RESERVE PROFESSIONALS > Blog

Are Bradford Pears in your Reserve Study?

February 14, 2013 by

Reserve studies rarely include landscaping or trees, however there are times when they clearly should.  Now I am not an arborist, but I have become very familiar with the Bradford Pear.  Bradford Pears were popular a couple decades ago, but now many communities wished they were never planted.  They are pretty.  The problem is that they do not develop a central trunk.  Their numerous branches meet together at the trunk and create weak points.  After 20 years a Bradford Pear will start dropping its branches.  Avoid the liability before one falls on a car, or worse a person.  If your community has Bradford Pears, make sure that your reserve study includes the removal, stump grinding, and replacement with a more suitable tree.

If your HOA plans on conducting a large landscaping rejuvenation project or removing more than just a few trees, your board should have an option of paying this through your reserves.  Hopefully, you already have a quote, and it’s that easy getting it included in your associaton’s reserve study.

Filed Under: Reserve Study

Home Values and Controlling Supply

January 3, 2013 by

I once lived in a community with mature trees, decent landscaping, and a river with wood pedestrian bridges running through the middle of the property.  We had excellent access to large roads, zero traffic issues, and a great location.  Despite these amenities, units sold for tens of thousands of dollars less than other comparable communities nearby.  How could this be?

The answer is simple if you agree that value is an opinion that becomes tangible only when an agreement between buyer and seller is made.  Ultimately, value is in the eye of the beholder.  Sellers within the same community compete against each other for the buyer.  This is natural of course, since sellers normally have no relationship or obligation to the other.  I am no scholar or game theory, but I am of the opinion that this situation is detrimental to the community and the sellers.  Is it not possible to compete with other communities instead of one another?

When a real estate developer markets a new community to prospective buyers, his competition is another community, not himself.  Although difficult, if the community can coordinate with their sellers, they may be able to influence supply.  Difficult, yes but I still think possible, especially in smaller communities.

Filed Under: Raising Home Values

Let There be Light!

July 26, 2012 by

Natural light is an asset every home buyer mentions as a must on their buying checklist, but few mention landscape lighting.  Landscape and accent lighting add a dramatic effect that words cannot describe and contribute to a compelling uniqueness.  The majority of communities only have lighting required by municipalities to get permitting, as if additional lighting is merely an expense with little return.  Worse still, this lighting is typically oriented for cars, not pedestrians.  A proactive board interested in boosting the appeal of the community should investigate lighting options around the community… at least that’s my opinion.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Trespassers

June 21, 2012 by

Does your community make for a convenient short cut?  Nonresidents cutting through the property can range from annoying to downright scary depending on the specific individual and the time of day.  The nature of a condo or townhome community makes policing even more difficult since most residents live in close proximity to a relatively high concentration of neighbors that they don’t know.

If your community has a problem with trespassers, there are a number of actions that can be taken.  Unfortunately, the most common action is limited to complaining to the association manager and expecting him or her to make things happen.  Trespassing signs may be necessary if you plan on involving the police, although realistically, it’s unlikely that the police or security will catch the trespasser due to response times.

Hopefully, a resident will take the initiative to videotape or photograph trespassers, which is powerful evidence.  Although fairly expensive, I would suggest creating a natural barrier like hedges or vines with thorns.  Additionally, lighting may also be a deterrent.  If you choose this route, a little psychology is helpful in predicting the offender’s choice of alternative shortcuts, since the problem may simply move to a different part of the community.

Filed Under: Solutions to Headaches

When not to use a Handyperson

June 5, 2012 by

Handymen or Handypeople are always in high demand because they save a homeowner from having to get 4 different trades into the home and usually can perform the work for less than a licensed contractor.  However, one task a Handyperson should be forbidden from performing is the replacement of a hot water heater.  Homeowners should be required to used a licensed plumber.  A Handyperson may get it right most of the time, but that’s not good enough and improper installation can be disastrous.  Condos are most at risk, but townhouses also share walls and water can be trapped for years.  I won’t even begin to talk about mold.

Have you had to deal with a flooding aftermath? It’s a huge headache for everybody involved, except of course for the restoration contractor hired on to clean up the mess.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Crack!

