Creating a smooth board transition in a Homeowners Association HOA

One issue facing homeowner associations is creating a smooth transition when there is board turnover.   The purpose is to prepare owners, boards and board candidates for what lies ahead. How to go about that is the subject of this post. I see three approaches:

1. Communicate
2. Mentor
3. Remain on Committee

However, it is very important to realize that what is provided must be accepted in order that there be a successful transition. That is not always the case. Personalities of board members may clash and the consequence may be bullying, politics, subversive groups, personal agendas, resistance and apathy.

Owner apathy and disinterest can result in a lack of candidates and new board members to be mentored. These things will undermine the operation and prevent a smooth transition. Board members are supposed to operate as fiduciaries. Owners are supposed to be treated as the shareholders they are. These things don't always occur and not all board members believe in communications, etc. Some may harbor a deep seated loathing for owners, with the position that their duty is to the association and the primary purpose of owners is to keep the rules which includes paying their fees, period. Boards may see themselves as the "superior beings" in the association. Good luck transitioning when these things are present. 

If the remaining or new board members are emotionally unavailable and walled off, or expect to be power brokers, or are not open to change and learning, then any and all transition techniques will fail. Board members are volunteers. Owners sometimes forget that. Boards will only do what they are willing to do and there is no power on earth that can force one to do more than one is willing to do.  If boards fail to get the job done there is a natural tendency to revert to methods to "look good" to owners or promote popularity. Some of the methods employed may include:

1. Control of Communications. Boards may avoid providing certain information via the newletter or during open meeting sessions.
2. Save bad news for the Executive Session. This is a breach of duties but nevertheless it can occur.
3. Create board member groups (cliques) to control discussions during board meetings.

Communications

Communications has the purpose of preparing and passing information. Our association doesn't have a handbook. I chose a different route. One way to inform is to do so gradually and to publish. I've accomplished this several ways:

1. Communicate relevant information to owners in attendance during the HOA meetings. I've taken the approach that owners and other board members may require further explanations and I usually provide longer explanations when I am speaking. However, with near zero owner attendance in recent months and some board apathy I've altered my approach. 
2. Because open/executive session meetings in our association are limited to two hours monthly it becomes impossible to completely discuss some issues, projects, etc. in the limited time available. Obviously other methods must be employed.
3. Articles for eight years in the association newsletter which include methods. Reading the newsletters provides valuable insights into what needs to be done and one can glean how to do it. Reading the newsletters one can determine "How" and "Why". 
4. Publish the information on the web, so it is available to all owners and boards. Here's the link to our association website newsletters: http://www.blmh.org/newsletters
5. Send emails to boards during the period leading up to the transition which provides guidance and information about issues, projects, tasks and so on that will be incomplete after the election and will pass to the new board. Ask management to include these in the next board packet so the newly elected board members are also informed. 
6. Create a blog. The newsletter is very limited in space. In fact, owners have complained that it is "too businesslike" and one board member has insisted for years that "No one reads the newsletter."  This association doesn't have a  blog. I created this blog in 2008 as a means of further communications methods, issues, data, etc. This blog is sometimes read by board members and can be an effective method of telegraphing that they are, in fact, being observed. A blog can also provide alternative views. 

Here's a link to an article on cummunications over at Wharton:     http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-secret-to-great-communication-skills/


Mentoring
Mentoring is an approach which trains others to assume responsibilities. It may occur over years and is a useful approach for completing commitments which are not open ended in nature. It includes:

1. Specific guidance
2. Leadership through example 
3. Motivation
4. Emotional support

In practice I assist others in the performance of their duties, have provided technology, asked others to assist me, delegated to others but not abandoned them and so on.  I've approached my commitment on the board as both a member of a team and as a team leader. I've defended board members when they became the target of bullying by other board members.

Remain on Committee
Once that a board member's tenure is over, it is helpful if the board member remain available to the new board. One way is to become a committee member. Of course, the committee member does not vote and may not attend all board meetings.

The committee member is not a fiduciary and is not bound by such duties or responsibilities.

