Increase Your HOA Meeting Attendance

It’s a new year and increasing the number of HOA meeting attendees is the goal. So, how do you go about accomplishing this seemingly difficult task?

In an article originally posted by Burke Nielsen in the Utah Chapter Community Association Institute 2017 Quarter 4 Newsletter the following 3 ideas were offered:

1.     Be Open to Member Feedback

 Homeowners have ideas and opinions about their community, and what they think is best for it.  Sure, sometimes their ideas are just plain nuts.  But if you listen you will also find that homeowner input can provide insight into concerns and ideas regarding issues that may be worth exploring.  In addition, homeowners are happier with their community when they feel like the board members share their same interest and are willing to listen.

 2.     Ask for Help

 Many homeowners think that they aren’t needed or even wanted at the HOA meeting.  This makes it difficult to communicate community needs and encourage involvement. In some cases just asking for help can go a long way to getting neighbors involved.

 3.     Make it a Social Event

 Most HOA meetings are just business as usual – and to be honest, they kind of need to be.  After all, most HOAs only have one meeting a month to get their work done. But homeowners find these meetings boring.

 By combining the annual meeting with a neighborhood social, homeowners have another, “fun” reason to go to the meeting. You can always sneak in the financial summary and board member election before dessert.  By making the annual meeting a positive experience that meets the social needs of the members along with the business needs of the HOA, you can improve homeowner moral and encourage more participation.

Boosting the attendee numbers will remain a challenge for community leaders. But, as community leaders continue to encourage the importance of meeting attendance, community members will grow to value being involved.

Are social events with food trucks good for your HOA?

Should your HOA be in the Food truck business? The answer is most definitely, yes! Food trucks are becoming increasingly popular amongst HOA’s, and Unity highly encourages our HOA board members to join in on this movement as a way to build stronger ties within their communities.

According to a recent Washington Post article, residents are happier when they feel cared for in their community.  Also, residents tend to stay longer and complain less frequently when they like where they live. Food trucks offer a great way to promote togetherness within your HOA community through food and fellowship.

Inviting a food truck into your HOA for lunch or dinner provides a great way for neighbors to come together. Food trucks offer food options for all to enjoy, they are inexpensive, and most importantly it will bring your residents out to engage with one another. Imagine if you will, arriving home from work to find a food truck parked in the common area of your residence. Upon approach, you find your neighbors picking up their dinner, and enjoying one another’s company while doing so. Now, all you have to do is simply walk up to the food truck window and place your order. Bam! Your dinner for tonight is done, and you won’t have any dishes to wash. 

The convenience of it all is well worth the minimal price you will pay for your meal. Plus, you will have an opportunity to chat with familiar faces, make new acquaintances, and you will be the family hero at the dinner table. So, no matter how you slice it or dice it, it’s a win, win.

Our team values strong community ties and not only encourages our HOA’s to follow suit but, we also make this a practice within our office. For example, we frequently have team lunches or breakfasts. During this time we commune with one another without interruption. This affords us an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation and strengthen our friendships.

We firmly believe that great relationships come out of bringing people together and showing that you care.

HOAs and Airbnb clash because of Yosemite.

Fresno has seen a significant rental boom over the last couple years. Have you noticed the same thing happening in your neighborhood? Have you noticed a hike in short-term rentals? National parks have always been the #1 attraction in Fresno. Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Park have all seen record numbers in 2019 and 2021 attracting millions of visitors each year. In fact, according to the National Park Services, Yosemite has seen an increase of 21 percent from a year earlier. So what does all this have to do with rentals and HOAs? Airbnb. 

Short-term rentals are becoming increasingly popular in Fresno as National Park tourism continues to reach new heights. This creates a huge opportunity for homeowners to make extra money by simply renting their home or a bedroom for a couple days. However, most HOA documents do NOT allow for a home to be rented through a short term service like AirBnB.

Homes primarily are required to be used for single family residential use, meaning any type of rental normally must be in longer term increments (minimum 6 months or a year) to a single person or family with the intent of living daily in the community. 

Additionally, many documents do not allow for the running of a business out of a home in the association, AirBnB is considered a business activity. 

Please refer back to your governing documents for specifics on rental restrictions or running a business from the property. It is always important to seek legal counsel for further support and clarification. 

The Future of HOA Amenities

Innovative amenities in master-planned communities are redefining HOA developments. These days, homebuyers aren’t just looking at location when home shopping, they also seek amenities and extraordinary features.

According to a recent Common Ground article, developers across the country are responding to the home buyer’s desire for “a sense of community, and belonging to something bigger than a sub-division tract house.” Buyers are increasingly, looking for health, fitness, recreation, and cultural opportunities to be at their reach. Here are some of our personal favorites! :

Dog Park - where your dog can romp about off leash, and play with other dogs.

State-of the Art Fitness Center – fully equipped for the private use of residents and their guests.

Community farm and farmers market – here, you can conveniently pick or purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, within walking distance from your home.

Over-sized play structure designed by kids – this monster play area comes complete with a climbing park and giant playground for the little ones to enjoy.

