It’s nearly the end of the fiscal year. Your board, committee volunteers, and management company have systematically carried out the association’s day to day work, maintained the community’s common property, and ensured that its rules and covenants have been enforced. The annual reserve study has been completed and the budget has been “put to bed”. After a long year of hard work, you’re ready for the upcoming year. Maybe this would be a good time to ask a simple question: “Has our association truly done a good job?”

I’ve sat in with business consultants that were called in to assess work quality and success for large business organizations, financial institutions, municipalities, and real estate operations. In my experience these “so called experts” tend to approach this issue from an esoteric point of view. “Esoteric…” That’s a big word, that means that the data that supports their study’s findings will only be understood by a small number of people with specialized knowledge. Instead of explaining their findings in plain “English”, they come complete with graphs, charts, data, and technical talk, working hard to show you how smart they are rather than getting to the root of the questions in terms that everyone can understand. My position at these meetings, after these “geniuses” had left the room, was to stick to the basics and keep it simple. My advice to community associations is the same. If you want to determine if your association is a success, stick to the basics and find a way to keep your assessment simple.

Begin by reviewing the core concept of your association’s responsibilities: to efficiently manage and operate within the framework of a reasonable budget, adequately maintain the community’s common property, protect its architectural integrity, and preserve its property values. Once these responsibilities have been reviewed, answer the following questions:

• Are the community’s streetscapes, common area landscaping, and open green space well-kept and attractive?
• Are walking paths, sidewalks, private streets, and parking lots in good condition?
• Have the community’s amenities, such as swimming pools, athletic areas, fitness centers, and playgrounds, been properly maintained?
• As the clubhouse and common buildings age, are they periodically refurbished providing an attractive and well-maintained appearance?
• If you are responsible for an HOA, have the association’s architectural guidelines and maintenance standards for privately owned homes and lots been successfully enforced?
• If you are dealing with a condominium or housing cooperative, is the building well cared for and in good condition? Are the building’s mechanical elements, including HVAC systems and elevators, in good operating condition? Are the building’s interior common areas, including lobby, hallways, and meeting rooms, well maintained with a fresh and inviting look?
• Has your association been operating within the framework of a well-balanced budget, and have sufficient repair and replacement reserve funds been accumulated to ensure that the community’s infrastructure will not be neglected due to a lack of funds?
• Has your association operated smoothly with a productive conflict free work environment for board members, committee volunteers, and management staff?
• Have homeowners been satisfied with the appearance of the community, association services, and their relationship with the board and management?
• Are your community’s property values keeping pace with property values in similar communities in the general area?

These are simple questions that touch upon a good portion of the association’s basic responsibilities. To answer these questions, begin by touring the community and view it through an objective lens in order to determine if its appearance meets reasonable expectations. Reaffirm that the association met its financial targets for the past year, and that it continues to operate within budget. Review your latest reserve study update to ensure that sufficient funds continue to be set aside to address infrastructure repair and replacement work as it is needed. Work with local realtors to determine if values in your community have kept pace with the local real estate market. Check in with committee volunteers and management staff to get the pulse of the association’s inner working relationships to ensure that things are running smoothly and cohesively. Before reaching a final conclusion, hold a few town hall meetings or conduct a survey to find out if homeowners are satisfied with the job that the association, the board, and management is doing, and most important, to see if the community meets their expectations.
If the answers to the board’s questions are “yes” and feedback from the community is positive, you can feel comfortable that your efforts have been successful. If any of the answers are “no”, or homeowner feedback is negative, your board needs to step back, determine what went wrong, and take action to address those deficiencies until it is satisfied that they have been rectified.
This is a relatively simple approach. There’s no need for your board to make this complicated. Be objective and honest with yourselves. If a consensus is reached and the board members are satisfied with what they see and hear, that’s great! If things could be better, it’s in the best interests of your community to establish association goals that, once achieved, will fix the deficiencies that need to be addressed.