The committee member has specific assignments but is not intended to replace the responsibility of the board. In other words, there remains a requirement that boards be "working boards".  Some boards have not seen it that way, believing that their primary purpose is to read the monthly management packet, attend the meetings and vote.  The preference for such members is to exercise power and delegate. That approach is woefully inadequate in my opinion.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks
This is also sometimes described as "You can lead a horse to water but you can't force him to drink."

My point in posting the statement is to point out that boards do what boards will do, and this also applies to owners. In other words, one can do their best on a HOA board, but what happens is a consequence of group dynamics.

For boards, I think of the expression "A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link."  In boards we have a group of people who each have one vote.  With that one vote comes equal responsibility. However, in the real world that may not occur. Which is why there is such a wide disparity of duties among board. There may be abundant titles. However, the actual work load may not be shared equally.

Final Board Meeting as President

The final board meeting as president came and went. It was attended by five board members and two former board members. One spectator asked me if I would reconsider running for the board of 2019.  Two board members were unable to attend.

I've spent several days following up on loose ends, and getting ready for the annual meeting on the 27th. I dusted off my 2016 video and have been working on an update to that presentation. It's difficult to say what needs to be said in only 5 minutes.

Here's the summary video for my annual meeting presentation of 2016. That was a longer presentation.  [Note: This is not a video of the presentation I made to the owners and to the board in September 2016.  This is a graphic depiction of the data I presented during that meeting, with voice-over. On October 11 it came to my attention that a micromanaging control freak on the current board is concerned about the wealth of information which I possess and that I might put it out on the web from time to time.  Frankly, the board of 2019 has much larger and more important things to deal with, but when micromanagers rule, well, they tend to invent issues and then deal with resulting trivia!]

In fact, this video was also prepared and published in accordance with this subsequent blog post:

Creating a Smooth Board Transition in a HOA

The treasurer and I have honed the finances through August with management assistance. I've worked on the projections for project completions and the most likely reserve funding level as of December 31, 2018.

There's a lot to talk about. Hope I won't be wasting my time or anyone else's for that matter. As of Midnight September 27th my board commitment of eight years will be complete.

Is it possible to give more than 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? 

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here’s a little mathematical formula I saw on the web that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And:
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

Then, look how far ass kissing will take you…
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it’s the Bullshit and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.

Hurricane Florence

Florence - Update Sept. 14, 2018 8:29PM EDT from Davidson, NC, received via email:
"Florence is huge. It is hanging over Wilmington, 200 miles away. The rain bands from Florence reached Davidson this afternoon. The wind is picking up. It is starting to rain outside. The rain will start in earnest after midnight and continue through Monday night. Three days. [My spouse] and I have been through many hurricanes in our life. The worst was Hugo in 1989. We thought we were safe in Charlotte, but not so!! They eye passed over our house and lake house. So much devastation. They took 300,000 dump truck loads of debris out of Charlotte. We are ready for this one. We live on a hill (on purpose) and there are no big trees nearby. We have plenty of supplies. Our Roadtrek is topped up with gas, water, and propane. Batteries fully charged. If we loose power we have a second home in the driveway. And we can run our house refrigerator off the Roadtrek generator if we need to. Our real concern is for the folks down on the coast. They will need help when the storm is gone. [We] worked on seven houses with Habitat in Biloxi after Katrina. We will see what we can do this time......"   

Original Post, Sept. 13, 2018:
Our weather will be fine for a few days, but for those in the path of hurricane Florence the next few days will be difficult. For some the difficultites will last for weeks. I hope everyone stays safe on the east coast.   There are a few people living right at the ocean, in the track area who intend to ride it out. I've experienced hurricanes; the actual storm, under the eye, and even the aftermath.  I don't think riding these things out is a smart idea.

Publishing an Association Newsletter

This post will look at some of the methods, benefits and issues of publishing an association newsletter. One might think that publishing a newsletter is a straightforward thing, but it may not be. It has been said that "Anything can be resolved in communications." Nevertheless, there are differing opinions about the value and purpose of an homeowners association newsletter.

