Board members have a thankless job. Volunteering your time for the betterment of your community is one thing, but much of your time is spent settling complaints. It can reach the point where you are avoiding people, who don’t understand you just want to relax at the pool. And many of these complaints are beyond your control or if they are in your control will require a solution sure to make some unhappy.
So why are you on a board? There may be a variety of reasons, but the one I hear consistently is irritation about how community affairs were being handled. A new board member may show up at the first meeting in January with a list of items that need to be changed and by the third meeting has begun to realize that these same concerns have been discussed, addressed, and may actually be satisfactory as they are.
With the limited time a meeting affords and the relatively short tenure of a board term, it is frequently difficult to see the big picture and address larger concerns. It is my opinion there are 2 key objectives that a board member should always keep in mind.
Board members should constantly look for ways to lower costs, especially continuous expenditures. If a community is new, the board should also consider larger up front investments that will save the community money in the long run. A good example is purchasing the streetlights from the electric company, which usually are leased because it lowers a developer’s investment.
The other objective is to maximize property values. It is rare for a community to consider this, other than to maintain the current status quo. This is understandable because the commitment to achieve higher property values is a daunting task, indeed and most homeowners in general rely on the natural appreciation or depreciation of land values. That’s right in case you didn’t know, the structure that is you home does not appreciate at all. Your home is very slowly falling apart.
Fine you say. That’s all obvious. How do you make this happen? Stay tuned. I’ve got more coming….
