According to South Florida Agent Magazine, Florida has the highest percentage of HOAs, with 45% of all homes being part of one. It also noted that while homes with HOAs are worth around 4% more, not all residents are that happy with their specific associations.
The last thing your HOA board in Fort Myers, FL, wants is to have unhappy residents. For this reason, it must implement HOA board best practices.
Read on as our team at MyTown Communities will explore community management tips for more effective HOA governance.
Effective Communication
As the website Moving to Florida Guide has pointed out, the average HOA fee for condos and townhomes ranges from $400 to $600. For a single-family home, it's $300.
With that kind of money on the line, it won't be surprising for HOA members to feel disgruntled if they don't "feel" the presence of their board. They may feel even more frustrated if they have inquiries but fail to get updates from the board promptly.
To prevent such instances, an HOA board should invest in better communication protocols and tools, such as:
- A community website for online correspondence and updates
- A monthly written and digital newsletter
- Bulletin board notices
- Emails, SMS messages, or direct online messaging
The board should also have policies on timely responses, ideally within 24 hours.
Well-Planned HOA Meetings
When well-planned, board and community members can be more productive during HOA meetings. So, if meetings always have too few residents or don't participate that much, it indicates a lack of planning. For instance, the board may tend to schedule it at the last minute, or previous gatherings have rambled on for so long because they didn't have a structured agenda.
The HOA board can facilitate more effective and efficient HOA meetings by:
- Creating and sticking to a well-defined agenda
- Sending notices and meeting invites days in advance
- Using multiple platforms for notifications (e.g., mail, bulletin board, SMS, email, and website updates)
The notices should include a brief overview of the agenda and the proposed meeting length to encourage attendance. When residents see their concerns included, they're more likely to participate.
Delegation of HOA Board Responsibilities
Since board members also have personal and professional lives, they may not always have the time to address their board responsibilities. The longer this goes on, the more likely discord can occur within the board and the community. The good news is that Fort Myers has reputable association management companies, such as MyTown Communities.
A dedicated association manager can handle most responsibilities of the board, such as:
- Budgeting, financing, and HOA fee collection
- Administration of community rules and regulations
- Enforcement of fines and penalties
- Overseeing property maintenance and repairs
- Communicating with residents
So, with the help of an HOA manager, your community can become more cohesive, organized, and valuable.
Ready to Transform Your HOA?
Whether you're an HOA board member or a concerned resident, you want your community to maintain its high value with a fully functional board. So, if your community's board isn't working well or has organizational issues, it's time to consider partnering with professional managers.
Our full-service association management company, MyTown Communities, has been helping communities in Fort Myers and Lee County for over 15 years now. Contact us today to learn how we can make your HOA even more valuable.