Boards have a variety of fiduciary duties and differing perspectives. I've always considered the newsletter to be a vital part of communications with our owners, a part of board fiduciary duties and have acted accordingly. That is not a universal position among board members. In fact, providing a newsletter article may simply be another chore for a board member.

One thing to be aware of is board members can't be made to write articles or to be in communications if they are unwilling. Board members choose the technology they will make available for association use. Not everyone on our board has agreed about the importance of our newsletter and there have been differences of opinion about what to write. Should the newsletter be a business document? Or should it be a social calendar? Or something of both?  A very few owners have chimed in from time to time and stated their preference. While such guidance is appreciated, owners are not fiduciaries and don't have such responsibilities.

I suggest taking care of association business be the priority for boards. After all, our non-professional boards spend a lot of money collected from our owners. Boards determine owner fees and how much to save via reserves. They spend each and every dollar. Let's not forget all of that future planning and coordination with the City of Wheaton, etc.

I also suggest the use of the newsletter to communicate the business to the owners. In a well-run association after the business is handled everything else can fall into place and usually will.

However, boards have differing agendas, as do the owners who elect them. The newsletter is an opportunity for informing owners of these differing perspectives.  Of course, if board members were completely honest and forthright, some of us might never be elected. Some owners also only want good news and they will find a "good news" group to coddle them and provide it.

It is impossible for a newsletter to be all about "good news"and nothing else. That is not the real world. However, it doesn't need to be doom and gloom, either. Back in 2008-2010 our new board attempted to shift to a social newsletter with articles about England, certain neighbors and so on. They didn't have a lot of good news to share as delinquencies increased, there were foreclosures and the financial future for the association was gloomy. They didn't have a solid grip on the finances or the maintenance backlog. A social approach is easier to write about than tackling the problems head on and keeping owners informed of progress. Nevertheless, the December 2008 newsletter included delinquency numbers and reserves.  It was a good attempt at balance, but it didn't go over well with all owners.  Here's what was revealed in that newsletter:

• Our financial reserves totaled about $276,000 but had no funding for streets. Yet our major street, Lakecliffe Blvd, was failing. 
• Our delinquences had increased in two years from $5,000 to more than $30,000.

The above was not good news for owners. There must have been some negative feedback to the board. For whatever reasons in the midst of the "great recession" the newsletter shifted to a social one.  Such a shift doesn't solve any problems. However, if owners feel better they may be inclined to re-elect boards.

Another approach is simply about "looking good". The newsletter at BLMH sometimes occured to be "window dressing."  This is somewhat like our property street entries from Briarcliff Blvd. Over the years a lot of association money has been spent to beautify these, and it was considered to be good advertizing.  So too for a newsletter. However, if carried to an extreme one might argue this is misleading.

Nevertheless, it was possible to insert business data into the newsletter. Boards generally have an interest in presenting factual data to owners. Boards may have difficulting getting that data into a form that can be printed or finding someone to do the work. Boards do have difficulty in presenting "bad news" to owners. Some prefer to subject owners to the "slow death" of large annual fee increases rather than writing about the risks inherent in maintenance backlogs, long term solutions and potential special assessments. It does take some courage.

The shift from a "good news" periodical to one containing reality can be particularly difficult for a board. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" and may be facilitated in associations by boards comprised of cowards.

The board of 2012 that followed the board of 2008-2011 continued a shift to a more realistic newsletter perspective while recognizing some of the issues and presenting solutions.

• Being responsible requires not only writing about the issues, but also providing insights into how the association is going to go about dealing with those issues.

When preparing a newsletter I think it is reasonable to consider that owners are just that, "owners." They aren't apartment dwellers who pay a monthly fee for the privilege of a space and move on in a year or so. Owners do have responsibilities to the association. They purchased as a choice. They made a significant financial investment. Boards should honor these decisions.

• A viable, factual newsletter serves "owners" and any renters, while informing all. It may improve board accountability. That's the approach I prefer. But others have strongly disagreed.

