discouraging vandalism in the HOA

5 Ways To Discourage Vandalism in Your HOA

How can your HOA prevent or discourage vandalism or theft in the HOA community?

 

1) The first answer is easy. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS. Meet your neighbors. Following appropriate COVID protocols for your community, take a moment to walk next door and say hello (or wave from your driveway if that feels safer). Knowing who your neighbors are helps to create a strong community, to be sure. But, it also enables you to recognize people or elements that are NOT part of the community.

 

2) Utilize E-mail!  Ask your HOA Board or Manager to send an announcement via email to residents if the community has experienced suspicious activity to let members know to be alert.

 

3) Speak to your children. Talk to your kids about their responsibility to help keep their community safe. Encourage them to recognize their neighbors. Take time to instill pride in their community and encourage habits that will help keep it clean, maintained, and safe.

 

4) Create a well-lit neighborhood. Get your board involved! Well-lit areas discourage vandalism and loitering. Regardless of location, a well-lit community, minimizes the chance of unwanted guests hanging out in your neighborhood.

 

5) Did you know the electric company will help you file a report? If you notice damaged or vandalized utility equipment, you can contact SRP directly and they will handle the situation with law enforcement. Don’t ever try to intervene!

 

What has your HOA implemented to help deter vandalism? Any success stories you’d like to share? We would love to hear from you, so would other communities in our area!

by /Building Community, HOA Neighborhood Watch Group

Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for the HOA (That are Easy to Achieve!)

How to Build Effective New Year’s Resolutions for the HOA

Board Members and Residents Can Work Together for Productive Resolutions!

Let us work on something that brings us together! New Year’s resolutions have a certain stigma to them, mostly “they never stick” or “we never see them through.” However, developing a few New Year’s Resolutions that foster positive relationships between HOA Board and resident, effectively govern the association, and decrease expensive and avoidable conflicts between the like, are SIMPLE to achieve and long lasting with little effort. Are you ready for the best year yet for your HOA! Let’s go!

  • Leave the Egos at the Door. Buh-bye 2020! And buh-bye egos. In many cases, HOA disputes can be settled easily. But when one gets invested in their ego, simple matters can quickly escalate into huge conflicts. If an HOA Board member takes an honest look at a situation they may be dealing with a resident, and feels personal feelings about the resident (or vice versa) are influencing any decisions being made, it is time to step out of that dispute and ask for another Board member to assist in the situation.
  • Review the Governing Documents. The largest reason for conflict to arise is mis or dis-information. HOA board members, and residents alike, need to read and understanding the governing documents. If there isn’t clear understanding, then no one is enforcing and/or complying with the HOA rules properly. Clear understanding = less headaches. If you are a board member, also be sure you have the complete set. Sometimes amendments are lost as papers and files are shared between passing board members.
  • Get Organized! We are talking about report filing, accessible minutes, review insurance requirements. Phew, we know sounds like a LOT. But it’s quite simple with a checklist. Ah-ha! We have one called, The Ultimate HOA Board Organization Checklist. Click here to access it.
  • Delegate and Seek Help. HOA Board members and volunteers are usually juggling full-time jobs and families, which leaves little time for the HOA duties. Can committees be utilized to investigate initiatives? Ask for help, use your social media tools, go door-to-door, have functions, and see if small groups can form to tackle some of the issues.

Phew…that’s a lot of resolutions….now where’s the champagne? Cheers to 2021!

by /Building Community, HOA Board Meetings, Rights and Responsibilities

Why “Smart Water” Devices Are Best for Your HOA

 

Today, more than ever, smart irrigation controllers – or “smart water devices” – are necessary to maintain HOA landscapes as water conservation and saving money are the top concerns of homeowners and their associations.

What do smart water devices do?

They maintain watering schedules automatically to meet specific landscape needs. Simply stated, they take the guess work out of watering your landscape. Nearly two-thirds of residential water use occurs outdoors, yet much of that water is wasted due to over-watering. Many homeowners do not know how to adjust irrigation schedules to match water needs based on the season, nor have the time to deal with it.

What is the difference between a traditional system and smart irrigation controllers?

No matter how efficient a current irrigation system may seem, it doesn’t take into affect weather conditions that change sporadically. Specifically, we are talking about evaportranspiration (ET) and rainfall. ET is the amount of water the soil loses through evaporation in conjunction with the plant’s water loss, both of which are affected by changing weather conditions. Most traditional systems turn water and and off based on a time schedule that does not change with the weather and soil conditions, therefore plants are over-watered too much, for too long, which wastes water, money, and damages the plant.

