F&F Property Management is ready to serve your community
F&F Property Management, a mid-sized company located in Brookline, Massachusetts, has been in business for over 25 years, specializing in all aspects of association management in Brookline, Brighton and Allston. We have always tried to manage properties within a few miles of our office; we have found that proximity facilitates site visits, expedites service calls [...]
Association’s private street replacement conundrum
Most community associations that were established 30 years ago or more have been forced in recent decades to face the costly task of replacing their private streets. While all associations have numerous responsibilities for the replacement of very expensive common area infrastructure, typically including roof replacements, the private street replacement responsibility is perhaps different and [...]
Inexpensive ways to rejuvenate recreational offerings for the retirement community
Recreational programs can make or break an age-restricted community. No longer is it enough to offer the occasional trip to the casino or the weekly bridge club. Today’s retirees want quality of life; they plan to spend their days growing old gracefully with fun and vigorous leisure activities. Active adult communities that combine a variety [...]
Look at all the angles before deciding whether to unlock the gate
Questions from readers The Recreation Committee of the condominium association where I own a unit is considering removing the lock from the gate around the 68,000-gallon swimming pool, after keeping it locked for the last 22 years. As a concerned unit owner, I wanted to check with you to see if you know of any [...]
The communication complication
As I write this, I’m looking at all the devices sitting on my desk: a Blackberry, a Dell Notebook, a hard-wired phone, an iPod and a variety of chargers and USB cables for my current and previous cell phones and other electronic devices. My computer is set to receive e-mail, keep track of the market [...]
Management Monthly: What makes a successful community association manager?
Achieving success as a community association manager ultimately comes through getting one’s feet wet; perseverance, learning the industry and fine tuning clear communication skills are critical. For those new to the field, the key is learning the basics early in the game in order to develop an overall understanding of the management industry. With a [...]
Above and beyond: Creating technology amenities residents can get excited about
When it comes to managing the needs of a condominium’s residents, it can be nearly impossible to find solutions that please every resident all of the time. People take for granted the benefits of the association and consider dues a mandatory assessment. As a result, no one raves to family and friends about the amazing [...]
Pesticides: Know how to use them
In the landscape industry, pesticides are a vital force in the upkeep of plant material. One of the misconceptions of pesticides is that they are only for killing or preventing insects, but they actually perform a wide variety of purposes, such as weed control, mice or other animal deterrents and the killing and preventing of [...]
Managing parking garage issues before they manage you
Since condo association members don’t live in the garage, parking garage issues don’t often get to the top of the to-do list. Jim Stoller, architect/developer and president of The Building Group, a Chicago-based condominium association management firm, warns that this oversight can sometimes lead to costly problems and rancor among members, and it can set [...]
The Association Barrister: An association’s past-due assessments and foreclosure
Community associations depend on collecting assessments from unit owners to ensure they have sufficient income to continue operating. Unit owners in foreclosure often have not paid their assessments to the association. Both condominium and homeowners’ associations face these collection issues. The Florida legislature has limited the liability of mortgagees who hold the right to enforce [...]
An Ounce of Prevention… Managing roofing problems before they become leaks can lead to long-term savings
We’ve all heard Ben Franklin’s adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nowhere is that more true than in regards to a condominium’s roof. Although it is not necessarily the most visually prominent aspect of building, a roof can account for up to 50 percent of a building’s total surface area [...]
Enhance your complex’s value with cost-effective WiFi
The condominiums along the white sand beaches of Sanibel Island, Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico are a vacationer’s dream. At least half of the residents of SunDial East and SunDial West Condominiums rent their condos to people looking for a relaxing getaway or a comfortable spot for a business gathering. Prospective renters, as well [...]
Making the laundry area livable
Now more than ever condo management professionals are working hard to make their developments more desirable by including details that make their units stand out. One major aspect many buyers consider is the laundry area. More and more consumers are selecting laundry rooms closer to their bedrooms or other living quarters. Making the laundry area [...]
Cantilevered balconies – Keep an eye on them
Providing a sleek look with minimal obtrusion and view restriction to lower levels, cantilevered balcony construction has been a popular feature with housing developers in America’s Sunbelt states for the past 25 years. Supported from the structure’s interior, they have been ideally suited to provide outdoor living in multi-family developments where space is typically at [...]
Bird prevention isn’t just for the birds
Most business owners are aware of the problems associated with birds. Canadian geese and pigeons cause the most problems. Healthy adult Canadian geese can produce one and a half pounds of fecal matter per day – sometimes more – and pigeon feathers and droppings can clog drains and ruin ventilation systems. Nothing looks worse then [...]
Defamation claims against boards on the rise
Be it a negative comment made at a meeting or a throw-away sentence in a letter from the board, if a comment made by a board member places an owner or other board member in a negative light, the association itself may ultimately be held responsible for making such a statement, whether true or not. [...]
