Welcome to Ungated

Our conference in Las Vegas is shaping up to be the biggest in CAI history.  To date we have more than 870 individuals registered for the full conference.  Add that to a couple of hundred single day registrations and more than 250 exhibitors and sponsors from the sold-out exhibit hall and you can see that you will be able to tap into an amazing body of knowledge of our industry.

We encourage everyone to attend the Wednesday afternoon welcome reception.  It is a great place to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones, make plans for the rest of the week, and get the conference off to a great start.

With so many attendees, we have added a new feature this year.  You can visit our web site and see a list of all the currently registered attendees, either alphabetically or by state.  Just go to the conference web page:  http://www.caionline.org/events/conference/index.cfm  and click on one of the registrant list items in the left margin.

See you all next Wednesday in Vegas.

In 2001, Congress approved changes to the GI Bill that allowed eligible veterans to be reimbursed by the Department of Veterans Affairs for taking approved certification and licensure examinations.  We are happy to announce that, as of March 15, 2007, NBC-CAM and the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) program were accepted as an approved certification program.  

What does this mean for our candidates? Candidates who are veterans eligible for GI Bill benefits can apply to be fully reimbursed for the CMCA examination cost.  Candidates can be reimbursed for either the paper and pencil or computer-based exams and reimbursement is provided whether they pass or fail the CMCA examination.  The CMCA is a nation-wide certification that demonstrates competency in the field of community association management.

To find out more about how to apply for reimbursement you can visit the GI Bill web site at:  www.gibill.va.gov  or you can contact Ann-Marie Johnson in the NBC-CAM office at amjohnson@caionline.org for additional information.

The sub-prime mortgage market continues to generate calls for reform, growing numbers of foreclosures, and reactions/solutions from every quarter.  With almost 2 million loans due to reset rates this year and next, I expect it will be a while before we turn the corner on this problem.  In other mortgage foreclosure news:

USAToday reports how increased foreclosures can make victims of even those who are current on their mortgages.

Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America pledges $1 billion to help low-income families avoid foreclosure.

And Senator Schumer wants to spend your tax dollars to bail out those in foreclosure.

One of the key success factors in well-run associations is effective communications.  CAI constantly stresses the need for better communications in our various training programs.  In fact, in our training of board members, we frequently use the concept of "transparency" to describe how a board should operate and keep all members of the community informed.  Here's an article about a community in Arizona that has made communications with its members a principle goal for the year.

The Homeowners Association at Cottonwood Palo Verde at Sun Lakes sets goals each and every year -- and topping this year’s list is more communication.

The board has a TV station, Web site, weekly flier and scheduled meetings the public can be involved with but board secretary, and spokesman for the board, Richard Hawkes said the board is hoping to go further by working with local publications such as the Chandler Independent. 

Read the whole article.....

Not every community has the resources for a TV station, but this board clearly demonstrates their commitment to ensuring that all of their homeowners are as informed as possible.