How do smart water devices work?

Smart controllers use weather information and site and soil conditions to determine how much water to apply, and when to irrigate. Some controllers utilize historical weather data to compliment on-site weather conditions. Other controllers actually download ET values daily. Soil moisture sensor smart controllers also measure the amount of moisture already in the soil to determine irrigation schedules.
Once these systems are programmed, they usually require no additional monitoring and will water the landscape at peak effeciency times. The Irrigation Association has proved that smart irrigation controllers save up to 30% more water than traditional irrigation controllers. The Environmental Protection Agency now has selected these devices to be one of the first technologies endorsed by the EPA’s WaterSense program.

We encourage you to visit Water Use It Wisely, for important day-to-day water conservation tips and tricks for home and office!

by /HOA Spring Landscaping

Choosing Vendors for the Homeowners Association

Running any organization comes with a certain amount of stress, but this is especially true when your organization is a Homeowner’s Association. These organizations receive quite a lot of flak for their commitment to maintaining property standards and ensuring neighborhoods are kept up to par, but there’s no doubt that an enormous amount of work goes into keeping neighborhoods looking as good as they do.

What Kinds of Vendors do Homeowner’s Associations Hire?

Homeowner’s associations often need the assistance of all kinds of vendors. Landscaping companies might be needed to clear up a property’s backyard or front lawn, trim hedges and overgrown tree branches, or rebuild stone walls that have started to tumble. Pool maintenance crews are another common example of a vendor, as well as asphalt workers, roofing crews, electricians, and any other tradespeople who make a living working on properties.

There could be an argument made that it’s unnecessary to ever hire vendors, as HOA board members may believe they’re up to the task of maintaining properties themselves. While this could be the case in some specific instances, generally speaking it’s more advisable to hire qualified professionals with years of experience and a proven expertise in their specific field. To put it simply, would you rather have someone with 3 years of asphalt experience 15 years ago work on a driveway, or someone who’s currently active in the field?

While amateur landscaping enthusiasts or hobby carpenters may have some insight into a project, they shouldn’t be the ones running the show. There are plenty of established differences between true experts in a field and untrained amateurs, and that difference will almost always show in the quality of the work.

Vendors & Insurance

Hiring fully insured vendors is an absolute must for any jobs with an HOA. But why? Well, the answer is pretty simple. Without ample amounts of legal coverage when hiring someone to do any sort of job on your property, you face liability if an accident or injury occurs. That’s why fully vetting all potential vendors is an absolute must. You can never be too thorough when making hires for any type of professional work, even simple jobs that you wouldn’t consider dangerous.

Even seemingly mundane jobs like changing pool filters can go wrong if someone slips on wet concrete and suffers an injury. Full legal contracts are also a must for any professional work, with clearly spelled-out terms as to what happens if an injury or accident happens. Both the employer and the professional contractors should be on the same page, which requires open communication at all times. That’s why any potential contractors who are vague or reserved about their insurance coverage when it gets down to brass tacks should be avoided.

No HOA board members want to fall victim to a scam, or be forced to pay out hundreds of thousands in medical bills due to a clerical error! At every meeting between contractors and HOA board members, an HOA attorney should be present to ensure that all decisions made are in favor of the board members and community. The reason for this is plain and simple: legal language is tricky. View our blog, 3 Ways to Seek Legal Advice for HOA’s for more help with finding good legal advice

For even experienced people with a long history in business, industry jargon and financial details can easily muddle up one’s understanding of what they’re really saying during business meetings. Verbal agreements might be made unintentionally, and it’s surprising how far a witnessed handshake can go if a situation ever takes a turn for the worse and end up in court. For this reason, it’s always best to be on the safe side, so keep your board members close and your legal consultation closer when considering any type of vendor hire. If a potential vendor ever shows hesitation in signing a contract with your HOA, it’s recommended you pull out of the planned agreement. While hesitance can imply many things, there’s nothing wrong with erring on the safe side, which would state that hesitance before a business deal doesn’t inspire confidence in any proceedings to come.

