10 Reasons to Serve on Your Community's HOA Board  "Who me? Run for the HOA board?"  Think board membership isn't for you? Think again. Being a part of your HOA board and directly effecting change in your community can be awfully appealing and offers a real sense of belonging. As a member of your HOA, you'll:   1. Protect property values and maintain quality of the community   2. Correct specific problems such as parking and maintenance issues    3. Give back to your community and to your neighbors    4. Better socialize by meeting your neighbors and making friends   5. Possibly advance your career and build your resume   6. Better fill your time and have fun taking part in a large, positive project   7. Educate yourself on the many facets of running a community association   8. Express yourself and design creative solutions to residential issues   9. Earn recognition and satisfaction in a job well done    10. Take pride in your community, the place in which you live and where you derive pleasure, comfort and security    Give it some thought. You might be just who is needed to take your community to the next level. Yes you!

CAMS Management has Merged with GRS Management

We are pleased to announce
CAMS Association Management has merged with GRS Management Associates.

CAMS Association Management has relocated to the GRS corporate office at 3900 Woodlake Blvd. Suite 309 Lake Worth, FL 33463.

You can still reach us at the same phone number and fax number.

PHONE
(561) 738-0061
Fax: 561-738-6252

HOA Dues are Actually Cheaper than the Alternative  They Save Money & Time in the Long  Run  Although cutting that check monthly might sting a little in the short run, when pooled with your neighbors' share, your HOA dues actually buy substantially discounted services, maintenance and improvements that you likely wouldn't receive if you were left to fend for yourself. Some areas in your community that likely benefit from the substantial sum of you and your neighbors' assets include:   General Maintenance Can you imagine soliciting landscape services, pest control, repairs, general cleaning and all the rest on your own? Providers of these services love large community contracts and often discount their work because of the size, scope and regularity that a community contract can offer. Plus, your HOA likely shops around for these services or solicits bids.     Communal Amenities     Want to go swimming? How about play tennis? Well, you can price out the cost of building a pool or a tennis court or you can chip in and use the community amenities that your monthly dues help pay for. From clubhouses and hot tubs to weight rooms and boat docks, it's a whole lot less expensive to share the many building, repair and maintenance costs involved than to pay for large scale amenities without help. Improved Resale     Statistics reflect that homes that rely on individuals for their maintenance, repairs and improvements often return a lower resale because of the hit-or-miss quality of those services and the inconsistency with which they're rendered. Rarely in a community with an HOA do necessary repairs and maintenance items stand unaddressed for very long. Plus, one of the many jobs of your HOA is to source capable professionals, and keep them on task, on time and on their game of providing top quality.   While your next HOA payment will no doubt cost the same as before reading this article, we hope thinking about it in these terms might make it seem a little more reasonable.

Spring is Coming! What Shade of Green is Your Thumb?

Shrimp plants love the climate in South Florida. Guess what love shrimp plants.

Whether Your Home Comes with a Little DIY Garden Area or it's All Professionally Landscaped, it's Springtime in Florida!  

Right about now in Florida is the time lots of homeowners and landscape professionals start replanting flowerbeds, laying new sod, replacing foliage and trees damaged by weather and planting new plants of all kinds.  

  

If you have a flowerbed or other garden area that you typically replant each year, then you know the drill. You're likely considering: Egyptian star flowers, begonias, Florida sweethearts, wishbone flowers, periwinkles, or maybe even golden shrimp plants or rain lilies. If your community contracts with a professional landscaping company, you'll likely notice at least one of these plant types being installed somewhere on the property, from medians and other common areas to bordering sidewalks and parking areas. 

If you're new to your community, you'll want to check with your association before you begin digging in. Many HOAs have rules regarding the areas where residents are allowed to garden and what they're allowed to plant.  

Happy spring planting from the crew at CAMS!