Integrated Pest Mgmt:A trend w/staying power
Integrated Pest Management, commonly referred to as IPM, is a trend that has demonstrated “staying power” within the pest management industry. IPM, as defined by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), is a process involving common sense and sound solutions for controlling pests. The focus is upon finding the best strategy for a pest problem, [...]
Areas of responsibility
Understanding the scope of association insurance coverage is basic to protecting the vital interests of the owners. Do you understand what the association’s duties are when a fire, windstorm or burst pipe damages the common elements or unit interiors? The association’s insurance duties are addressed in the governing documents (sometimes called CC&Rs – Covenants, Conditions [...]
Three bids or something better?
Many contractors serving the HOA industry spend an undesirable amount of time submitting free estimates for jobs that will likely be awarded to other vendors. Associations may incorrectly believe that this service has no cost attached. Over the course of a year, however, these costs with no return can be substantial, and it’s the client [...]
New plant introductions for spring
23 March 2008
Pennisetum rubrum, Euonymus japonica “Golden Maiden” and Abelia x grandiflora “Kaleidoscope” are two new shrubs and a grass that are being produced just in time for spring planting. The demand for these species is high and supply is limited in the landscape market. The Euonymus japonica “Golden Maiden” is a hybrid that is a hardy, [...]
Posted in LandscapeComments (0)
N.E. Legal Corner: The Greening of America
23 March 2008
When I was growing up, life was certainly simpler. Dandelions were considered pretty, and landscaping consisted of mowing a lawn with a manual lawn mower. With the advent of power lawn mowers, automatic underground sprinkler systems, sod and chemicals that virtually turn lawns green overnight, landscaping has become much more complicated. Who would have guessed [...]
Posted in LandscapeComments (0)
Are you asking your contractor the right question?
23 March 2008
Who will you choose to wield the hammer on your particular job? It isn’t an easy answer. Your choice of a contractor will ultimately determine the success and enjoyment of the job. Finding a qualified professional remodeling contractor doesn’t have to be a difficult task, though. You can increase your chances of having a successful [...]
Posted in GeneralComments (0)
Going green: Take it from the top
23 February 2008
Condo managers across America are looking for new and better ways to save energy and conserve capital. And for many, there’s no better place to start than at the top: on the roof! Energy-saving roofing initiatives can be highly effective, but they’re not created equal. Many are exotic and require significant up-front investment and capital [...]
Posted in RoofingComments (1)
Take a big bite
23 December 2007
Homeowners’ associations are often called on to provide security in some form or another. Some provide controlled entry gates or access, security guards, video cameras and other high-tech gadgetry. Others build fences and moats (you heard right…with volunteer alligators…in Florida). All of this is costly, but does it really do the trick? Security is mostly [...]
Posted in SecurityComments (0)
Ensuring safety for your condo’s swimming pool
23 December 2007
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year, nationwide, more than 350 children under five years old drown in residential swimming pools, and another 2,600 are injured. In some of the nation’s Sunbelt states, drowning has been the leading cause of accidental death in the home of children under five years old. The [...]
Posted in PoolComments (0)
Don’t let cockroaches invade your property
23 December 2007
Throughout the holiday season, your residents are likely throwing parties and hosting guests. During this busy time of year, cockroaches will also want to join the party – whether already living inside, venturing in from the outside or arriving on guests’ belongings. Although these pests come inside searching for food and warmth, you can help [...]
Posted in Pest ControlComments (0)
Pool, fitness center and…foul odors?
23 November 2007
With all the potential amenities that properties can offer residents, there is one that managers know for sure residents don’t want: smelly condos and patios. Foul odors offend current residents and deter prospects from considering the property by signaling an unsanitary living space. But while bad smells are definitely a turn-off for humans, they are [...]
Posted in MaintenanceComments (0)
Avoid the scramble of the 40-year rule
23 August 2007
In Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, a valuable tool exists within the county code that requires all commercial buildings over 40 years of age, including condominium buildings, to undergo a safety recertification process. Deaths are cause of rule The reason for this rule is that about 25 years ago, there were several instances of walkways and [...]
Posted in MaintenanceComments (0)
Managing condo security over the Internet
23 July 2007
With the advent of street lighting over a hundred years ago, pundits speculated that the world’s major cities would stamp out crime, which flourished mainly in the dark. I will make no such predictions in our own age regarding security lighting, alarm systems and security cameras controlled through the Internet. I will say, however, that [...]
Posted in SecurityComments (0)
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- F&F Property Management is ready to serve your community
- Association’s private street replacement conundrum
- Inexpensive ways to rejuvenate recreational offerings for the retirement community
- Look at all the angles before deciding whether to unlock the gate
- The communication complication
- Management Monthly: What makes a successful community association manager?
- Above and beyond: Creating technology amenities residents can get excited about
- Pesticides: Know how to use them
- Managing parking garage issues before they manage you
- The Association Barrister: An association’s past-due assessments and foreclosure
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