Crops or vineyard - This gives community members a sense of ownership far beyond their home. Having a community wine label takes things to a whole new level.

So, as for the new look of HOA communities, one can only imagine how far developers will go to allure home buyers with special amenities - and we’re looking forward to it!

Imfeld & Imfeld Property Management Rebrands as Unity, Inc.

Imfeld and Imfeld Property Management, the leader in community association management, announced today that it has changed its name to Unity, Inc. The rebrand comes on the heels of a renewed focus on nurturing a loving community spirit within community associations. Along with the new name, Unity has also unveiled a new logo and web domain.  

This shift in focus is a much-needed change in an industry that may sometimes feel distant. Unity, Inc. seeks to bridge the gap between management and the communities they serve in a manner more akin to neighbors. 

“We expect [this change] to lead the way towards a more neighborly approach to our industry; for that reason, we have chosen the tagline "The Neighborly Way to HOA.” In describing his vision for this approach, CEO Sal Silva continues, the neighborly way to HOA echoes back to our core values of trust and kindness. Kindness to our team means thinking and acting from a place of love. Every communication and action must begin with that spirit behind it, in all things empathetic and understanding.”

Unity, Inc. will continue to provide the same excellent service that has shaped their relationship with the Central Valley for the past forty years, but with an added emphasis on the "unity" in community. In the coming months, prospective and current customers should expect to see a more user-friendly approach to already established processes and specialized resident-centric guidance through the often-bemusing world of homeowner associations. 

About Unity, Inc.

Unity, Inc. is an accredited property management team that has served the Central Valley for over forty years. The center of our vision is to change the way people live and connect with their HOA and a mission to inspire and nurture a loving community spirit. We turn strangers into friends and neighborhoods into communities. We aren’t HOA managers; we’re more like helpful neighbors. We are trailblazing the way towards The Neighborly Way to HOA. Our clients should expect to experience our core values of Trust, Kindness, Innovation, and Service with every interaction.

With sincere gratitude,
Unity Team

How to run remote HOA Board Meetings: Read our 5 pro tips!

5 tips to running effective remote Board Meetings. Many events and meetings have been cancelled or postponed to adhere to local social distancing requirements. As a board member, navigating these times is not an easy task, but it is not unmanageable. 

1. It is important to do your research in order to find a great platform. There are several free options you can use online. Consider the dynamic of your group and try out different options to find the right fit for everyone. Whether your board chooses Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom (This is what our teams are using), Microsoft Teams, Miro, or even just a telephonic conference call, association business can be discussed from the comfort and safety of your home! 

2. Communication is key. Keeping everyone in the loop provides a sense of comfort and encourages them to engage more. You should continue sending meeting reminders and share meeting minutes via email and/or on the association portal. Invite them to learn the electronic meeting platforms with you and listen to their input. Many of your homeowners may use these platforms for their working from home shift. Some of our Community Managers are even having "practice" runs before the meeting to ensure you feel comfortable on game day.  

3. Maintain a routine sense of normalcy. It may feel a little overwhelming having to switch gears so abruptly in how your board conduct meetings. Thus, it is important to instigate routine and carry over regular habits. Create and share an agenda, determine objectives, establish a meeting schedule and time limits, and try to discuss business as usual. The platform for the meeting has changed, but the meeting content doesn't have to.

4. Use this time to strengthen connections and build on skills. Make time before the meeting to have personal discussion. How is everyone doing? What helpful resources has everyone read recently? Connect with one another and nurture collaboration between members now more than ever. 

5. Utilize your partners. Your Community Manager and legal counsel are always here to help, especially in times such as this. They can provide assistance and resources to alleviate the challenges that accompany the transition to meeting remotely. 

Remote meetings can seem strange at first, especially if your board is used to in-person meetings, but practice makes perfect! You'll be pros in no time. 

7 Tips on Balancing Parenting with Working Remotely

Parents are often challenged with balancing many roles­­­­­­­­­­—nurse, teacher, confidant, lion-tamer. Okay, maybe not the last one but I know sometimes it feels that way. You are also a competent member of working society and, in a sense, work two full time jobs. You navigate through these separate roles perfectly, balancing each on the end of your balancing pole in perfect harmony. Doesn’t that sound just like a Hallmark commercial? But it’s true! You were a pro and still can be, even amid these uncertain times. In the words of Dr. Ian Malcom, “life (uh) finds a way.” So, here are seven tips to get your balancing act back on track!

1. Structure. Schedule. Plan.

This one is a no brainer but bears emphasis. To paraphrase Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a household in possession of children need structure. Or something like that. At any rate, children need routine. Structure helps your children navigate new and complex situations, resist impulses, and lay the foundation for a successful future. Brainstorm ideas to bring structure to the mayhem. Set a schedule. Create new rules.  Set a time for learning, create opportunities for your children to amuse themselves. It is, after all, the captain that helms the boat, not the crew.

2. Create Separate Work Areas.

Find a space within your home where you can be both focused on work and readily available for the needs of your family. Do the same for your munchkins. Somewhere separate but readily available. The availability of both of your workspaces will lower any anxiety that may build when you are out of the other’s sight. In time, these locations will elicit productive sentiments for both parties---an epicenter for faking it till you make it, essentially. The productive association of your pseudo office/classroom will help you all get some work done even with no motivation to do so.