Annual Community HOA Meetings are in Full Swing You Should Attend. Here's Why:   Annual HOA meetings get a bum rap for being long, boring and poorly attended. They serve at least four critical functions, however. The Election of Directors   HOA Boards have considerable authority and responsibility to govern the corporation, and residents who become officers and directors of associations are key to its success or failure. Attendance helps residents become acquainted with the people who will be effecting change in the community in which they live. Ratification of the Budget and Annual Assessments   Many homeowners have little idea of how their HOA dues are being spent and how much it actually costs for landscaping, for example, insurance, accounting and legal services, etc. Annual meeting attendance helps residents understand where their money is going. Critical Votes   Annual meetings are the one time each year that the entire membership has an opportunity to vote on critical issues such as amendments to bylaws and special assessments. Annual meetings offer great insight into large communal changes in store. Thanks and Support of Leadership   Board members work hard and endure as much as anyone in any voluntary position. Annual meeting attendance is a great way for residents to show their support and give thanks in an official capacity. At CAMS, we recommend that you make it a point to attend your community's annual meetings. If you don't go, you won't know!

Why Become a Board Member of Your Association? In Short, for More Say & Better Control Over Your Home. Here's the Long of It:     You have a big financial stake in your community and its common elements, from utilities, security, landscaping, parking and walkways to perhaps a pool, clubhouse, golf course and more. As a board member of your homeowner association, you can help ensure that these elements are properly maintained and that rules and bylaws are followed, and reap the benefits of experiencing what essentially is a better sense of belonging to the community in which you live.   As a board member, you will: Help Protect Your Property by being in a position to better implement rules that preserve and increase home values and foster resident pride throughout the community. Help Correct Problems by having first-hand access to the systems and protocols that only the board has. You won't be reporting that item in disrepair to the board and hoping someone hears you; instead you'll be facilitating the repair directly. Meet More of Your Own Expectations again by being in a position to directly facilitate what you perhaps wanted from your community when you first moved in, and that you found isn't the case after having lived there.   Gain Better Understanding of the Rules and Bylaws by working with them regularly.   Have Fun and Gain a Better Sense of Belonging by meeting residents and helping to resolve their issues, and initiating events and other items that help neighbors have fun and enjoy living there.    Gain Leadership Skills and Build Your Resume if you're relatively new to the working world. Now is the time to volunteer or run for a principal position. Give it a shot. You'll never look back!

Snowbirds/Locals Survival Kit Can't-Lose Tips for Living in Harmony It's season! Yay! Grumble, grumble. Yay! Grumble. Whether you're a part-time resident or live here year-round, you probably have opinions about life "on the other side."   Full-time residents love the extra revenue that snowbirds inject into their local community, for example, but aren't fond of the additional traffic and crowds during this time of year. Part-time residents love the weather here in South Florida, but are perplexed by the fast-paced, all-business attitude of locals.    To help maintain the peace, whether you're a year-round or part-time resident, remind yourself often of the following: Locals: South Florida climate and sunshine belong to everyone, whether full-time, part-time or short-time visiting tourist. No one owns the weather here, and there's plenty to go around. Share it! Snowbirds: Year-round residents work here, and many don't have the luxury to often enjoy the climate, beaches and other attractions. Locals are limited in time and focused on obligations. Try to be understanding that full-time residents are not on vacation, and so approach day to day with a different mindset than you do.   Locals: Yes, you may have to wait to get a table at your favorite diner this time of year. But the extra income during season is what allows that restaurant to stay in business long term. You may think you want empty spots at the counter all year, but you don't. Be thankful for the subsidy that helps enable the quality of life you enjoy.      Snowbirds: There's likely a marked difference in the culture, norms and habits of people in South Florida vs. the region you're from. Try to recognize those differences and adapt. It's not unlike trying out your French while on vacation in Paris. Compromise is your friend.   Locals: That goes for you too. Be as understanding and welcoming as possible. Many situations are not as they seem on the surface, but are simply a matter of cultural differences. Ever visited a friend's home and noted the contrasts in that family's behavior, differences in cooking or home making, etc.? Same thing.    Snowbirds: Keep in mind that despite the tiniest footprint that you yourself might strive to make during season, because you're part of a very large temporary population influx, the combined impact is substantial, and requires year-round residents to adapt to the change.      Bottom line? Be nice no matter where you live and for how long, and be patient. We're all on the same team.