Established Vendors Are Experienced Vendors

References are a great way to get ahold of qualified contractors in any area. Word of mouth information travels for a reason, and generally, if enough people are giving praise to a particular business, they should be the ones you turn to first when considering a potential hire. Of course, any potential hire should be vetted to the same degree, but a professional resume that’s bolstered by good reviews and a history of satisfied customers is generally much more reliable than a new business with no client history.

While it can seem cynical to never give new businesses a chance, it’s always a safer bet to go with an established company. After all, there must be a reason they’ve been active in an area for some time. However, investigating references and reviews is always recommended. With small businesses realizing the importance of advertising themselves online, there has been a digital onslaught of fake reviews written by ghostwriters for up-and-coming businesses. To generate web traffic and attract visitors, new businesses will claim to have worked with clients in an effort to gain instant trust online. For this reason, you should always check up on the claims that any business you might work with makes unless you’ve worked with them before and know that they can back up their statements.

It’s also a good rule of thumb to only work with certified vendors. That means vendors should be fully licensed by any required government authorities, bonded, insured, and the whole nine yards. If you ever struggle to differentiate between certified and uncertified vendors, you may be able to consult a local professional management company for recommendations.

If you need assistance with determining the best vendors for your HOA, contact your PDS Community Manager! We are here to help!

by /Beginners Guide for Rookie Board Members, Common and Exclusive Areas

7 Pillars of HOA Board Education

Serving on the board of your homeowners association is going to feel like a totally new and unique experience. Despite previous experience serving on any board, non-profit or for-profit, get ready for a new ride!

An HOA (homeowners association or community association) is complex, diverse, and multi-faceted. It’s consistently changing as new state laws, new community issues, and new residents join the community. As a board volunteer, you have to be ready to address these changes.

The key to preparedness is being properly educated!

The more you know about the ins-and-outs of how an HOA operates, the more confident you can feel about the many decisions you will make as an HOA Board member.

As you work on your HOA Board education, how will you decipher which topics are most important? There are several areas to focus. In our 20+ years of HOA Management experience, we have concluded these particular HOA generalities are the most crucial to successful management by the HOA Board.

Seven areas of HOA Board Education to focus on:

1. Understand your HOA’s basic financial status. As an HOA board member, you are partly responsible for the proper administration of HOA funds. Heard of “fiduciary duty?” Yep, as an HOA Board member you are a fiduciary. As a fiduciary your obligation to the association is to act in the best interest of the association, show good faith and act diligently – most importantly in regards to the HOA’s general financial well-being. Make sure you spend some time reviewing the current budget, past budgets, and the most recent reserve study. Don’t know much about a reserve study? No problem, read our blog, Why To Complete A Reserve Study.

2. Get familiar with state laws impacting HOA’s. What are the legal allowances and restrictions that your community association faces in your state? No state laws are the same for HOA’s, so learning the state laws is crucial.

3. Know your community’s guidelines – CC&R’s – front and back! The HOA is also governed by its own unique governing documents, after the applicable HOA state specific laws. Board members should have copies of these, and spend some time studying and understanding them.

4. HOA Insurance and Directors Liability Insurance – one does not equal the other. Quickly brief yourself on the types of lawsuits facing HOA’s, and how to discern if your HOA & HOA Board Directors have proper coverage. These are not all inclusive policies! We’ve covered this here in a recent blog about HOA Directors Insurance.

5. Develop best practices for ensuring that HOA meetings are effective and not too time-consuming. This will involve some strategic development on meeting procedure and possibly integrating some templates. We have a complete archive of articles and tips on how to have a successful HOA Board Meeting.

6. Know your management team. Who is your property manager or HOA Management company? What services does your association management team offer? Spending some time with your manager, simply getting to know one another, can be most helpful so that you are using your resources wisely.

7. Know your role (And everyone else’s too!). A clear understanding of expectations for each board member also helps define everyone’s role. Start by outlining the board’s powers & duties and the roles of the board officers. Try this exercise with the entire HOA Board present, if possible. Your board is most likely comprised of individuals who come from diverse backgrounds, each with different perspectives and problem-solving methods. This exercise will create stronger and more effective working relationships amongst the HOA Board – guaranteed!

If you want to dive deeper, check out the workshops and HOA Board trainings that your HOA management company (should be) offering. Here at Planned Development Services, we host monthly workshop and invite experts in various fields that impact Arizona HOA’s. In-person sessions offer the opportunity to talk face-to-face with experts, so you can make better decisions for the Community Association! Ask questions, get informed, and take the information back to the HOA board. Trade-off the monthly schedule so everyone on the board is taking a share of the work. Can’t make a workshop? Talk to your PDS community manager about on-location training for your HOA Board, or if a download is available.

