| Copyright 2005-2007 All Rights Reserved Charles E. Marunde & FreeRealEstateLaw.com |
The vast majority of good people who purchase a home
in a community where there is a homeowners'
association do not realize the importance of the
association or the significant role it can play in their lives.
The key to a successful association is the selection of the board members and
the chairman of that board. As fundamental as this may sound, it is the
greatest failure of associations in this attorney's experience. Here are the
attributes that homeowners should want and demand in their association board
of directors and chairman or president.
First, what you do want in a board member:
Second, and in my opinion even more important than the positive
attributes, what you DO NOT want in a board member:
Like a landlord who neglects to get a credit report and check referrals,
homeowners who fail to practice these simple rules will later wish they could
evict board members.
in a community where there is a homeowners'
association do not realize the importance of the
association or the significant role it can play in their lives.
The key to a successful association is the selection of the board members and
the chairman of that board. As fundamental as this may sound, it is the
greatest failure of associations in this attorney's experience. Here are the
attributes that homeowners should want and demand in their association board
of directors and chairman or president.
First, what you do want in a board member:
- Each board member should be a homeowner in the community;
- Each board member should be genuinely interested in promoting what is
best for the entire membership - Each board member should have sufficient experience in dealing with
conflict among people and organizations; - Each board member should have some credentials to be able to make
important decisions regarding real estate, covenants, and financial
obligations; and - Each board members should be a good and honest person with a gentle
attitude and a desire to work with others (don't take this one for granted);
Second, and in my opinion even more important than the positive
attributes, what you DO NOT want in a board member:
- A board member should not have an arrogant attitude;
- A board member should not be a "know-it-all" dictator (far more common
that you might think); - A board member should not be serving on the board in a position of
power out of personal dysfunctional behavior (big one here); - A board member should not be a rude or obnoxious person, who
regularly demonstrates this behavior in the meetings; and - A board member should not be a vindictive person.
Like a landlord who neglects to get a credit report and check referrals,
homeowners who fail to practice these simple rules will later wish they could
evict board members.
| How to Select Board Members for Your Homeowners' Association |
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| Many homeowners could care less what is happening in the homeowners' association, and that is precisely why they end up with Hitler and his staff running the community. |
| As a homeowner, you should make it your duty to know the State Homeowners' Assoc. Act, including the procedural rules for operating the association. You also should know Roberts Rules of Order intimately. Dictators in any association love to use the rules against you to enforce their agenda. |
