Having Pride in your Home and Community
Moving into a brand new community always brings smiles to everyone’s faces. You invite your family and your friends over to see your new home or your newly built community, but living in a community with neighbors close by can have it challenges. Every owner has a different idea of what their responsibility is for the maintenance of their property and being a respective neighbor, or in some cases the responsibility of the Management Company and/or Board of Directors to have the property properly maintained.
Taking pride in the surroundings of your home, and your neighbors’ homes, is not only beneficial for your overall well-being, but it is critical to your financial bottom line. Communities that allow their properties to devalue due to poor management of landscaping, unauthorized changes to the outside of the homes, or a lack of pride in the care of the community facilities, see their individual home values drop precipitously.
It is important as a community to set acceptable guidelines for the communal maintenance of the overall property. This includes making sure that plants are trimmed, there are flowers at the entryway, curbs are properly edged, and community signage in good order and readable. Garbage cans should only be put out on the days of garbage collection and the cans should not be stored on driveways. It is important to maintain the “spread.” Some neighbors feel that the common area is their personal area and spread out their personal patio sets, kids’ pools, etc., and then leave it out forever. This causes strife with neighbors and becomes a nuisance to landscapers trying to properly cut the grass in the community.
In the best of circumstances, your neighbors will take as much pride in their homes as you do; if not, the Board of Directors may need to set rules with potential fines for owners who do not follow the rules. The ability to levy a fine against an owner for a violation of the governing documents is the Association’s best tool for rules enforcement. Be kind to your neighbors and mindful of the look of the community and everyone will benefit.
Klein Property Management, located in Manalapan, NJ, is always working side by side with associations, board members, property owners and tenants. We believe in pride in your community and home makes for a happier neighborhood.