May 6, 2012 by

Cracks bother a lot of people.  I’m not talking about poor fitting jeans or suspicious white powder.  Ordinary cracks.  They can be found everywhere you look and frequently along brick walls, curbs, sidewalks, in plaster and so on.  Some cracks warrant professional attention, in the form of a structural engineer.  Home Inspectors also can identify problem cracks, but aren’t licensed to provide a solution.  Despite this, most cracks are superficial.

In a futile attempt to either prevent further cracking or to improve aesthetics, cracks are frequently patched.  Usually the patching looks worse; we’ve all seen mismatched mortar joints or replaced curb.

Pointing up brick (patching the mortar joint) will NEVER stop cracking.  Control joints and expansion joints are the real solution and without these the cracks will just reappear.  Unfortunately, in the case of brick, water may infiltrate the opening and cause efflorescence or calcite to form patches of chalky white over sections of brick.  A better solution would be to install a clear silicone caulk, especially if the crack continues through the brick and doesn’t simply follow the mortar joints.

The familiar mismatching curb occurs when the Builder’s Rep, usually an engineer, forces the contractor to replace the “defective” curb.  Replacing curb in my opinion is unsightly.  Yes, water infiltration can wreak havoc in the aggregate subbase underneath the street, and produce cracks in the asphalt.  The term alligatoring is used to describe sections of road with numerous cracks, which resemble alligator skin.  It is very difficult to know if water infiltration is a problem until it’s a problem.  That is the worst possible scenario, but most of the time leaving the offending curb does no damage.

In my opinion, caulk should be used wherever possible.  Silicone is best, urethane being the cheaper second alternative.  Either way, you will be astonished at how expensive caulking can be.  Joint preparation is vital.  If the edges are not uniform and clean, the caulk will fail and you’ll have to pay a second time.  Ensure that a foam backer rod is placed in the joint before caulking so that the caulk will have 3 sides of adhesion.  True professional caulkers are hard to find, but choosing anybody else maybe more expensive in the long run and look bad forever.

 

Filed Under: Lowering Costs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Lonely Mailbox

May 6, 2012 by

Why do entrances get all the glory?  Or at least the Annual flowers and landscaping lighting?  Mailboxes are pitifully neglected, and yet the mailbox is the one place that a homeowner is most likely to stop before driving into the garage and closing the shades.

I am of the opinion that mailboxes should be glamorized and adorned with  some landscaping and annuals.  A concerted effort should be made to prevent rust or other stains, and the paint fresh.  Putting makeup on this previous blemish might just brighten up the remainder of a homeowner’s day.

Filed Under: Raising Home Values, Raising Morale Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Mitigating Foreclosures

May 6, 2012 by

I’ll preface this post by saying that my comments are mere conjecture… so far:

If you live in a community, chances are good that at least one homeowner is in the process of losing their home.  The HOA is unlikely to recoup any monies since the mortgage company holding first position on the deed will extinguish all subordinate claims.  And banks are the worst homeowners.

I have watched as a Bank foreclosed on a homeowner, refused to pay HOA dues, then foreclosed on themselves to avoid paying any of their debts.  The legality although dubious was not worth the Community’s resources to challenge, although I believe we lost more than 4 grand. Additionally, the neglected home is sold at significant discount to the least qualified candidate.  Any board knows that 1 or 2 foreclosures can have drastic consequences.

Is there another way?  With decisive action can a Community control the foreclosure process to their advantage?  Is it conceivable for the Board to purchase the home from the Bank even before a short sale listing?  The Community by investing in their own community has prevented unconcerned outside players from acting against the neighborhood’s interests.  Obviously there is some risk involved; the home needs to be improved to market condition, but who is better informed on homes values in the neighborhood than the board?  If the home sells for market value to a solid homeowner, then breaking even on the project could still be considered a success.  There might even be a little extra for… Reserves.

 

Filed Under: Raising Home Values Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

A Board’s Key Objectives

May 2, 2012 by

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….

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

My first post

April 17, 2012 by

Over the years as a board member, I have seen all kinds of problems arise, which undoubtedly other HOAs have encountered or will encounter.  Some problems were immediate and had concrete solutions.  Other problems are inherent in the very nature and function of an HOA, which I can only provide my insight as some of these ideas are untested.  My intention for this blog is to provide handy advice to some and to receive feedback as well.  I promise to write regularly until I have exhausted my knowledge base.  Until then….

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,
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