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Helpful HOA Hints for the Holidays
Posted on November 18, 2018 7:16 PM by Melissa Gentry
Categories: Homeowner Articles
 
The holidays are just around the corner, and for many people, that means lots of festivities with friends and loved ones. With all of the merriment that’s sure to ensue, it’s important that residents who are hosting celebrations are not only considerate of their neighbors, but also take note of the association’s rules. A complete listing of our association rules and regulations can be found in our Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs), but here are a few key items to look up that are particularly pertinent during the holiday season:
 
Outdoor Decorations: Decking the halls with seasonal ornaments is a great way to bring the holiday spirit home. Many love to spread the joy by decorating the outside of their homes and front yards as well, but before you scurry up that ladder to hang the decorative lights along the side of your roof, take a quick peek at the CC&Rs to find out the guidelines for outdoor decorations, as well as the guidelines for flags and signs if you plan on decorating with those. This will help make sure your outdoor winter wonderland isn’t an association violation.  Also remember to take those decorations down in January to avoid getting a violation notice.  
 
Parties: We hope you all have plenty of chances to eat, drink and be merry this holiday season. If you plan on hosting a large get-together or party, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. First, keep the revelry and noise to a minimum, and wind the party down at a reasonable time—you don’t want your celebrating to interfere with your neighbors’ attempts to get visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. Check your CC&Rs to find out what the association deems acceptable noise levels and what the quiet hours are, as well as guidelines for hosting parties.
 
Parking: The holidays bring many people together, and that means extra cars will need to be parked. To make sure your guests are covered, look at the CC&Rs to find out the rules on visitor parking in the association, including where they can park and what kind of parking passes they may need.
 
Overnight Guests: It wouldn’t be the holidays without Uncle Marv and Aunt Ethel bunking in little Jimmy’s room. Of course, depending on how long your overnight guests are staying, you may need to let the association know. The CC&Rs will give you a breakdown on the rules for both short-term and long-term guests, so take a look at them before you break out the extra cot.
 
Following the association’s rules and regulations helps ensure that all of our residents can enjoy this special time of year, so please help us by doing your part. Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday season.
Are you one of “THOSE” people on NextDoor?
Posted on October 16, 2018 3:56 PM by Melissa Gentry
 
Are you one of “THOSE” people on NextDoor?

According to Nextdoor, people are using the site to: quickly get the word out about a break-in; organize a Neighborhood Watch group; track down a trustworthy baby sitter; find out who does the best paint job in town; and ask for help to find a lost dog, among other things.  And its these helpful resources that sparked its popularity.  It was great while it lasted and then it slowly devolved into a forum for “THOSE” people.  

We all know who I am talking about.  Those users on NextDoor or Facebook that are the first to post their trivial concerns and prejudices about random events and then have their raging rants reinforced in a forum for their neighbors that for some reason believe that minor annoyances are federal cases.  These threads often become heated places as individuals passionately debate their beliefs and opinions.  Bored on a Friday night?  Missing Desperate Housewives or the Real Housewives of wherever; pop some popcorn, pour a glass of wine and open up your NextDoor or Facebook page.  If you read it as a source of entertainment, you will find hours of amusing reading.
 
Here are my rules for posting on social media.  Most of these should be common sense, but they still happen – often. Do you always follow these?
 
No Profanity of Any Kind
No swearing/profanity is to be used toward another member of the site in discussion threads.  
 
Do Not Degrade Another Member
If you oppose another person's position in a discussion, respond to them without the use of derogatory comments.  This includes political debates and debates about whether or not the HOA should pay for raccoon removal.  
 
No Unauthorized Advertising
Please refrain from posting unauthorized advertising such as third party websites or products. We want the discussion environment to be a place where individuals genuinely express their interests instead of using the forum for the hidden agenda of advertising. Not everyone is a fan of lularue.  
  
No Nudity or Pornography
This should be an easy one but do not upload nudity or pornographic visual material onto any areas of the site.  Pornography of any kind and pornography drawings still count.
 
No All Caps in Titles or Posts
Using all caps (all capitals) for your titles, posts and quote submissions is unpleasant and unsightly and steals from the positive discussion environment.  I never understand this one.  It just makes it harder to read.  If you want me to read your post, make it easy on the eyes.  
  
