LandArc Newsletter to Community Board Members

Success Stories

Whenever we have a victory at LandArc, we call it a Success Story.  Celebrating our accomplishments and the success of our customers helps encourage our staff by seeing the fruit of their labor.  The attached letter is a nice one that deserves special recognition.  This community came to us just over one year ago with a number of challenges.  We recently held their annual meeting and celebrated a number of accomplishments, such as getting a quorum for the first time (ever!), increasing their reserve fund by $100k, and reducing delinquencies by over $65k. 

Much can be accomplished in a short time with the right priorities and a committed team!

LandArc HOA & Condo Management Systems

Taking Pride in the Appearance of Your Community

One of the best jobs I had as a kid was mowing lawns.  As a perfectionist, seeing the product of my work in a perfectly manicured lawn was very gratifying.  Now that I am in the business of property management, I find that I am naturally critical of landscape maintenance vendors and always looking for the product that “pops” – perfect turf, beautiful flowers, clean edges, well trimmed shrubs, etc.  

These convictions resulted in the creation of our vendor scorecard system.  Simply stated, we grade our vendors on 26 components of quality landscape maintenance.  Each of these components receives a letter grade, and then all 26 grades result in an overall vendor performance grade.  

We decided on an electronic scorecard system (see photo below) for couple of reasons.  First, it allows our managers and quality assurance staff to complete the scorecard on their smartphones and immediately transmit the results to www.landarc.com.  Next, we log all of the historical results in our database and transmit the latest results directly to the vendor.  This is important because the vendor contract stipulates that a grade of C or below automatically places them on probation with the potential for replacement without further notice.  Finally, we make the results available to board and committee members who take an interest in their grounds maintenance and show the average grade on our monthly dashboard report. 

This may seem like a lot of work – and it is – but the appearance of your community is a reflection certain standards that ultimately affect perception, which in turn impacts realities like property value.  So set high standards for your community and demand that vendors meet them.  This will set your community apart and reassure owners that their board is adding real value to their community.

Why Hire Professional Landscaping

Maintaining common areas is one of the board’s most basic responsibilities. To fulfill that responsibility, the board contracts with a professional landscaping company. The board seeks bids from several potential companies, carefully considering the competence and expertise of each company and comparing fees. These fees may seem like an added—or even unnecessary—expense; but, in the long run, the additional cost will be less than the losses you would face without professional help. Consider the advantages:

Professional Expertise: It takes more than a green thumb to maintain attractive and functional landscaping. Your contractor employs professional staff and trained labor crews. This expertise translates into a cost-effective and successful landscape maintenance program for your community.  

Bulk Purchase Savings: Your landscape contractor purchases plants and supplies in bulk quantities at reduced prices and passes the savings along to you.

Improved Plant Survival: Trees, turf, shrubs, and other plantings are costly. Without proper care, they don’t survive, especially immediately after installation. The landscaper guarantees newly planted shrubs and trees for a specific amount of time, usually one year, so you don’t have to pay for replacing dead plants.

Reduced Liability: The association’s landscape contractor is properly insured and knowledgeable about—and in compliance with—all local and federal environmental requirements and safety regulations. Your contract shifts responsibility to the contractor and reduces the association’s liability.

Landscaping is very important to the community’s quality of life and its image and value. Is it worth what the association pays for these services? Yes! In fact, failing to invest in professional landscape maintenance is a false economy because curb appeal makes your neighborhood desirable and contributes to the value of individual homes.

Property Values for Condos and HOA Communities

Although property values in Michigan have taken a beating, there are still a lot of things about which members of community associations can be optimistic. More than 80% of new housing is part of a community association, which means that they continue to provide good value for home buyers. In fact, associations that are in good physical and financial condition help keep their members’ property values higher. This requires a commitment to the following:

1. A consistent preventive maintenance plan.  Many communities have deferred maintenance items in an effort to save money, and the physical effects are apparent to buyers.  If you have resisted this temptation, your property values should reflect it.
2. Adequate reserve funds and a good community-wide payment history of fees.  With new regulations for federally-backed loans, lenders need to look more closely at these areas than ever before.

A healthy association will prove a more attractive option for buyers in the fiercely competitive housing market. Is your condominium association or HOA doing what is necessary to enhance property values and attract buyers?

Spring Inspections: Things to Look For

In addition to sod or curb damage that may have been caused during the winter, there are other items which can result from the winter months and which should be checked to ensure safety and property value.

Sidewalks: Freezing and thawing cycles can cause heaving and cracking of concrete. In some cases, the effect is enough to create a trip hazard which not only is unsafe for pedestrians, but also presents increased liability for the Association. These areas should be identified and repaired soon after the snow has melted.

Roadways: Dirt and debris can hinder expansion joints in concrete roadways from working as effectively they should. Spring is a good time to do street sweeping since there has been a lot of runoff from melting snow. This is especially important if sand was used in any of the salt mixtures. Asphalt roadways need to be inspected for cracks or buckling caused by shifting ground.

Irrigation Systems: Sprinkler heads, since they are exposed, are the vulnerable parts of an irrigation system. Because they are covered by snow in the winter, wayward automobiles and snow removal equipment can cause inadvertent damage. Prior to opening the system, damaged heads should be flagged for repair or replacement. Irrigation systems should be opened and ready for operation by mid-May, although the weather will determine when they start being used.