We also encourage you to join your local chapter of Community Associations Institute (CAI). CAI provides up-to-date education, information, activities, and more, to not only the HOA board members, but to residents as well. CAI hosts networking events and vendor expos that enable you to engage with experts and network with other HOA Boards (it’s likely another HOA Board has faced an issue you are currently dealing with – pick their brain and get to know one another!).

In conclusion, serving on the board of your HOA is a big responsibility. The better you equip yourself with current information and ongoing education, the more effective you can be – both as a decision maker and as an informed resident in your community association.

If you would like our help in speaking to your Arizona HOA Board about the benefits of continuing education, please call us today at (623) 877-1396. Or, email Dawn Engel at dawn@pdsaz.com.

by /Beginners Guide for Rookie Board Members, HOA Board Meetings, HOA Directory and Officer Liability, HOA Law, Rights and Responsibilities
Thanking A Volunteer with a Tight Budget

10 Ways To Thank a Volunteer, With Little (or No) Budget

Volunteers who serve your HOA board – or provide any other free service for the homeowners association – deserve thanks and gratitude for the invaluable role they play in the HOA. Trouble is, there’s often not an unlimited budget available to throw huge parties or special events.

Fortunately, there are ways to thank volunteers that don’t require much money at all! Start by making sure you provide an atmosphere of genuine respect, courtesy, support, and gratitude, then consider these additional low-cost ideas to say thank you to a volunteer:

  1. Give a shout-out! If your HOA has a page on platforms such as Facebook, thank (and tag!) your volunteers there.
  2. Consider naming a “Volunteer of the Month (or Quarter).”
  3. Present volunteers with a homemade certificate of appreciation.
  4. Compose simple, handwritten notes saying “thank you” for their contributions.
  5. Dedicate a portion of each HOA newsletter to thanking a different volunteer.
  6. Write a recommendation for volunteers on a service like LinkedIn (or offer to serve as a professional reference).
  7. Give volunteers framed photos of themselves during a community or service event.
  8. Interview the volunteer and write a bio for the HOA’s website or social media accounts.
  9. Let volunteers know when you hear compliments from others on their work.
  10. Make a list of their accomplishments during their time of volunteer service, and share them at an HOA meeting.
by /Building Community, Employee Recognition, HOA Board Meetings
Rio Crossing HOA Avondale, Arizona. Managed by Planned Development Services

Community Spotlight: Rio Crossing HOA, Avondale

For our 25th Anniversary in HOA Management, we will be honoring our Community Associations! We interviewed Rio Crossing HOA, located in Avondale, and they highlight how they expanded their member and resident communication outreach by going social!

Name of Arizona HOA Community: Rio Crossing Homeowners Association

Location: Avondale, Arizona

Community Association President: Ray Hardwood

HOA Board Members: Ray Harwood – President, Julia Anderson – Vice President, Andres Montoya- Secretary, Stephanie Hernandez – Treasurer, Cheri Li – Director At Large

What has been your board’s greatest achievement in the last 3 years? Anything you are proud of!: We’ve expanded our member and resident communication outreach with:

    • An expanded web site with information blog: http://RioCrossingHOA.com
    • Reactivated the community Facebook page: http://Facebook.com/RioCrossing
    • Established a voluntary participation mailing list with monthly information and weekly updates. See the message archive at http://vew.me/rcma
    • See a few informative YouTube videos on our channel: http://vew.me/rcyt
    • Twitter presence for announcing events and communication: http://Twitter.com/RioCrossingHOA
    • Most recently started posting to Instagram: http://Instagram.com/RioCrossingHOA

How long has PDS been your HOA Management partner?: Just transitioned to PDS December 1, 2019 – less than a year

What is the greatest value PDS brings to your Arizona HOA?: Customer service feedback from members regarding interaction with all PDS staff that they are friendly, knowledgeable, compassionate but firm, and willing to take the time to listen to our members.

How has COVID impacted your HOA this year? What, if any, lessons have the board learned from this impact?: The impact of COVID hasn’t been huge to the association as a whole, but there have been a few adjustments we’ve had to make: moving to online meetings, the obligatory posting of warning notices at playgrounds, cancelation of social events (Spring Fling, Community Garage Sale, and likely our Winter Festival).

