Whenever an owner of a condominium refinances their home or someone buys a condominium, the lender will require the completion of a Lender’s Questionnaire. Lenders require these questionnaires for more than one reason which should be understood by both board members and the person making the written disclosures. See: Lender’s Questionnaire – Purpose.

Board members who are interviewing HOA property management companies should also interview the person who will be primarily responsible for the management of their association.

If the company is a start-up with less than a three-year history, it would be prudent to determine where the manager was previously employed and why he or she left. Contacting the former employer may provide important information concerning the manager’s ethical standards and much more. See: How to Interview an HOA Management Company

Many people enter into construction contracts with general contractors, including seismic retrofit contracts, and all goes well. However, often this is not the case. Sometimes things go wrong. See: Why Hire a Construction Manager.

Each city has individual requirements. Some cities do not have current requirements. but that may change. See: Seismic Ordinances in California.

If a homeowner wants to install an electrical vehicle (EV) changing station in a common area or our exclusive use common area (his or her parking space), he or she must meet applicable health or safety standards and requirements by state and local authorities as well as all other applicable zoning, land use or other ordinances, or land permits. In addition, he or she must obtain HOA approval and agree to a number of conditions. See: Electrical Vehicle Changing Stations.

Coast Management of California processes vendor and contractor invoices each week in order to assure timely payment. See: How Coast Management of California Processes Invoices and Contractors, Vendors, and Handy Persons Wanted.

On October 19,2021, USA Today published an article entitled” Zillow is no longer buying homes.” Many real estate experts believe Zillow took this action because they believe home prices are going to start declining. On the same day, CNN reported: Zillow slams breaks on home buying as it struggles to manage its backlog of inventory.

Many homeowners are taking Zillow’s action as a sign that home prices are highly inflated. Zillow’s action has resulted in a flood of loan refinance applications and sales.

Coast Management of California is pleased to announce that we have been engaged to manage a 29-unit condominium community in Long Beach, California.

Due to the unprecedented inflation currently taking place in the United States, most homeowner associations are finding it necessary to re-evaluate their operating budgets and reserve budgets. The cost of electricity, water, and natural gas has continued to skyrocket, and all products that are oil based such as roofing materials, paint, wood stain, plastic, and many chemicals are increasing in price, quite dramatically. Also, the higher cost of gasoline has increased costs for contractors and maintenance companies resulting in increased costs for associations. Lastly, the huge increase in crime we are experiencing all over the country has resulted in insurance companies increasing their insurance premiums for nearly every type of insurance policy. Now is the time to reevaluate your association’s budget in order to avoid special and emergency assessments in the near future.