Planned Development Services

HOA Community management: the job may not be glamorous, but community managers just might be the unsung heroes of the real estate and property management worlds. Think about it – a good HOA community manager plays a huge part in the safety, comfort, living arrangements, and finances of large groups of people. If they’re not doing their job well, many individuals and families can suffer.

What does it take to make an outstanding community manager? Here are five of the most important qualities he or she should have:

1. Good Communication Skills

Community managers are responsible for communicating with a broad range of people, from tenants to contractors to HOA board members. They need to be able to effectively communicate with people working in different disciplines and trades, and people with varying personalities and agendas.

2. Ability to Mediate and Advocate

A community manager will often serve as something of a liaison or “middle-man” between different groups of people. As such, she needs to be able to capably (and fairly) mediate conflicts, and be comfortable advocating for individuals or groups when it’s necessary.

3. Commitment to Responsibilities

Managers are usually responsible for everything from accounting services to landscaping and maintenance requests. They wear a lot of hats, and as such, it’s vital that they’re committed to upholding their responsibilities and seeing them through.

4. Has Integrity and Ethics

Really, honesty is fundamental to almost any job. Unfortunately, some people are willing to cut corners or make deals and allowances that benefit only certain groups and individuals. That can be the undoing of a community manager, whose job it is to serve everyone fairly and equally.

5. Flexibility

Though it’s important for community managers to know the ins and outs of HOA bylaws, rental and leasing procedures, CC&R’s etc., he or she also needs to be a generally reasonable person, and recognize when there is some room for give and take or when it’s time to address an outdated/irrelevant policy or procedure.

Do you have what it takes to be an HOA Community Manager?