What fun community events is your HOA excited to plan for this year, or maybe next?: In 2018 we had our first Winter Festival which was well attended, and in 2019 it was a huge success. It’s unlikely we’ll be able to do this again in 2020, but we’re looking forward to it in 2021!

Traditionally, what has been your most successful community event?: Most of our events have historically been promoted only to Rio Crossing residents, with attendance of around 50 or less. In order to facilitate more activities, the Winter Festivals – held in 2018 and 2019 – were opened to surrounding communities, with attendance estimated of 250 or more. This allowed us to attract food trucks at no cost to the association, and a number of vendor tents with no charge to companies of residents, and a $25 per booth fee for non-residents. Santa got a ride to the community courtesy of the Avondale Fire Department, and saw over 100 kids each year.

by /Community Spotlight
Halloween in the HOA During COVID

Halloween During COVID in the HOA

HOAs and Halloween: Halloween During COVID

It’s no secret that this year has been a perfect storm of life-changing events. When COVID-19 first hit American soil, the nation had to come together to find a way to reduce the spread of the virus and protect the residents of communities from coast to coast.

Now, as the holidays draw nearer, we’re still having to course correct to ensure our loved ones’ safety while still getting to enjoy the magic of the season. With the spooky season upon us, it’s time for our Arizona HOAs and Halloween conversation.

If you’re looking for safe ways to celebrate the holiday, you’re in the right place! Read on for some HOA rules for trick or treating you can implement in your local community to reduce the risk of another outbreak and protect your residents of all ages!

Rules for HOAs and Halloween

When it comes to celebrating Halloween safely, we are here to help you find the best way to relay information to your residents.
A useful acronym to use is for a safe holiday is “HALLOWEEN”:

H– Hand sanitizer use and hand washing should be frequent in public areas
A– Allow at least 6-feet between your group and others while attending seasonal activities
L– Look for activities that encourage safe social distancing
L– Lower your risk by attending events during less popular times
O– Only take off your mask to eat or drink
W– Wear a protective face mask even when you’re wearing a costume mask
E– Encourage your friends and family to participate and have fun!
E– Enjoy what the holiday has to offer
N– Notice and respect people’s boundaries

While Halloween looks a little different this year, it’s still possible to have fun and make memories while staying safe. Implementing safe, simple rules for your community association will protect the people that make your HOA so unique.

It’s also important to remind your residents what types of decorations aren’t allowed this time of year. An outline about noise levels, considerate lighting options, yard art, and religious references can help everyone make the most of this season. You can use newsletters, HOA social media sites, or your HOA website to communicate these rules.

Safe Ways to Celebrate Halloween

When it comes to choosing a high-fun, low-risk activity for your family this Halloween, trick or treat during COVID may not be your best option. If you want to steer clear of the crowds and find some new traditions, why not try one of these?

Go BIG on decorations
Find a drive-through Halloween activity
Have a Halloween movie night
Host a video chat costume party with games and competitions
Make special treats
Camp out at home or a local park
Halloween-themed scavenger hunt
Host an HOA-friendly, neighborhood-wide drive-by trick or treat
Choose Your Spooky Season Activities Wisely

To have a safe, fun holiday season, it’s up to our HOAs and Halloween guidelines to remind or inform residents on how to proceed. As the season grows nearer, local, state, and national policies could change again, so be sure to monitor these situations closely.

For more information about our community offerings and HOA management in Arizona, contact us. To read more informative articles about all things HOA and other related material, check out our blog.

by /Uncategorized

Community Spotlight: Vallarta HOA, Buckeye

For our 25th Anniversary in HOA Management, we will be honoring our Community Associations! We interviewed Vallarta HOA, located in Buckeye, Arizona, and they highlight their greatest achievement this year ~ attaining a stable, secure financial position for their homeowners. Read more about this PDS Community Spotlight!

Name of Arizona HOA Community: Vallarta Community Association

Location: Verrado, in Buckeye, Arizona

Community Association President: Dawn M. Monaghan

HOA Board Members: Regina Renaldi – Vice President, Kimberly Aiken – Secretary, Raymond Clark – Treasurer,  Peter O’Grady – Member at Large

What has been your board’s greatest achievement in the last 3 years? Anything you are proud of!: Since Declarant transition we have, in just two operating budget cycles attained a stable, secure financial position for Vallarta Owners and it is a gratifying achievement.

