How and Why an HOA Works

Click to view a video to learn about how and why an HOA works:

https://www.avalonweb.com/hoas-explained.html

April Landscape Tips

Do you hate those pesky yellow jacket wasps that ruin you summer bbqs and picnics? Now is the absolute best time to prevent them. Even though you hardly see them now, in late March through April, the only yellow jackets that are active are the females. They will soon begin building nests, laying eggs, and multiplying by the hundreds this summer. If you eliminate the females now, you can reduce future summer annoyances by her offspring.  

Set out the yellow non chemical traps found at home stores that allow them to fly in but not get out. You can use the bait that comes with it (contains a hormone attractant), but I would add a bit of hamburger or other meat that will turn rancid in the sun. They need the protein and will be attracted to the smell.  It sounds gross, I know, but it works. To help reduce water usage and out compete weeds, raise your mowing height to 3.5” or so. If you have warm season grass like bermuda or st. Augustine, dethatch if necessary.  

Another water saving tip is to mulch your planter beds if you haven’t done so already. The mulch will keep the soil moist and as an added benefit will reduce weeds. While you are working in your planting beds, it is not too late to plant spring annual flowers like alyssum, calendula, impatiens, or snapdragons nor is it too early to plant heat loving summer annuals like cosmos, zinnias, marigolds, petunias, begonias, etc. April is a great time to make all your flowers explode with color by applying a balanced fertilizer such as 15-15-15 or 9-9-9 plus iron. If you have a California friendly or native garden, apply the fertilizer at 1/3 to ½ the rate listed on the bag, they do not need as much food.  

Home vegetable gardeners it is time to plant all the yummy summer crops. This includes tomatoes, squash, peppers, corn, melons, and cucumbers.  It may be time to increase our turf watering to 4-5 days a week, 5-9 minutes per day. If we get a hot and dry week, add a day, if it rains, turn the system off for a few days.  Your irrigation system must be working as efficiently as possible now through the end of summer, so take some time to inspect the system again. 

Bonus tip: Watch out for powdery mildew and aphids right now. They both love the cool damp weather and soft new shoots. Treat with a systemic product or soapy water.

Read what the future will bring

Want to read a great article on envisioning the future of community association living, governance and management. Click on the following to see where communities are headed: HOA Future

What Are HOA Governing Documents?

We’re always talking about the association’s governing documents, but what are they?

State Law

Almost every state has statutes governing condominiums and homeowner associations. In addition most associations are subject to the state corporations’ code.

Declaration, Master Deed, or Proprietary Lease and Their Covenants and Restrictions

Planned communities are created by declarations (also known as CC&Rs). Cooperatives are created with proprietary leases (also called occupancy agreement). These contain the restrictions that regulate residents’ behavior, they define owner’s rights and obligations, and establish the association’s responsibilities.

Articles of Incorporation

Most associations, and all cooperatives, incorporate and have articles of incorporation that define their purposes and powers. They may specify such things as the number of directors and their terms of office.

Bylaws

Bylaws address association operations such as procedures for meetings and elections and specifying the general duties of the board.

Resolutions - Rules and Regulations

Board members adopt rules and regulations, and sometimes members have to approve them. Rules and regulations are recorded as board resolutions. Resolutions must be consistent with the declaration or proprietary lease, the bylaws and state law.

Association governing documents are almost always trumped by state law. But, when association documents conflict among themselves, the CC&Rs carries the greatest weight, followed by the bylaws and then the rules and regulations.

December Landscape Tips

For a festive Christmas, plant red and white cyclamen, and/or poinsettias. The poinsettias are frost sensitive, so cover with burlap if the temperature dips below freezing at night. Along the same line, in those areas where frosts are just an occasional thing, keep plantings well-watered so whenever a freeze threatens, plants are more likely to survive. A "turgid" well-hydrated plant is better-equipped to recover than a dehydrated plant. 

Continue to rake leaves, clean drains, and water only if the dry Santa Ana winds blow and zap moisture from the soil or if more than 10 days pass without rain. Look at your soil to verify it is starting to become dry or you see stress in your turf before turning on irrigation. Do not prune tender cold sensitive plants, but now you can prune deciduous fruit trees.  After pruning them, spray with dormant oil to prevent fungal diseases and pest problems.  If you hadn’t pruned your trees in the fall, and before winter storms do too much damage, now is the best time to prune pines, and most shade trees can safely be trimmed as well.  Plus, it’s easier to see what you’re doing when the leaves have gone during dormancy. Remove weak or cracked limbs, and open up the canopies so wind and rain can pass through them, but never remove more than twenty percent of the canopy and avoid lion tailing (stripping leaves from the branch only to leave some at the tip.)   

If the trees are big, hire a licensed tree trimmer supervised by a certified arborist. Find one by visiting www.isa-arbor.com. If plants get hit by frost, resist the urge to prune away injured tissue. The damaged parts will protect inner growth from additional harm should there be another frost. (Once spring growth appears, you can cut off damaged areas above it.) If you purchased bulbs like tulips, hyacinths, crocus, and daffodils in the fall,  and gave them some cold treatment in the refrigerator, plant them now. They will erupt in spring and your patience will be rewarded. Similarly, if you have not planted your wildflower seeds, get it done now.  

Bonus Tip: Bare root plants will start to appear in home centers next month. Smart gardeners will go now to specialty stores and pre-order harder to find and unique varieties of bare root trees and shrubs, roses, and even vegetables for planting next month.

Happy Thanksgiving from Avalon Management

We hope that all are enjoying this time with family and friends, and we are thankful for our family of clients.

"We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives; these are the residents, the many people we work with, and communities which we serve" - Mark Jones, President of Avalon Management  #happythanksgiving

HOA Board Responsibility

Your community is more than just a neighborhood. In many ways, it’s a lot like a business. Collectively, your regular annual assessments amount to tens of thousands of dollars that need to be budgeted carefully and spent wisely. And your neighbors who have volunteered and been elected to serve on the association’s board are responsible for making critical decisions - on our behalf - about managing the community and our money.

The board also develops long-range plans - like when the parking lot will need to be repaved and when the elevators will need to be replaced - about the parts of the community that are shared property. The board must set aside funds so that these kinds of projects can be accomplished on schedule or even ahead of schedule in the event there’s an unexpected breakdown.

The board also sends out requests for bids and contracts with vendors to do the work necessary to maintain our shared amenities. Board members decide who will do the best job of replacing the roof at the best price or who will be the most reliable company to hire to mow the grass and remove dead tree limbs.

The board’s decisions can have a significant impact on the community’s appearance and, consequently, on our property values. Regardless of our professional manager, the board ultimately is responsible for overseeing association operations. Be sure to communicate with the board regularly, observe board meetings, and attend annual meetings to elect responsible board members and to participate in the conversations about significant community issues.