Why HOA Residents Need to Volunteer

A homeowners association doesn’t work thanks to the participation of a small group of Board Members. Instead, it takes the input and active involvement of every homeowner. Without volunteers, working hard behind the scenes, your community wouldn’t be as wonderful place to call home.

The Role of Committees

That’s why committees are so important for maintaining our community. These volunteer roles provide a way to get further involved in shaping the current and future direction of the community. That involvement includes determining what it should offer and how it can help maintain or even grow home values.

Committees consist of homeowner volunteers who supplement the work done by the Association’s paid employees. These committee volunteers can help save the Association a significant amount of money each year through the work they accomplish. These selfless individuals contribute their time, expertise, and skills to create a vibrant and flourishing community that homeowners want to come home to and where others are eager to live.

How to Make a Positive Impact

As a volunteer on a committee, you can make a difference. Here are ways that your involvement can create a positive impact for everyone:

 ●       Your fresh perspective can help solve a long-standing issue or offer an innovative idea that enhances the community’s aesthetics or helps optimize assessment dollars.

 ●       You can get involved in the Association newsletter, providing valuable information for your fellow homeowners or encouraging them to submit ideas and tips that benefit the entire community.

 ●       You may enjoy planning social activities that are fun and memorable, so you can leverage your committee involvement to put together social gatherings that tighten community bonds.

 ●       Your ability to influence others in the community who respect you can be a way to drive greater Board meeting attendance and motivate greater involvement in the decisions and actions that impact everyone.

 ●       Your work and experience on these committees can serve as a training ground to make you a more-informed future Board member should you want to take on this  critical volunteer role.

Types of HOA Committees

There are three types of HOA committees that you can join. These committee types include:

 ●       Administrative committees: These ongoing committees have clearly defined authority and roles as typically established in your Association’s CC&Rs. Examples include an architectural control committee.

 ●       Standing committees: Each of these committees fulfill a certain purpose on a permanent basis. They make recommendations and act according to the power provided them by the Board. Examples include a finance or landscape committee.

 ●       Ad-hoc committees: The Board establishes these temporary committees to complete certain tasks or projects. Once they finish the specific project, the committee ends. Examples include a holiday party committee or CC&R revision committee.

Best Practices for Committee Development and Management

After your Board appoints a committee, it’s important to provide specific guidelines that frame the responsibilities and roles of those involved in that committee. That means creating a job description for each committee member, a mission statement, and set of objectives that override everything that the committee does.

In doing so, everyone has a better understanding of what their volunteer work entails and motivates them by showing how they can make a difference. It’s those best practices that ensure the committees do what they intend to do: assist paid staff and management company members as well as enhance the community for greater enjoyment and home values.

Get Involved!

If you have been thinking about getting more involved in your Association because you have the time and interest to help make it a better place, now is the time to get involved. It’s also an ideal way to get to know more homeowners in your community.

Talk to others who currently serve, or have served, on a committee to learn more about the role. You can also contact a Board Member or Association Manager who would be happy to share more information.

For more information please visit:  www.AvalonWeb.com

Remember 911 - Patriot Day

Remember September 11 - If You Don't Take Time To Remember, You Forget.

To read more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks

Can an HOA Make Exceptions to Rules?

You know we have rules to preserve the appearance of the community, protect the value of our common property and our individual homes, and make our neighborhood more harmonious for all. What you may not know is that in some rare instances, the association will waive some rules and regulations.

It’s not a decision the board takes lightly. There’s a fine line between upholding the rules and being flexible as times change and individual issues arise.

If an owner comes to the board and asks us to waive a rule, we consider the individual circumstances, the priorities of fellow owners, whether a precedent is being set and how we’ll document the waiver. The board will carefully review how the rules and restrictions are written and whether there’s any flexibility. The association has to be very careful about granting waivers so that they don’t set off a domino effect.

Some things, like assessments, will never be up for negotiation. The board may approve payment plans or waive late fees and interest depending on the circumstances, but owners must always pay their share of common expenses.

In general though, we understand the need to be flexible when circumstances warrant. We all live in this living, breathing, changing community, and issues aren’t always black and white. If you think the association should waive or relax a rule, come chat with board members or the manager. We’ll let you know whether it’s something we’ll consider.

September Landscape Tips

As most of the country has begun to see the leaves turn, in Southern California we are still having hot days. Do not worry, fall is looming on the horizon, you can tell because our sycamore trees are starting to drop leaves.  Fire danger becomes very real during the windy Santa Ana winds. You may have had some regrowth of vegetation in your fire protection zone. It is a good idea to do one last cleanup. While you are at it, look for plants that have grown wildly over summer and are now under eves, touching roofs, or otherwise create fire ladders. Prune as necessary.   

The winds also wreak havoc on young trees with thick canopies, so prepare by thinning any overly heavy tree, and checking the integrity of tree stakes on young or newly planted trees. It is best to have a licensed tree care professional certified by the International Society of Aboriculture trimming your mature trees; Call them now to get on the schedule. September is a great time to check your yard drains and clear them out before the coming fall and winter rains. Just remember that after a good wind event you will have a buildup of leaves again, so check your drains often until spring. 

We should fertilize our lawn after Labor Day. Use a fertilizer labeled for fall, numbers 16-6-8 or similar.  It will have less nitrogen and more potassium and phosphorus to help strengthen the root system and food storage capacity of your lawn. This will help your turf thrive over winter.  Generally we can resume planting now, but hold off if we have an errant heat wave.  Now through November we can plant shrubs and trees so they have time to get established before the freeze of winter. We can also plant our fall annual plants like snap dragons and pansies.  If crabgrass had taken over areas of your lawn, dig it out and loosen the soil in any thin spots as well and seed or sod.  To rejuvenate  a typical tall fescue lawn (Marathon type), it is best to over seed with a mix of 70% tall fescue and 30% perennial rye grass seed. If you have a Bermuda or other winter dormant lawn, you should over seed with 100% perennial rye grass, but it can be a mix of types. Never use the cheaper “annual” rye grass. It becomes a weed in our warm climate. You will need to keep the seeds moist by watering 2-3 minutes, 3-4 times a day, for two or three weeks. If you are not over seeding, reduce your irrigation as the weather cools down to 4 days a week, and still 5-9 minutes each day.  

Bonus Tip: You will see fall planted spring bulbs like tulips, hyacinths, crocus, and daffodils appear in home centers now. In our climate it is way too early to plant and they will benefit from an artificial chill anyhow. Buy your bulbs now and place in a paper bag away from  fruits in your refrigerator for several (up to sixteen) weeks. Plant them in December for a stunning spring display.