How long has PDS been your HOA Management partner?: Approximately 18 months.

What is the greatest value PDS brings to your Arizona HOA?: Record keeping and Compliance.

How has COVID impacted your HOA this year? What, if any, lessons have the board learned from this impact?: Our Covid Impact was the closing our our small community pool. With only 107 homes we all know and socialize through community get togethers, which of course ceased. Effectively communicating by signage posting was a new skill learned, as was how to stay connected during the lockdown. An example is birthdays -residents took the initiative and we now arrive masked and socially distanced to serenade the Birthday resident with happy birthday, cards and gifts outside on their driveway.

What fun community events is your HOA excited to plan for this year, or maybe next?: We are not currently planning as our pool area is the heart of our community and it is still limited by mandate to no more than 10.

Traditionally, what has been your most successful community event?: Traditionally our most popular and successful events are a Christmas cookie exchange followed by a tour of Holiday decorations at 5 neighborhood homes, and St. Patrick’s Day dinner.

by /Community Spotlight
PDS celebrates 25 years in Arizona HOA Management

Looking Back on the Evolution of PDS. 25 Years Strong!

Planned Development Services (PDS) is celebrating 25 years in HOA Management this month!  We thought we would turn the mic to our Founder & President, Lori Rutledge….who is also our leader, coach, mentor, and friend. Let’s dive in and spend some time to learn more about her journey and how PDS has evolved.

 

Let’s start with an easy question that many people don’t actually understand, What is an HOA?

Lori: An HOA generally, with the help of a management company, oversees the management of various types of communities. Ie; townhouses, master planned communities, planned communities and condos.  HOA’s were formed to assist cities with the managing of common areas as well as to protect the overall equity of the homeowner’s property.

 

Why did you decide to take over PDS? What was your inspiration?

Lori: I really liked the idea of HOAs, it is my belief that they are essential as they protect the equity of, and aesthetics in a community.   The whole idea is to make sure that a person’s largest (in most cases) investment is protected and increases over time.  An HOA is also to create a harmonious “community” for families to live in.

I’ve been in real estate at some level or another for thirty years, and this was an organic evolution for me.

 

How many HOA communities does PDS manage?

Lori: We have approximately 130 communities that we manage, with a total of about 35,000 doors. 

 

How has PDS evolved since you founded it? What drove your evolution?

Lori: I think it (our evolution) happened organically….there was a need and we filled it. Most of our new business comes from referrals, so I like to think it’s because we are doing a great job. We know what we’re doing. We’ve created programs and plans that really work to help associations do better both financially and aesthetically.

 

What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned in HOA Management, that you would like to share?

Lori: I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned in the 20 plus years I’ve been running PDS is surrendering to the change! (Laughs). Things are going to change, and we really have to adapt. Nearly every year there are legislative changes that require us to adjust how we manage properties while still accomplishing our goal of making them great.

 

PDS has a lot of women in leadership, including yourself. Was that a conscious decision? If so, why? (we think it is remarkable).

Lori: Not really. This industry when I got into it was very male dominated. Most managers were men, most of the people in leadership were men.

I was raised by a very strong woman, so it’s just who I am. I don’t think there was a possibility for me to be anybody different.

I believe in working with people who want to make change, it doesn’t matter to me whether they are male or female. We’re a very philanthropic organization, which tends to be a big part of who we are and who we hire to work with us.

We were very small when I first purchased the company. I think there were seven of us, total. Now there are more than fifty of us! So we did everything back then. We would have mailing parties when a mailing had to go out, as we didn’t have fancy machines that did it for us back then. We had to stuff and lick envelopes. Really it was about people who respected that, that stayed with me. I’ve had people that have been with PDS the entire time, since the beginning. Our Chief Financial Officer worked for PDS when I bought the company and she’s still with us to this day.

I have no preference one way or the other – it (PDS) has just become what it has become. It’s just happened naturally that we have many women in leadership. It’s about being the type of employee that is willing to do whatever it takes.  I hire to team work, maybe even more than qualifications.  We only hire people that are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.  Sometimes that means doing something that’s not in your job description, like emptying the trash or helping clean up after an event.  We all work together to get whatever needs to be done, done.

 

How would you describe being a woman business owner today versus 25 years ago? Has anything changed?

Lori: It has changed so much! When I first started working it didn’t matter what position you held… back then it was absolutely a man’s world. There were very few women in charge.