Creating a Newsletter - Tools
When the webmaster quit and some on the board also walked off I continued to publish the newsletter using Microsoft Word. To create charts I used Microsoft Excel. I also used a photo editing product "Corel PC Paintshop Pro".

To print the newsletter for the website and transmit it to our printer I used "Corel PDF Fusion" which produces smaller pdf files than the print function of Word.  I've done so since May 2011 and  I continue to use these tools to this day. Of course, I have upgraded some of these products since 2011.

• Document: Microsoft Word
• Spreadsheets and financial charts: Microsoft Excel
• Photographs: Digital Camera and Smart Phone
• Photograph, charts and JPG creation, cropping and file re-sizing: Corel PC Paintbrush Pro
• PDF file printing: Corel PDF Fusion
• Document transmission to board members, management and the printer: Email
• Foundation: A high speed internet connection.

I could have used MS Publisher, but because many people don't have that program available I decided MS Word was the better choice. I share the Word documents with others including management and in recent years our Maintenance Director took on the challenge of creating the newsletters.

Using MS-Word is straightforward for a newsletter, and I did create a template using a variety of text boxes. Photos, text and charts can be easily copied or dropped into these boxes. Box sizes and shapes can be changed as necessary. Boxes can be added to accomodate a larger number of articles, or deleted. Box backgrounds can be white, other colors or transparent. Boxes can have borders or not. I avoid the curleques preferring to save the space for text. The newsletter is printed in B&W. Photos are in color. To see the colors one goes to the association website and opens the newsletters there or downloads to their PC.

I use the paintshop software to edit photos taken with smart phone and digital cameras, or the charts created with Excel spreadsheets. Photos are generally recent and timely. I frequently change the spreadsheet charts to jpg files which are easier to manipulate.  This allows me to crop photos and charts, and I can edit the file size. Overlay text can be added. The smaller files can then be dropped into text boxes and the resulting word document isn't unweildy in size. For example, the newsletter for August, 2016 including the photos was a Word file of 307 kb. Easy to manipulate and copy from PC to PC, or via email.

Newsletters are usually four pages in size, and there is the occasional insert.

Creating the Newsletter - Collaborative Tools
If one chooses there are collaborative, online tools available. One of these is Google Docs.

These could be used to create documents, spreadsheets, and so on. Of course, putting these things on the web does raise security and ownership issues.

The real problem to creating a newsletter is board willingness, skills and the internet availability of board members. In our association, simply getting board members to use email reliably has been very difficult. Asking them to use online, collaborative software is simply beyond some. In fact, it is not a requirement that board members have a cellphone, internet access or a PC.

It is a reality that some people may have no computer skills beyond word processing and some board members may not be willing to pay the monthly fee for personal internet access.

Once we have a team with the necessary tools and skills, what remains is actually putting together the newsletter. For that the duties will fall to the most skillful and the most willing. Not all board members appreciate this and some may feel technologically threatened or challenged. Some may see it as a waste of time.

It is not the role of board members to train other board members in the use of technology or to provide technology to other board members. Nevertheless I have furnished a laptop and even a digital camera to other board members. I don't think that approach serves anyone well.

Creating the Newsletter - What to Write?
In an association with 336 owners it isn't very difficult to determine what to write. I think this would apply to all homeowners associations. Each month our board members are given a packet of about 100 pages in length. The information therein and the things discussed each meeting can be the basis for newsletter articles. Our newsletters are published every other month, so the board can draw upon 200 pages of information and the content and discussion of two, 2-hour meetings. In fact, the rear page is boilerplate general information, so what board members need to generate is three pages every other month. In the typical year that's a total of 18 pages of text and part of this is the Management's report. Yet, some board members insist there is nothing to write about. That's hogwash, of course. Here's a list of possibilities:

• Projects (Planned, in progress, upcoming and the impact on owners)
• Maintenance (Maintenance issues, work underway or planned, etc.)
• Work Orders (What's going on?)
• Rules Violations (How to avoid getting into trouble with the rules, most frequent violations, rule changes,  etc.)
• Finances (Spending, reserves, fees, etc.)
• Landscaping (Issues, projects, expenditures, etc.)
• Proposals (Work under consideration while avoiding cost and vendor details)
• Calendar based items (elections, meetings, census form due dates, etc.)
• Tips to owners and residents (Winter and summer living in the association).

