The Three “P’s” of Decision Making
When it comes to the decision-making process, Board members should check the three P’s. Policy. Practice. Precedence. No matter how large the decision or how small the conversation, Board members should be methodical and intentional throughout their discourse. Policy – this is the easy one. When making decisions, responding to homeowner requests and issues, applying, […]
Metro Lofts Joins the Sharper Management Family
Eden Prairie, Minn – (May 22, 2018) – Effective March 1st, Sharper Management is pleased to have taken over full management services for the Metro Lofts Condominium Association – a mixed use building off of the light rail line on University Avenue in St. Paul. Incorporated in 2006, Metro Lofts is a unique five-story, 67 […]
Natalie Martynow Joins the Sharper Management Team
Eden Prairie, MN, (April 4, 2018) – Sharper Management is pleased to welcome Natalie Martynow to its team as our newest Community Manager. Martynow brings many years of experience in property management to her new position with Sharper. She began her career as an Assistant Property Manager in the apartment field where she lived onsite […]
Board Tips – Open Meetings
What constitutes a Board “meeting” and Board “business” can become a very slippery slope. So much so that in 1994 when the Minnesota state legislature passed the Minnesota Common Interest Ownership Act (“MCIOA” or 515B), they sought to define and solidify requirements for how associations should operate with regards to Board meetings. Note that MCIOA […]
The Villas on Lost Lake Joins the Sharper Management Family
Eden Prairie, MN – (February 26, 2018) – Sharper Management is pleased to welcome the Villas of Lost Lake Association, in Mound, to the Sharper Management family. Located just off Lake Minnetonka, this 27-unit Association is centered by three-story townhome buildings with a pool and the shoreline perimeter flanked by custom built two-level townhome style […]
Board Tips: Managing Open Forum
If your Association falls under state statue 515B (Minnesota Common Interest Ownership Act – applying to all Association build after June 1994 and all Condominium Associations) you are required to hold “open board meetings.” This means owners can attend. If you don’t fall under 515B, but rather 317A (Minnesota Non Profit Corporate Act), you are […]
Dues Increases – No Resident Wants; But Every Association Needs It
For most Associations, it is budget season. Your Community Manager has worked hard to develop a proposed 2018 operating budget that will keep your association fiscally healthy by projecting and planning for expense trends (such as utilities), plugging in contract figures (such as lawn/snow), budgeting for operating projects you’ve directed to be completed (perhaps gutter […]
Sharper Management HOA Wins CAI MN Association of the Year
Sharper Management is pleased to announce one of their managed HOAs, the Territory Homeowners Association, has won CAI MN’s Association of the Year Award. Honored on September 14 at the annual Vision Awards, Territory is under the supervision of Sharper’s Community Manger Jeremy Larson. The Association of the Year Award recognizes the outstanding team effort […]
Contract Basics
Perhaps one of the most challenging, intimidating, and without a doubt most significant actions of the Board of Directors is engaging in contracts. Of course, assistance in navigating the abyss of contract language is one of the roles your community manager/management company can play. (And if it is a large or complicated contract, it is […]
Overcoming Decision Making Paralysis
There is nothing more frustrating for members, managers, and even homeowners than a Board that is collectively stuck in the mud, endlessly spinning their wheels deeper in the rut of indecision. Rest assured, it is a common condition. If it is not a recognized medical disorder, it should be! Perhaps it is a large construction […]