Plays Well With Others

Being a Board Member…

Everything You Need to Know Before Buying a Co-op, Condo, or Townhouse

When you live in a community type of development, there are perks as well as pitfalls. The perks are that you don’t have to worry about fixing a leaky roof, or calling a plumber to come out when your pipes get backed up. The lawns stay manicured with little effort and when the building needs painting, you sit back while someone else takes care of it. The pitfalls are that, unless you’re on the Board, you don’t have much say in what exactly goes on. You pay your monthly dues and they take care of everything. Some people like that sort of deal.

Personally, I like to know where my money is going and have input on the decisions made. Last year, I joined our community building committee, and about a month later I was the chairman of that committee. I’m the most active member by far, because most of the other members have little interest in being that involved. The building committee makes recommendations on changes, but has very little power when it comes to actual decision making. And it’s frustrating to work on gathering information on a proposal only to have other people make the final decisions.

For the past few months, I’ve been asked by a few of the board members to join the Board. At the end of the year, they will be losing one, possibly three, members and want me to fill the slot. My fear is that it will be more of the same, which I’m not down with. If I’m on the Board, my agenda would be to make big changes—and it might include an assessment to get some projects done. Assessments don’t go down too well. We’d have to plan it out and present it in a way that would make people feel good about the changes. And also make sure that people see actual changes to their units with the money they’d be spending.

I’m weighing the pros and cons, but will probably do it in the end. After a year, I can always decide that it’s not for me. But if I do join, it should make for some interesting entries.

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