Page 4 - New England Condominium August 2020

4 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM -AUGUST 2020 NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM Industry Pulse Events New England Condo Introduces FREE Webinars—a New Resource for Boards and Managers at newenglandcondo.com/events New England Condominium , a Yale Robbins publication, has been a resource for the boards, managers, and residents of condos, HOAs, and co-ops for nearly two decades, both in print and online—and we are pleased to announce a new addition to our toolkit. Yale Robbins Productions has launched New England Condominium Webinars, a Cooperator Event, which is a new series of FREE educational ‘town- hall’ style webinars, sponsored by leaders in the multifamily industry and focusing on issues and challenges facing today’s boards. We have assembled expert panels on everything from legal questions around the COVID-19 pandemic to optimiz- ing your insurance coverage to disinfect- ing your community’s pool. Registration and attendance are FREE to all—just visit newenglandcondo.com/events, choose the webinar you’d like to attend, and sign up. It’s that simple. You’ll get an email link and reminders for the event, and will have the opportunity to submit questions for the panelists before and during the webinar it- self. Past events are archived and available on-demand on newenglandcondo.com/ events. Serving on your board is a big job, and a big responsibility, but sound, timely advice from industry veterans can help lighten the load and make your building or asso- ciation run more smoothly. We’re commit- ted to helping you achieve that, and look forward to ‘seeing’ you at an upcoming webinar! CAI-CT Plans Maintenance Webinar The Connecticut Chapter of Commu- nity Associations Institute has scheduled a live webinar on Maintenance Standards & Mechanicals for managers in August. The webinar, running from 3–5 pm on Thursday, August 13, will cover issues from leaky water heaters to loose shingles. Speakers will be Carrie Mott of Bouvier Insurance, Frank Pingelski of Tooher Fer- raris Insurance Group, and Karl Kuegler, CMCA, AMS, PCAM of Imagineers, LLC. The webinar carries 2 CEU credits. More information can be found at www.caict. org. IREM Hosts Evening with Online Comedy Had enough to worry about? How about joining the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) for an evening of live comedy? The August 27 event via Zoom includes Boston IREM’s new member installation and a Virtual Comedy Show featuring a 30-minute set from stand-up comedian Don McMillan, Technically Funny. The event runs from 6–8 pm, starting with chapter announcements and vendor spot- lights. The comedy show begins at 6:30, followed by new member installations. All are welcome to join in on the laughs! IREM Boston urges everyone to “Put on your comfy clothes, grab your two-drink minimum in a safe and socially-distanced environment and let’s have some laughter and fun.” More details and registration are available at www.iremboston.org. Industry News CAI Reports Pool Reopenings Delayed or Avoided More than 40% of community asso- ciation pools have not opened this season — and less than 7% of pools opened on time — due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the Com- munity Associations Institute (CAI). The report noted that 41% of pools have not opened at all, while 30% opened after a delay. The report was based on a survey of board members, managers, and other industry stakeholders in late June to early July. Several factors influenced the decision of communities that did not open their pool as regularly scheduled, including: fear of exposure to legal liability (58%); fear of spreading COVID-19 (50%); and attorney recommendation (48%). The communities that opened their pool reported instituting several new procedures, including: prohib- iting guests (60%); requiring residents to sign a liability waiver (40%); and requir- ing residents to bring their own chairs (37%). Expenses related to the pool are higher than budgeted due to COVID-19 in roughly 35% of communities. “The question to open a community association pool has been one of the most controversial and complicated topics fac- ing condominiums and homeowners asso- ciations (HOAs) this season,” says Thomas M. Skiba, CAE, CAI’s chief executive of- ficer. “Unfortunately, it’s not a one-size- fits-all model, and the decisions to open or not open are tailored to each community and specific to their unique circumstances. Communities have to consider guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and local requirements, the association’s ability to set and enforce rules, liability, resident sentiment, safety, and expenses. CAI is