I worked for a developer. I was the only woman on the management team of about 20 people. It never failed in any of those meetings that at least one or two men would ask me to get them a cup of coffee.

It was just the world we lived in. If you got pregnant, which I did 30 years ago, the fear was that you just couldn’t handle the job, so you worked twice as hard to prove yourself. I hope that the people who work for me, whether they are male or female, don’t feel like they have to do that.

It feels different (now). Sexual harassment back then was crazy! You just had to ignore it for the most part. There is less of that (sexual harassment) now. The glass ceiling has shattered, a bit. It’s still there but not in my company 😊

It certainly isn’t perfect, but it is a thousand times better than it used to be.

 

Why is this work important?

Lori: I think we are protecting people’s property values. People matter to me, so the business matters. This is the largest investment for most people, so I do believe we make a difference.

 

What do you think most people misunderstand about HOAs?

Lori: I think there is a communication problem in the industry. I’ve fired my share of HOA Boards due to a lack of communication.  I believe we’re a partnership, the HOA Board, the homeowners, and the entire community. If I have a Board that wants to consider our relationship adversarial and not in partnership, we just cannot continue to work with them. I also have worked with many HOA Boards that believe they are the trash can police and want to rule their communities, rather than work with their homeowners as a team.  This never ends up well, so I strive to encourage partnership above all else.

That’s the goal of all of this. We work with HOA Boards, we educate them.  We do bi-monthly Board classes where we talk about having a more reasonable perspective, as opposed to being the big bad HOA. That’s not what we’re out there to do.

We’re not the police. We’re not there to solve every problem, but we are there to work with them to create a great community.

 

How is PDS different from other Arizona HOA Management Companies?

Lori: We have an employee-driven culture. That sounds kind of strange, because we should be thinking of our bottom line for our community associations, right? But when I take care of my employees – this is a really difficult business (people don’t usually call to thank us). If I focus on my employees, they have a great life with this company, and their experience is excellent, they will pass that on to our customers. Therefore, I focus on my employees, I focus on the experience that they have, I encourage them to pass that on to our clients and to our customers, as well as giving back to our community

We look at it as a whole picture. When somebody calls us and has a problem, for example they aren’t working because of the pandemic, we’re going to work with them.

(Our clients) don’t get a recording when they call. They get live people who transfer them to live people, not a voicemail. This is essential to our business model. We call it “Solution Hotline,” because we want to be providing solutions. One of the most challenging things about the HOA industry is communication.

It makes sense, if I’m a manager – I’m out in the field a lot. I’m not sitting at my desk waiting for the phone to ring. Our solution to that is that each of our employees dedicates a certain amount of time to the phones. We have very experienced managers in this industry, so if someone calls and has a standard question, anyone answering the phone here is very well-versed in answering those questions.

What I take the most pride in is, when people are ready to get off the phone, and they ask, “Is there anything else I can help you with?” Eighty-five percent of the time the answer is “no, thank you, I really appreciate that I could talk to a live person and get my question answered.”

We put that in place about ten years ago. I’m so proud of that.

We have a huge database of all the HOAs and their policies so that anyone answering the phone can answer just about any question.

 

It sounds so simple! Not simple to implement, I’m sure… 

Lori: It is simple. You answer the phones, you answer the questions.

 

What would you like to evolve in the industry and with PDS in the next 25 years?

Lori: The biggest thing I want to see continue to evolve and grow is education, because when managers, board members and homeowners are educated, the more they understand what they can and cannot do, and the more they understand why we do what we do. I think that’s really essential.

We offer frequent educational opportunities for our Board members, but usually the same 40 to 50 people show up, and we have 500 in our portfolio. So we’re looking to do more quick learning opportunities, more YouTube videos and what not, about the Arizona HOA laws, federal laws, the documents that were created, so people can understand why we do what we do and how we do it. Then the Board members can educate the homeowners, and there’s less frustration.

Education is a good thing. I’d like to see a lot more of that.

I would also like to see more education for policymakers, so they understand how new and changing legislation impacts homeowners and associations in Arizona.

 

Is there anything else we should know?

Lori: I really feel honored to be a part of something bigger, because this is something bigger. I want to continue our philanthropic work, like feeding the hungry and donating water in the Summer…. Etc. For me, it’s not enough to be a company. We have to do, and be something bigger. That’s something we always strive for and I want to continue to do that.

by /Building Community, Certified Association Managers, News