I recently had the opportunity to represent my company as a speaker and presenter at the first annual Asheville Land Development Conference (ALDC).

While researching and preparing my presentation, “Rejuvenating Your Community through Your Property Owners Association,” which I delivered to several professionals from the real estate, development and banking industries, I came across a powerful truth: “If you want to persuade, start by listening.”Read the rest of this article»

The current state of affairs are falling home prices and foreclosures.

According to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, home prices fell 28 percent by the end of 2009 from their July 2006 peak. In 2010, national housing prices are predicted to fall another 10 percent. There is some hope that prices will stabilize in early 2011 assuming job losses come to an end and unemployment begins to decline.

One of the biggest obstacles, besides unemployment, to stabilizing home prices in this economy is the threat of a new wave of foreclosures due to the growing number of homes with mortgages that are “underwater”. In 2008, more than 1.7 million homes were foreclosed on. Another 2 million were lost in 2009, and Moody’s Economy.com projects that 2.4 million will be lost in 2010. According to Deutsche Bank Securities projections, 21 million households will have mortgages underwater by the end of 2010, over 40 percent of mortgaged Read the rest of this entry »

In the first quarter of 2010 we are met with two important issues; the economy and an increased focus from our legislators in Raleigh. Many of you are aware of the recently formed and active House Select Committee on Homeowners Associations. This committee has put forth that there are “still significant issues that need to be addressed concerning the protection and Read the rest of this entry »

Chairperson Weiss, Chairperson McGee and members of the committee. My name is Robb Baer and since 1998 I have owned and operated a Professional Community Management Company in Asheville NC managing over 80 communities through out Western North Carolina. I am also the current president of the North Carolina Chapter of Community Associations Institute.

As you may be aware, Community Associations Institute (CAI) is a national organization dedicated to fostering vibrant, competent, harmonious community associations. For more than 30 years, CAI has been the leader in providing Read the rest of this entry »

Robb Baer, PCAM, was recently elected President of the North Carolina Chapter of Community Associations Institute (CAI). Mr. Baer is a  Director and Vice President of Operations for IPM, an Asheville based real estate management company. Mr. Baer will serve a one year term. He continues to serve on the chapter’s Legislative Action Committee where he has worked to promote state licensing for managers of homeowners associations. Mr. Baer also serves on the national faculty of CAI and teaches management courses throughout the nation.

I wrote last quarter that we all needed to have compassion when working with delinquent homeowners who cannot pay. And that sentiment still holds true. For those delinquent homeowners who will not pay, the association Board must act. As we all know, assessments are an association’s lifeline. If more and more owners withhold payment, the association cannot keep its commitments to the other members of the association that are keeping pace with their obligations.

Across the country, associations are experiencing cash flow problems because owners are falling behind in their assessments. This cash flow problem has lead to increased enforcement activity and that has led to an increased number of properties entering the foreclosure process. Thus and, increasing the uproar over whether associations should be Read the rest of this entry »