HomeOwners Associations come in a variety of forms – from civic minded and closely bonded; to combative and often contentious. Folks that make up these boards come from all walks of life and while some are productive and energizing, others can be a drag and struggle with making even the smallest of decisions.
So what’s the difference? What makes a great HOA? What qualities do they possess? That’s what we’re here to discuss today. Here are the traits that separate at great HOA from the pack. Let’s jump right in.
Balance
A good board of directors is always well-rounded. Whether it’s male/female, young/old – the more varied the backgrounds, the more global the decision making will prove to be. Younger people tend to be more aggressive about their ideas and are eager to enact change. Older members are usually more conservative in nature and are resistant to radical changes. The mixture of the two blends well towards maintaining order.
Having diversity in your board is important, too. Someone with a construction background will be interested and share their expertise in building or redesign projects. Folks with an accounting background would be interested in the finances. Having these different perspectives and areas of expertise can make for a high functioning board.
Communication
In any kind of leadership – creating and implementing a policy or change is only half of the battle. Being able to sell and communicate these ideas and achieve buy-in is the real battle. Every good management company or HOA should be able to communicate clearly and convincingly.
How you communicate, how you make decisions, how you sell decisions and how you move a management company – these are all lengthy, vital conversations for HOA’s to have if they want to be successful.
Activity
You can’t solve problems by ignoring them and like most things in life, you get what you put in. In order for your community to thrive, it’ll have to have active participation among members. More often than not – it’s not the big things, but rather the accumulation of lots of little things that create momentum in one direction or the other.
The little things like simple attendance, voting, attending the events you help to play, obeying deed restrictions and being fiscally responsible help move the needle forward. Some folks would be surprised at how adhering to just the simple basics can go a long way.
If your HOA is struggling to find wind in its sails, we hope this blog helped give you a starting point to get out of the doldrums. Put in the effort, keep everyone’s best interests in mind, and assume people’s good intentions – and you’ll be on the right path. Good luck!