See how confidence, commitment, courage, and connection also play vital roles in effective board leadership. Additionally, Kelly explains the importance of strategic planning, prioritizing community needs, and making tough decisions. 

Chapters 
00:00 Being on a HOA Board is a Privilege
03:50 The Essential Traits of Great Board Members (The Four Cs) 
05:40 Being Confident in Stressful Moments for Board Members 
06:20 Commitment and Strategic Planning
12:18 Consistency and Continuity for Your HOA
14:04 Courage in Decision Making in Tough Times
17:47 Connection with Community and Other HOA Leaders
18:00 Ad Break - Community Financials
18:35 Developing Leadership Traits
22:57 Curiosity and Continuous Learning
27:47 Certificates vs. Essential Traits
30:49 Closing Thoughts

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Are you fearing how to pass a HOA special assessment? Today Robert and Julie discuss strategies to pass any special assessment with ease and transparency.
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/
✅  Get your resource for special assessment success hints 👉 Adamen, Inc. - NewsLine Vol. 27 No. 06

 If you’re stuck on passing an HOA special assessment, this is an episode for you! Julie Adamen and Robert Nordlund share their expert insights on how to manage these challenging situations with transparency, clear communication, and strategic planning. Learn the importance of building alliances within your community, engaging in regular and proactive communication, and having a well-prepared plan to address potential crises. Understand how to create standardized talking points, hold informative town hall meetings, and respond effectively to homeowner concerns. We hope we can equipment you to become adept at guiding your board through the complexities of special assessments and securing your community's financial future!

Could your Board use expert help in getting a special assessment passed? Consultant Julie Adamen is available to assist your Board with this, or myriad other issues. Contact her at [email protected]

Chapters From This Week’s Episode:

00:00 – Your Board Must be United for a Special Assessment
01:10 – How do You Pass a Special Assessment?
05:02 – Communicating Urgency
07:18 – Recruiting Allies
09:45 – Belief and Fiduciary Duty
12:27 – Engaging Community Volunteers
15:16 – Ad Break - Association Reserves
15:47 - Getting Different Points of View From Your Association
22:20 – Handling Questions and Objections about Special Assessments
26:17 – Robert’s story on a failed assessment turned success 
29:32 – Closing Thoughts

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The Inspectors of Election

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How is HOA legislation created anyway? Tune in as we unveil the federal and state HOA lawmaking process and how YOU can get involved!
 ✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

What's really behind HOA legislation? Whether it's at the federal level or state level, there's far more to it than you think... Join us as we sit down with Dawn Bauman from CAI as she reveals the HOA lawmaking process - how HOA legislation is created, who is involved, the top HOA issues right now, and how you the board members or owners can get involved for community associations everywhere!

Take Action for Your Community: www.caionline.org/takeaction
Get In Touch with Dawn: [email protected]

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On July 8th, HOA members asked their burning questions about managing their HOA. This is the edited version of our live show for you to hear all the questions and answers! 
✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/

Stop wondering what your next step in developing a funding plan should be. Take out the guesswork when it comes to handling your HOA insurance claim. Not sure how to deal with objections from other board members? We'll help you put that to rest too. listen to the recorded live episode of HOA Insights with Robert Nordlund of Association Reserves, Kevin Davis from Kevin Davis Insurance Services, and Julie Adamen from Adamen Inc! Get your HOA questions answered and everything you need to know to run your community association smoothly into the future.

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Julie Adamen

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Robert Nordlund, PE

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This week we meet HOA Board Hero Carol as she talks about how to establish HOA Board Continuity!
  ✅ Is a Reserve Study right for you? 👉 https://www.reservestudy.com/
❗JOIN OUR LIVE STREAM JULY 8th! 👉  https://www.youtube.com/live/9oouClT3fYQ

In this HOA Board Hero episode we welcome Carol as she talks to Robert about the remarkable efforts of volunteer board members, showcasing strategies for ensuring HOA board continuity. Learn how to become an HOA Board Hero by fostering professionalism, patience, and grace in board memberships. Discover the pivotal role of building captains in identifying maintenance issues, the importance of understanding board roles, and the impact of effective communication and collaboration. See how Carol’s board handles unique challenges at Plantation South, from limited resources to homeowner disagreements. We also cover going into the necessity of regular reserve studies, budgeting challenges, and prioritizing maintenance to avoid costly future repairs.

Chapters From This Week’s Episode:

00:00 Patience and Grace in Volunteer Board Memberships
01:03 HOA Insights Merch Store Announcement
02:52 Come to Our Live Stream!
 03:36 Ad Break - Community Financials
04:07 Meet Carol
05:07 Motivation to Join the Board
06:17 Time Commitment as a Board Member
07:34 Personality and Attributes Carol Brought to the Board
08:15 Carol’s Favorite and Least Favorite Aspects of the Job
09:31 Challenges with Board Meetings
11:00 Building Captains Concept
12:09 Board Culture and Meeting Challenges
14:11 External Forces Affecting Board Discussions
15:32 State of Carol’s Association Reserve Funds
17:23 Special Assessments History
19:22 Mediating Disagreements
21:28 Property Management and Board Interaction
23:04 Future Vision for the Board
24:42 Advice for Other Board Members

Podcast Links:
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Engage in the conversation!

Call our 24/7 voicemail line at (805) 203-3130 or send an email or voice memo to [email protected]

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Board Hero Nominations

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Julie Adamen

Kevin Davis, CIRMS

Robert Nordlund, PE

Support Our Sponsors

Association Insights & Marketplace

Association Reserves

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Kevin Davis Insurance Services

Stokelight Video & Marketing

The Inspectors of Election