How to Help Homeowners Love Life in Your HOA

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re on the board for your HOA. After all, it can feel like the only people you hear from are those who are unhappy with the work you’re doing. This can make it feel like no one likes you or appreciates what you do to make life work in your HOA. However, there are a few simple things you can do to help people love living in an HOA and to hear from them, as well as from the disgruntled ones.

Communicate Openly

If the HOA is struggling or thinking about making changes, communicate this with the homeowners. Most HOA boards err on the side of under-communication rather than over-communication. It may feel like there are things that homeowners don’t need to know, but the truth is that they may appreciate knowing these things even if they are controversial. When people trust you to communicate, they will love living in your HOA.

Get to Know Them

Many people don’t even know who is on the HOA board. If most members wouldn’t know you if they saw you walking down the street, change that. Make every effort to get to know not only your immediate neighbors but also anyone else who is interested. Invite new residents over for dinner or have a BBQ once a quarter so you can meet people who have moved in.

Hold Community Events

Community events can be a great place to get to know the people who live in your HOA, and they are also great ways to make your community feel more communal. Facilitate events where people can hang out, participate in activities together, and generally chat and get to know one another. The more of these you do, the more people will love life in your HOA.

Understand Where They Come From

If you’re hearing a lot of similar complaints, take the time to sit down and talk to your HOA members. You may need to listen to them vent, but it’s worth it when you finally understand where they’re coming from and why they are so upset. Some people get upset about little things, but often there are real problems underneath their emotions. Understanding these and acting on what you learn will help people love your HOA.

Make Sure They Know Who to Contact

Homeowners in an HOA get frustrated when they don’t know who to contact about a problem. Make sure each person who moves in gets a clear list of phone numbers. Include who to call when they need an approval, who to contact if something goes wrong, and more. They should feel confident that they know all of the relevant numbers for anything they might need.

Going just a little bit out of your way can mean major differences in how people feel about living in your HOA. If you need help making your HOA a great place to live, call us at AMI today. We offer a multitude of services to help make your life easier, so you can make your residents’ lives easier!