encouraging state and federal legislators to provide limited liability protections to community associa- tions that, after careful consideration and compliance with the appropriate govern- ment guidelines, have decided to open pools for their residents.” Some additional findings could reflect the different approaches taken by govern- ments in each state to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and the differing philosophies on reopening. Among those findings: More than 80% of respondents in New Jer- sey, 56% in Maryland, and 55% in Pennsyl- vania reported their pool is closed. These states had some of the more prolonged and restrictive stay-at-home orders. By con- trast, fewer than 10% of respondents in Florida, 24% in Texas, and 29% in North Carolina reported their pool is closed. These states had some of the shorter and least restrictive stay-at-home orders. Barkan to Manage The Villages at Brook- side Condominium Barkan Management Company an- nounced it has continued its expansion in Barnstable and Plymouth Counties with a new management contract at The Villages at Brookside Condominium. The Villages at Brookside is a 233-unit townhome condominium community lo- cated off County Road. The community is built around The Brookside Club, an 18- hole public golf course where many homes are located directly adjacent to a fairway. The Villages is an easy commute to shop- ping, beaches, and dining and is 1.5 miles south of the Bourne Bridge. Barkan as- sumed management of this community on May 1st. Jerry Meaney, vice president, will serve as the account supervisor and account executive Cindy Ecker, CMCA, AMS will oversee the operation of this townhouse community out of Barkan’s Barnstable of- fice and will be assisted by Donna DeSte- fano, APM and Sam Stevenson, site main- tenance manager. “Ounce of Prevention” Webinar Avail- able On Demand Association board members and man- agers face an ongoing challenge of keep- ing buildings in shape and budgets in line. A new webinar available on demand on the New England Condominium website (www.newenglandcondo.com/events) is designed to help community leaders meet that challenge head-on. “An Ounce of Prevention - Match- ing Your Reserve Budget to Replacement Costs,” sponsored by Sterling Remodeling and Restoration/Roof Maxx, was present- ed live on July 21, and can be accessed for free at any time. Sterling President David J. Levy is joined by R. Russell Fernandes, Principal/Senior Vice President at Becht Engineering, and Nathan Weber, Senior Account Manager at T&K Asphalt Ser- vices Inc. for this webinar designed to give boards and management practical tools for smart planning and regular maintenance, and to demonstrate how tiny changes made today and applied consistently can ensure that a community’s reserve budget matches its replacement costs, yielding staggering savings decades down the road. Buildings & Real Estate KBC Completes East Boston Renovation Project Knollmeyer Building Corp. recently completed a $7 million interior and exte- rior renovation project for the East Bos- ton Community Development Corp. The Landfall property project included the renovations of 135 occupied apartments in five separate buildings throughout East Boston. The interior renovations included new kitchens and baths, as well as electrical, heating, and safety upgrades. The exterior renovations included new roofing, ma- sonry, exterior waterproofing, window re- placements, asbestos abatement, and new concrete ramps and walkways. The project was designed by Davis Square Architects. Larry Hamel, Project Executive, represented Knollmeyer Build- ing Corp. 2020 Condo Sales and Prices Down in Seacoast, NH Residential real estate sales marked the slowest figures for June since 2012, accord- ing to the Seacoast (NH) Board of Realtors. Some 111 residential real estate sales were reported by the board in June in the 13 Seacoast communities. Although the activity was the highest recorded since last August, it was 21.8% lower than June 2019. On the condominium side, there were 48 sales in June, with a median price of $325,000, off 12.9% from June 2019. To- tal condo sales for the first six months of 2020 are trailing 2019 by 11.2%, while the median price of $347,000 represents an in- crease of 2%. The Realtors reported that there were 205 single-family active listings in June, a record low for the month. There were 15 sales of $1 million or more, and the me- dian sale price of $612,500 shattered the median record of $515,000 set in January 2018. For the year, single-family sales are down by 18.9% although the six-month median sale price of $526,500 is up 9.8%, the Realtors reported. n PULSE Please submit Pulse items to Pat Gale at patgale@yrinc.com