Alternative Tools
Some years ago I did work with another board member and installed a "freeware" wordprocessor with claimed compatibility with word files. However, that is not my preferred approach. That individual didn't want to purchase a copy of MS-Word so I had little choice. As usual, that increased the time I had to spend. In my experience these programs may not be fully compatible with Word, either.

Today, one could use Google Docs, but that isn't my preferred choice, either.  I consider anything put on the web as out of my hands, ownership and control. So too for the association. Google Docs also required good internet access. That's something all board members may not have available. Today, many may use a smart phone to access email and for web browsing. PCs may have been replaced by a tablet computer. In such situations the preparation and transmission of complex documents may be impossible.

Using Email to Participate
For those board members who are willing to participate it is easy.  Board members can create their text using the email tool of their choice.

This is sent to the "editor" (me or the Maintenance Director). The text in the email is then copied and pasted into word and formatted as necessary. Spell checking can be done using the word tools. This is the approach I have found to be the easiest if board members don't have access to MS-Word.
However, it does take additional time for those who put the newsletter together.

The Worst Approach for creating Documents
The worst is hand written notes. Yes, those have been used in our association. That approach turns the board members who assemble the newsletter into personal secretaries. It can be time consuming.

I do have a great scanner with excellent OCR software so if I am given a typewritten page I can scan it, and then convert it into a Word document. Of course this is another time consuming step, but it is less time consuming for me than typing an entire document into Word. My Scanner is a $500 tool. Most don't have something like that available to them.

Resisting Newsletter Participation
Why resistance to a newsletter? As odd as it may seem, some may want to be on the board because of the power it bestows. Power to hire and fire contractors and management. Power to run an agenda, collect money from owners and then determine how to spend it. How many of us have ever actually developed and managed a $1 million annual budget?  Boards do get to pick and choose how that money is spent. Boards get to enforce rules on their fellow owners. All of this can be a power trip.

Some may want to be on the board because it provides an opportunity to do something. Hobbies can get boring after a while and one can only watch so much "Wheel of Fortune" in a day. If one is on the board then one can camp out at the management office, etc.  If management doesn't like it, well as one board member told me "I can fire management".

Newsetters can be revealing. If we are truly honest with owners in a newsletter, they may determine what our capabilities are as well as our failings. They may not like us, or what we have failed to do. It may be in the interest of an entrenched board to keep things close and avoid providing too much information to owners. That's not in the best interest of owners, however.

I suggest boards simply view their work as work, and being of service to others, as fiduciaries. Use the newsletter to communicate and to prepare future boards, too. Play power games elsewhere.

Whatever the purpose of the newsletter, if one wants to create a newsletter the tools and approaches I have used did work well. So has the message.

Impediments to Newsletter creation
One thing to be aware of that board members can't be made to write articles or to be in communications if they are unwilling. As a principal author, I found my time monopolized by some of this, and was forced to produce a majority of articles, some with no stated author. When only two or three board members write for a newsletter, it can be a very bad signal to owners.

Using my board experience of 8 years, I can tell you that other board members can make your life difficult if you want to put together a newsletter. Some may enjoy doing so. Some authors may attempt to make it difficult as in "Okay, I'll write your damn article, but I'll make you work for it."

I concluded long ago that it was easier to write the articles than chase people who had no interest. Or to deal with underminers. So I began writing most of the newletter articles. If there is no name on an association article, then it was probably written by me.

Here are some of the techniques that have been used to avoid writing and providing newletter articles:

• Don't use technology. Even though one can go to the neighborhood public library and use the computers there, and we are within walking distance of a community college.
• Argue consistently against the newsletter, as in "No one reads it".
• Promise to write but fail to deliver.
• Write an article and submit it at the last possible moment, while demanding that no changes be made. In other words, "Make room for me and the hell with the other articles."
• Attack the editors and those who prepare the newletter if any attempt is made to fit their article into the available space: "How dare you make any changes."
• All of the above.

