Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 13, 2014
Don't Govern Alone – Resources Are out There for Trustees, Board Members and Managers
Board members and trustees of condo or HOAs know that it can be a tough job sometimes. Part administrator, part mediator, part project coordinator, they have to wear a lot of hats and make decisions that involve thousands—sometimes hundreds of thousands—of their neighbors' dollars. No pressure, right? Having an outside management company handle things like collections and contracts helps a lot, but most good boards still want to know more about how they can run their communities more smoothly and efficiently. Fortunately, there are a number of resources that can help do just that, giving information, ideas and contacts that can in turn make their job easier and less stressful. Best of all, some of these resources are entirely free of charge.
Along with professional organizations (more on those in a minute), boards can draw information and support from publications and annual trade shows tailored to address their specific concerns. Foremost among these is New England Condominium and its annual Condo & Apt. Expo. New England Condominium is a free monthly news magazine—available in print, and online at http://www.newenglandcondo.com —containing articles on everything from organizing board of trustee meetings to negotiating with landscaping vendors. The Expo, to be held this year on Tuesday, May 20th at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston from 10am to 4:30pm, is an event that brings together over 170 diverse exhibitors and features a full day of educational seminars, legal advice booths, and giveaways—all free of charge for board members, trustees, property managers, and the public. Just pre-register on the Expo website at http://www.ne-expo.com.
The Expo may be the largest event of its kind in the area, but it's not the only resource available, namely non-profit professional organizations like the New England chapters of the Community Associations Institute (CAI). CAI-New England covers Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine while Connecticut has its own chapter (CAI-CT). The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) also services several New England states, having chapters in Boston (Metro Boston Chapter No. 4) with separate chapters for Connecticut (IREM Chapter No. 51) and Greater Rhode Island (IREM Chapter No. 88).
CAI-NE (caine.org) and CAI-CT (caict.org) offer webinars, newsletters, blogs and podcasts through their websites; IREM’s three chapters (iremboston.org) (irem-ct.org) and (iremri.com) sponsor an expo and networking events throughout the year, and the Rental Housing Association for Bay State apartment owners (gbreb.com/rha.aspx) also organizes an annual trade conference in the fall, where attendees can network with peers and earn credits toward professional designations like Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) and a Certificate for Apartment Maintenance Technicians (CAMT), among others.
It takes a special kind of person to volunteer to help govern their condo or association community—and it's not always an easy job—but by knowing what's out there in terms of educational resources and networking opportunities, a tough job can be made a whole lot easier. For registration and more information on the New England Condominium Condo & Apt. Expo on May 20th, go to http://www.ne-expo.com.
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