Respect the Discussion Environment, Do Not Troll the Site or Other Members
Being a discussion site, the dynamic nature of interaction cannot always be positively facilitated by rules. Examples of derailing the discussion environment include:
•    Hijacking threads - being disruptive to the purpose of the original poster's thread. 
•    Trolling another member - following another member for negative reasons i.e. disliking another user and venting that dislike by repeatedly posting negative comments wherever the other user posts. 
•    Harassing another user. 
•    Not keeping on topic with a discussion. 
  
Use Readable And Legible Language
Write posts that are unreadable, illegible or gibberish. Posts don't have to be written perfectly, but they should be written in English, using appropriate grammar and readable word/sentence structure.  Online tools such as Google Translate are freely available for everyone to utilize.
 
There is hope.  Use the hide user feature to block the negativity from your feed. After a few days,  you will figure out who are the community complainers.   Follow the guidelines for productive and helpful posts so that maybe we can get back to using social media for actually being social and reinforce a positive, welcoming place, where you can share thoughts and ideas with others about the issues that arise from living in an Association. 
 
Your thoughts?
 

 
So You Think You Want A Gate?
Posted on September 6, 2018 2:00 PM by Melissa Gentry
Categories: Homeowner Articles
Gated community associations are perceived as being safer communities, which attracts homeowners who are willing to pay higher association dues to feel safer in their homes. However, sometimes the expectation of having a high degree of security can backfire when a crime occurs within the gates.

The Financial Costs
  • A single gate with a standard opening costs $2,500 to $12,000 just to fabricate the gate itself. That does not include the electronic access control system running anywhere from $2,500 to more than $100,000, depending on the size of the system and the technology. A single gate with a telephone entry system falls on the low end of that price range, while a multi-gate system with card access and computerized monitoring falls on the high end.  The funds to install these gates must come from the association reserves or more likely from a special assessment of the owners.  
  • Street lights.  The association is now responsible for the electricity and maintenance of the street lights.  Depending on how many, it can greatly increase electric costs on a monthly basis.  
  • Owners responsible for own trash service.  The cost varies depending on service and can run up to $100's per month.  
  • Expense to residents to purchase gate remotes.  Each remote averages between $30 and $45 dollars per remote.  
  • Reserve fund to pay for future road resurfacing. This is the largest consideration when putting in gates.  How many miles of road will need to be maintained and repaved.  This cost alone will typically at least double the association fees to ensure a proper reserve.  
  • Monthly gate expenses for phone connectivity that can call residents from the entry phone or punch in the residents security code. 
  • Repairs to gate vandalism, for some reason, gates are targeted by vandals.  Unfortunately this is usually a monthly occurrence.  
  • Monthly gate maintenance contract to keep them operating smoothly.
  • Future gate maintenance such as repainting and eventually replacement.
Safety Considerations
  • Adding gates does not increase security.  Watch any gated community for a while and it can be observed as a vehicle follows another vehicle in through the open entry gate.  Criminals will be criminals, and they find ways to exploit gaps in security measures. 
  • Being gated does not decrease our crime.  It can act as a deterrent, but there are some studies that suggest it may increase the crime rate since thieves may think that a gated community has "better stuff" in their homes. 
  • Homeowners who have taken their security for granted because of the gate and walls may be careless in taking personal precautions to protect themselves such as leaving doors unlocked, not turning on security alarms, not being as vigilant when outside at night. Such oversight may result in the homeowner becoming a victim of a crime.
Safety Benefits
  • Reduced traffic. There tends to be a lot less traffic among the streets contained within gated communities. This helps to cut down on the noise level. Residents with children often feel this also provides a safer playing environment for their kids.
  • Decreased number of solicitors. Gated communities that are protected by secured entries prevent solicitors entering at will. This discourages solicitors from attempting to visit residents within the neighborhood, significantly decreasing the number that come knocking at your door.
Think Cameras Instead of Gates for Safety
  • Studies on the effectiveness of surveillance cameras suggest that they are indeed effective at reducing the number of low-level crimes such as automobile break-ins and burglaries in areas where cameras have been installed. This is a major reason why some HOAs, especially condominium complexes, opt to install surveillance cameras in common area parking facilities. Surveillance cameras have also proved helpful in prosecuting individuals caught in the act of committing a crime. 
  • However, these cameras are only effective if they are regularly maintained to ensure proper operation.  When used properly surveillance cameras can provide additional security, a greater sense of safety and a deterrent to would be criminals and therefore more effective than gates.      
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