In my experience the newsletter has been one of the more difficult chores I've had, for a variety of reasons:

• Technical issues were never a problem, but low technical skills of board members are an impediment.
• Some board members do have limited access to such things as high speed internet, or won't use it. They may not have the tools to produce the articles. 
• Chasing board members to write is a problem. At some point people will become very angry and some may lash out at other board members. Such undermining behavior should be beyond board members, but this is the real world we live in. 
• Uncooperative board members, who prefer to be politicians and want to trade favors.
• Managing nasty or belligerent board members is always a problem.
• Calming other board members who have been verbally attacked.
• Dealing with the clique. 

The bottom line is one cannot force people to participate, even board members.

Future Newsletters
My last newsletter as a board member was published in August. The next will be determined by the new board. They may ask for assistance or they may not. They also have the option of paying management or others to do this task.  Management does have MS-Word originals of some of the newsletters I or the Maintenance Director created. Management could certainly assemble a newsletter for a board using those earlier Word documents, or could create a new one.

I'll be interested in seeing how that turns out. However, it will no longer be my responsibility.

Frankly, the newsletter has been a royal pain. It was regularly like herding cats while begging board members to do their duty or both. We have had board members who love to screw around with other board members, take their time and use it. Power mongering is what I call that.

Perhaps the above is what happens when an association has board members who would really prefer to be elsewhere but feel they are stuck on the board. Similar to  some of our owners in 2008 who failed to sell before the bottom dropped out in 2007, they may choose to make the rest of us miserable. For the power hungry, putting others through hoops can be a joy.

Newsletter Link
Here's a link to our association website and the newsletters. These span December 2008 to the present.

1. The newsletter of December 2008 was one of the first a new board produced. It followed the template of the earlier board. 
2. The Newsletter of November, 2010 contained my first article. 
3. The Newsletter of January 2011 contained a chart I prepared on spending for maintenance and operations. 
4. The May 2011 Newsletter was a new format, prepared by me with the departure of a number of board members. 
5. Since May 2011 I've been very involved in the preparation of the newsletters.

BLMH Newsletters:    http://www.blmh.org/newsletters

Why it is difficult to be a committed board member

Back in 2008 I attempted to change the course of the HOA I live in. I was not well received. I had nails driven into the tires of my car, not once but several times (I've got police reports to substantiate this). From 2001-2010 our HOA fees were increasing at an average about 7% each and every year, and there was a huge maintenance/improvement backlog. Earlier boards had begun capital improvement projects for which there were insufficient funds to complete, and no plan. The "change" board of 2009-2010 had authorized a reserve study which indicated things were a mess, but hadn't released it.

I was determined to get on the board to make a difference, but it was actually worse than I expected.  

I cleaned up all of these messes, but it took about 1000 hours of my time in the first year. In late 2010 I took it upon myself to create a viable reserve study, after the previous board botched the one they had authorized. I discovered this 30 days after assuming my board duties. That earlier study stated we needed a 10% fee increase and a special assessment. Thanks to my hard work, neither happened. In fact, fees flattened, with no increases in recent years.   My thanks? A board member of the group responsible for that botched reserve study circulated an email that stated that "Norm is dangerous".

Since 2010 we've had several reserve studies by independent, professional organizations which validate our association approach and provides accurate guidance to the board.

I'm not popular. In fact in 2011 one little old lady upon seeing me walking the property would scream "I don't like you" at me. I usually walk in the large public park across the street. Walking on the propery is work for me, or an opportunity to be accosted by ungrateful owners. That happens too, when I'm on my deck. We have some owners too lazy to come to board meetings, preferring to practice that our board members are lesser beings, and their servants.  In fact, if I  happen upon owners at the park some will begin to ask things of me as a board member. I refer them to management or suggest they attend a HOA meeting.  Some owners were trained by earlier boards that catered to a few individuals.

