January 2013

I love the fresh start of a new year. Like many people, I use the last few days of the year to reflect on accomplishments, identify areas for improvement and growth, and set goals for the next twelve months. The last week of the year often slows down enough for reflection and planning, and I can chart my course for things like client relations activities, changes to internal business practices, and training for that three-day bike ride I want to complete in July.

How does your community association plan for the year ahead? If you’re a new board member, perhaps you’re eager to begin addressing concerns that led you to volunteer in the first place. If you’re a seasoned director, you may have a project underway that you intend to see to completion. But what are your goals as a board? Is your board approaching the New Year with a unified vision and voice?Continue Reading Better Communication in 2013

As the 2013 legislative session is slated to begin on Wednesday, Senator Carroll has gone on record with the Colorado Springs Gazette on her commitment to pass legislation that would create an HOA Czar and to license community association managers.  The bills will be introduced in the House and are expected to receive support in both chambers which are controlled…

Side Streets, carried in the Saturday edition of The Gazette in Colorado Springs, highlighted an interview with Mark Ferrandino – the new Speaker of the Colorado House.  Clearly, the Speaker is not a fan of HOAs and believes members of HOAs need "a way to complain and enforce the laws . . . "  As a result, he’s in favor of providing the HOA Information Officer with the authority to investigate and enforce Homeowner Bill of Rights provisions of the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act ("CCIOA"). 

The Speaker’s disenchantment with HOAs comes from personal experience.  Evidently, at some point in time, the Speaker purchased a home in an HOA and thought the assessments were being handled through his mortgage payment.  As a result, he did not make his $25.00 monthly assessment payment.  After six months of not paying his assessments, the Speaker received notice that a lien had been recorded on his home. Continue Reading Speaker of the House Not a Fan of HOAs