Numerous reasons for the rising ownership costs in condominium developments and planned communities have been given lately in the media.  These recently mentioned costs are being attributed to inflation, rising interest rates and increased property management operations expenses.  The fact is many property management companies who provide such services as HOA accounting, reserve study inspections and preparation, and HOA management services have increased their fees significantly over the past few years.  But besides these operational costs, the biggest increased cost stressor to HOA community homeowners and boards involves the physical aspects of building reinforcement, maintenance, inspections, replacement and repairs.  This is due to the recognition of aging buildings and amenities that make up the community that were not previously anticipated in HOA financial planning.

Deonn Cole, CCS® Dallas Chapter President and Realtor with Keller Williams DFW Preferred (left) shares a lunch and new PR ideas with Candy Peak Ross, longtime Broker-Realtor and national instructor of the Certified Condominium Specialist designation course.  Through diligently using her CCS®designation in her marketing and business plans, Deonn has greatly increased her real estate business and has reached remarkable condos sales success by marketing with her national CCS® designation.  Since Deonn got her Certified Condominium Specialist® Designation in 2015 from the Council of Condominium Specialists®, Deonn has been on fire selling and leasing condos, townhomes and homes in HOA communities.  Deonn has been so successful selling condos and HOA properties that she has become known amongst her clients and fellow agents as the "Condo Queen" of Dallas.

For over four months since the COVID-19 outbreak became predominant, condo owners have found themselves with a number of increasing challenges and dilemmas requiring solutions to deal with keeping their communities and the members safe from COVID-19.  Condo owners have had to increase their cooperation with their building co-owners and their governing board in order to keep their communities healthy while attempting to carry on as normal a life as possible and still maintain goodwill within the community. 

In normal daily life, condo owners have always had to abide by numerous echelons of law – local, state and federal – as well as having to follow the governing documents and rules that act as community “laws” from the boards of directors.  More recently with the persistence of COVID-19, condo owners and governing board members have found themselves in an awkward position in having to pose new questions and develop new rules and policies on how repairs should be made, and how to keep community living safer and the common areas disinfected and clean on a continual basis, and without exposing community members to workers.