It is time to move on. I have a better, and more consequential way to live the remainder of my life. Yes, the party is over.

I did achieve a board position in the fall of 2010, despite incredible resistance. I told everyone that I took on this association as a "project" to demonstrate what was possible. A few saw this as an opportunity to undermine. There were very, very few believers and few supporters. Some old timers from the earlier boards (prior to 2008) appeared to be more interested in preserving their legacy, and one does so to this very day. I was undercut and left high and dry more than a few times by the entrenched. 

In 2015 when I attempted to reign in fees based upon financial reality a reinvigorated board member attacked the two new board members who didn't agree with the entrenched position, accusing them of malfeasance. That was a personal attack intended to get them off the board. That's why I say "there is no place for politics in a HOA board" which is supposed to be comprised of fiduciaries. When our president decided not to run (he is a CPA) he was basically ignored by the entrenched old timers. Not even a "thank you" by them.   But things were better when we had those high annual fee increases, right?

It is time for me to move on. The demonstration was a success. I did control the fees, completed the numerous projects, began discussions with the City to reduce costs to our owners (a savings of at least $4,500 per owner). I did attract three new board members who took on responsilities and did make a difference. 

Back when I worked full time for a living, I would have been paid $675,000 for the services I performed to this association, if I charged my normal hourly rate from 2010 to 2018. And some can't comprehend why I won't continue to be of service to them.

Duh!

The chart indicates the situation from the period I purchased to the present. My blog provides more insights. All boards have this information, the data is given to them each and every month of the year. But you won't see it in the newsletter, unless I have put it there. 

I decided to make a difference. I put my business on the backburner, and helped 336 owners. I'll never be missed. But there will be numerous complaints by the uninvolved and entitled. Party  on, dudes and dudettes!

I'd post a pet video, but I don't have one. Been too busy keeping this potential "Titanic" afloat.

How does one determine if the board is accomplishing its tasks?  That's worthy of another article, but here's a chart in the change in propety values since 2009:

Unit Price Update 2018

Good boards do have consequences for owners. I sometimes wonder if my eight years on this HOA board was of any value or consequence. When I walk the many acres, I do see the upgrades and repairs. Even more are "hidden" in garages and underground.

We've completed an unusual number of projects since 2010.  During that period there has been a transformation. The economy has improved, too. Our fees began stabilizing in 2010, and have moderated since then, while we completed some really significant projects from landscaping, to roofs, streams, roads, driveways, garage floors and hundreds of feet of water main replacements, etc.

For owners, moderating fees mean lower annual costs to live here. For owners who decide to sell, they may reap higher value simply because our units are not only desireable, but are more affordable. I've been preaching this to anyone who will listen since 2007:

• Cost to own = mortgage principal + interest + taxes + HOA fees

To the above owners must add the cost of their improvements and utilities. But owners do have a lot of control over those costs.

Here's a chart of unit sales prices since 2009.  In 2009 we were in the midst of the "great recession" and fear ruled the land. (That recession was officially from December 2007 to June 2009).  Home prices were dropping as banks restricted mortgages and buyers were shut out of the market.  So how are things today, as of August 2018?

The chart is in dollars per square foot. You can compare this to Wheaton prices overall, which are $190 per square foot  and $174 per square foot according to Tulia.  The chart was determined using published sale prices. For my chart I used 1311 square feet for the A & B units. For the C & D units I used 1056 square feet.  The units are 1-3 bedroom and 1-2 baths.

I've excluded several sales listed as $0 and $1 sales prices. If there were no unit sales in a year I inserted a straight line from the previous year to the following year. This occurred for C and D units. In 2009 there were no "D" unit sales and in 2010 there were no "C" unit sales. There was only one "C" unit sale in 2009 for a high price so it might be an outlier.

In the period 2009 to August 8, 2018 nearly half of our units have been sold and changed hands. Our A & B units are larger in square footage, bedrooms and baths, while the C & D units are smaller. Here's the graph:

In the period 2009 to August 8, 2018 nearly half of our units have been sold and changed hands.