3. Develop your quality time routine.

This goes back to the need for structure. Designate a time where your focus is strictly on each other­—whether daily walks, kitchen help, time for arts & crafts—anything that you like to do together. This should be something you schedule as a break from work and something special you do together when the workday is done. Even before Shelter in Place, you did not sit in front of your computer uninterrupted eight hours a day and your children were not chained to their desks. Combine your breaks with family times and mitigate future interruptions while also giving your children something to look forward to.

4. Take Shifts.

Many of you are fortunate enough to have other adults in your household, whether a parent, significant other, or spouse. Perhaps you take the morning shift and they take the evenings. You’re on nap duty and they take snack time. There is no need to put everything all on one person; give someone else the opportunity to be a Rockstar.  

5. Be Intentional and Strategic.

Wake up half an hour to an hour earlier than usual to complete those tasks your darling progeny would ordinarily be a distraction from. Utilize your quality time routine to also get some exercise in (and tucker out little Johnny in the process—look who now has more time to make some calls!). Meal prep snacks and lunch if need be on Sundays. This could even be a fun activity for you to do with your kids.

6. Stop fighting Technology.

The tablet doesn’t have to be your enemy. While yes it can be a great source of distraction, it can also be a great learning tool. Your kids already want to be glued to the screen, why not meet them in the middle with some fun and educational sites and apps? Maybe your child is in the dinosaur stage. See what kind of trouble they can get into on the Smithsonian website. Maybe they want to learn more about post-colonial cuisine. There’s a YouTube for that (which I may or may not have stumbled upon and binged). The possibilities are endless.

7. Cherish the Experience.

Make no mistake balancing your two full time jobs at once is a challenge but consider for a moment the gift that you have been given. You get to be there for your kids for moments you may have otherwise missed. There are milestones to be witnessed, conversations that would not have been had, comedic moments that would have been reserved for someone else. Recognize the moment that we are in; we are in the middle of a memory in the making. Yes, you and your family have encountered a great storm, but at least you are in the same boat. So, let go of the sails and embrace the chaos.

Challenging the status quo of Residential Experience

Hi all, I hope 2019 is off to an amazing start and you are keeping up with your new year’s resolution! Just like you, I&I has goals to reach as well. Today, we are going to talk about some of our new features that are helping us achieve our goal of changing the status quo of residential experience.

Let’s talk about some of the 2019 changes. First, it’s not change for the sake of change. That said, change is inevitable, and something to be embraced, etc. etc., but that’s not a good enough reason to change. A good reason to change is because you want to remove friction from a process and make it simpler for residents to connect with their community association.  As with all system or process changes, these implementations are done with the community’s best interests in mind.

The expectations of community living are changing. Residents are expecting a much higher focus on experience from their community associations (and us).

Help me welcome our Resident Success Team

We used to have a traditional system of having one person answer the phone and politely making the transfer to the correct extension. However, Community Managers were often out on the field leaving our callers no choice but to leave a voicemail on certain occasions. Well, I am happy to say that gone are the days of residents needing to leave a voicemail if they call during business hours. Our Resident Success Agents (RSAs) are part of what is called a “Round Robin” approach. Simply put, the call gets automatically sent to the agent that has been idle the longest. Our RSA team is equipped with a ton of new features to better support our residents. Here’s a quick list:

1.    Live chat capabilities

2.    Internal and external knowledge-based articles

3.   Searchable community news feeds

4.    Resident interaction history all in one screen

Our purpose for this change is to provide the best possible service, accurately, and without any transfers or voicemails. Keep in mind that this is for residents. Board Members should still contact their Community Managers directly by means of either their direct office or cell phone. We feel this is a more cohesive approach to getting things done!

Introducing our unity portals

We’re going to significantly invest in designing ways to help residents better connect with each other and their community association. Our unity platform is the first step in that direction. The old online portal was through a 3rd party that provided us with zero customization. We are now the designers and creators of the online unity portal. We named it unity simply because that is the sole purpose of our system, to bring unity to your neighborhood. Some of the key features that are either available now or coming soon are:

1.    Intuitive search bar for questions

2.    Live chat (see RSA section above)

3.    Community forum for questions, ideas, and suggestions

4.    Training videos and tutorials

5.    Board member reports for violations history, architectural statuses and work orders

6.    Frequently viewed or trending topics automatically highlighted

7.    Group chat capabilities for Board Members and Committee Members

We are certainly excited for these upgrades but challenging the status quo of residential experience is no easy task. Thanks to all of our insightful customers, we have this wonderful opportunity to help create frictionless systems for our residents to enjoy.

We’ll not bore you with all of the details and thinking behind the new internal processes – you’re busy people, and our main intention for this post was to let our clients know about the changes to the user interface side. We thank you and welcome all ideas and feedback below.

-       Sal Silva, CEO of I&I

Where blogging happens!

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Welcome to our blog page. We are very excited to begin sharing exciting things happening in your neighborhoods and throughout the Central Valley. Stay tuned!