Back in 1993, CAI published a document called "Pearls of Wisdom - 116 Tips to Ensure a Happy Community Association Experience" More than a decade later, most all of these items still ring true for homeowners, neighbors, board members, and managers.
This is the first of a periodic series of blog items that reflect on these "Pearls of Wisdom" and the message that they have for us today.
We begin with - Be A Good Homeowner:
1. Review the documents before you buy.
2. Read them again when you move in.
3. Pay your assessments.
4. Attend the annual meeting.
5. Read the newsletter and the minutes.
6. Follow the rules.
7. Serve on a committee.
8. Serve on the board.
9. Don't expect someone else to do it for you.
10. Remember that you are a member of the association. What is good for it is good for you.
Not a bad top 10. Make sure that you know what you are getting into, be informed, and participate. Sounds like wise advice for a savvy consumer, whether investing in a home, stocks, an automobile, or anything else.
Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil is famous for his quote that "all politics is local". Well, a community association is as local as it can get. Our institutions, be they government, corporate, religious, or fraternal, are only as good as their participants. They can represent the best of us or the worst of us, it is our decision.
The first step to having a well-run, harmonious, and effective community association is for the individual residents to decide that is what they want and to participate in making it so.
Next time: Being a good neighbor:
