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HOA BOARDS GET ADVICE FOR SURVIVING ECONOMIC TURMOIL

April 26th, 2011, 5:38 pm by

The Rocky Mountain chapter of the Community Associations Institute, an umbrella group for homeowners association boards and management companies, is offering an educational seminar Friday, April 29, for HOA boards and professionals focusing on surviving the economic downturn.

It’s open to the public and will provide tips for HOAs facing declining dues and experiencing neighborhood foreclosures, delinquencies and bankruptcies

“Running an HOA is like running a business,” said Brian Terhark, president of the Community Associations Institute – Rocky Mountain chapter.  “HOA boards and managers are trying to understand what the impact is to their bottom line.”

CAI reports a recent national survey found that more than half of the nation’s estimated 310,000 HOAs are enduring financial strain and 54 percent of the responding HOAs described their problems as “serious” or “severe.”

The conference Friday is designed to address questions including:

  •  What is the role of the new Division of Regulatory Agencies HOA Information Office?
  •  How can you secure a loan for your community?
  •  What is the best way to collect delinquent assessments?
  •  How should an HOA plan for natural disasters like a tornado, flood or hail storm?

The conference is part of  CAI-RMC’s annual Spring Showcase Conference.  Open to the public, this is the largest conference of its kind for Colorado HOAs and offers educational sessions to HOA managers, volunteer board members, homeowners and industry professionals who face increased challenges from the recession. 

The HOA conference is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, at the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum,    7711 East Academy Boulevard, Denver, 80230,  in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood.

For more information, go to www.hoa-colorado.org or call 303-951-4973.

Events Schedule – $70 registration fee includes:

  • Breakfast and lunch
  • Nine education sessions on:
  • Delinquencies, Foreclosures and Deficits – Best practices for dealing with these issues
  • Strategic Planning for an Emergency – How to prepare your HOA for a disaster
  • 60 Questions in 60 Minutes – Free legal advice from leading HOA attorneys
  • DORA Panel Discussion – Insight on the new HOA Information and Resource Office
  • Managing the Basics of an HOA
  • What I Wish I Would Have Known – Senior HOA managers share lessons learned
  • Asbestos/Mold/Lead – How to identify and manage these hazards
  • How to Build a Sense of Community Within Your HOA
  • Close Encounters of a Dangerous Kind – How to handle fair housing requests
  • Admission to the exhibit hall
  • Complimentary conference bag and prizes

 

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HOA BOSS FACES QUESTIONS FROM HOA MANAGERS

February 16th, 2011, 12:03 pm by

Aaron Acker, director of Colorado's new HOA Information and Resource Center, speaks Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011, in Colorado Springs to the Southern Colorado Chapter of the Community Associations Institute.

Colorado’s new HOA boss, Aaron Acker, came to Colorado Springs with a clear message for homeowners association board members and professional property managers: he and the new HOA Information Office and Resource Center are not the enemy. 

“We’re not going to be condo cops,” Acker said Tuesday in a speech to the Southern Colorado Chapter of the Community Associations Institute, the trade group for property managers and HOAs. 

“We are not a regulatory agency,” Acker said. “And we are not in the business of mediating disputes. 

“We are strictly an information-gathering agency and resource center for homeowners and for associations.” 

The crowd of more than 100 seemed wary, however, and even a bit suspicious of Acker. 

 

 

Acker said about 3,500 HOAs had registered so far, covering about 250,000 homes in Colorado. But he said many more need to get registered by logging onto his web site and paying the $8.95 fee. 

“I’m encouraging homeowners to become active in their associations and talk with their associations,” Acker said. “I try to help them understand the concept of homeowners associations. A lot of people have never lived under an association and don’t understand their rights. 

He said he welcomed information from association boards and property managers, as well. 

“I’d love to hear from you,” he said. “We understand there are benefits of homeowners associations,” Acker said. “That’s why so many people want to live in them.” 

Here’s a link to a previous blog I wrote about Acker and his agency. 

Aaron Acker, head of the new state HOA Information and Resource Center, fielded questions from the Southern Colorado Chapter of the Community Associations Industry at a luncheon Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011, in Colorado Springs.

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TIME TO STEAL A PAGE FROM NEVADA?

January 24th, 2010, 12:00 pm by

The Colorado General Assembly is back in session and no doubt someone will bring up homeowners associations. It’s become an annual topic of legislative action.

Maybe lawmakers should look to Nevada for ideas on how to rein in rogue HOA boards and protect homeowners from arbitrary covenant enforcement, rigged elections, unfair dues increases and other activities that generate tons of complaints.

It’s a big issue because an estimated 1.6 million live in 12,000 neighborhood associations –  townhome, condominium and timeshare – in Colorado.

Consider these nationwide statistics about HOAs from the Community Associations Institute:

=========================================================================================  Estimates for the number of association-governed communities and individual housing units and residents within those communities:

            Year         Communities      Housing Units     Residents

            1970             10,000                  701,000                  2.1 million

            1980             36,000                  3.6 million              9.6 million

            1990             130,000                11.6 million            29.6 million                

            2000            222,500                 17.8 million           45.2 million

      2002            240,000                19.2 million            48.0 million

            2004            260,000                20.8 million            51.8 million

            2006            286,000                23.1 million             57.0 million

            2008            300,800                24.1 million            59.5 million

 

Association-governed communities include homeowners associations, condominiums, cooperatives and other planned communities. Homeowners associations and other planned communities currently account for 52-55% of the totals above, condominiums for 38-42% and cooperatives for 5-7%. 

 

·         Estimated number of community association managers:  60,000.

      ·         Estimated number of management companies: 10,000.

        ·         More than 1.7 million people serve on community association governing boards. Another 400,000 serve as committee members.  

·        Since 2000, nearly 4 out 5 housing starts have been in association-governed communities, including condos converted from rental units.

        ·        The value of the homes in community associations is estimated at $4 trillion, or about 20 percent of the value of all U.S. residential real estate.

        ·         Estimated annual operating revenue for U.S. community associations is more than $41 billion. Community and condominium association boards also maintain investment accounts of more than $35 billion for the long-term maintenance and replacement of common property, e.g., roads, swimming pools, structures and elevators.

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So you can see why some states are getting serious about HOA regulation. 

 

One of the pioneers is Nevada. where lawmakers created an ombudsman office in 1997, and later expanded it and created a five-member commission to give that state’s HOA residents a place to appeal for help.

 

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 And check out the commission’s Web site.

 

In 2004, Florida joined Nevada by creating an ombudsman for community associations. Virginia, New Jersey, California also have debated creating HOA oversight agencies.

 

The CAI opposes state HOA oversight. The group believes the government should not interfere in HOAs, which are voluntary, private associations governed by their members. People who don’t like them can get elected to the governing boards or move away from them.

 

 But other groups argue a government agency is needed to protect the interests of homeowners.

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