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BiggerPockets Podcast 330: How to Ditch Distractions and Get WAY More Done With Cal Newport

Incredible show alert! You don’t want to miss this one: Brandon and David sit down with bestselling author Cal Newport (who wrote So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, and so on) to discuss just what makes high performers different than the rest. Cal shares incredible insight based on his research as a professor at Georgetown University, including how boredom can serve a very useful purpose, how to improve your focus to master your craft, and how building “career capital” can open doors to the life you’ve always wanted. Cal also shares life-changing advice on how starting the day in “monk mode” can supercharge your productivity, how to set better expectations with team members, and how to rebuild your digital life in 30 days. This episode is so good you’ll feel guilty you didn’t have to pay. Download it today!

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Post responsibly: How to avoid legal risks and negative effects on social media in your community

Social media tools are a great way for community associations to increase engagement with their residents, but they can leave communities vulnerable to potential legal risks if managed inappropriately.

Adopting a social media policy can allow communities to assign responsibility over its use and minimize abusive practices, says attorney Katrina Solomatina of Berding & Weil in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor, as well as websites, online newsletters, and email blasts, allow community associations to facilitate communication between homeowners, provide real-time updates, and give members the ability to offer instant feedback to the board.

At the same time, social media can be abused by users through practices such as cyberbullying, defamation, and invasion of privacy, Solomatina notes.

Comments made through social media can have a negative effect on a community. That’s why it’s important for communities to determine who will manage and update social media platforms, who will monitor and respond to comments, who can control or remove content, who can post, and what type of content is prohibited. Community associations should adopt a policy that covers the above.

When an association operates a closed group or discussion board, like Nextdoor, for residents, Solomatina recommends a user policy that includes the following terms:

  1. You must be a resident or property owner in the community association
  2. Anonymity is prohibited
  3. You must use your real name
  4. Be respectful of others at all times
  5. Ranting is prohibited
  6. Personal attacks are not tolerated
  7. Commercial advertisements are prohibited
  8. Violators will be suspended

Solomatina will be presenting a session—Social Media: Community Association Friend or Foe?—at the 2019 CAI Annual Conference and Exposition: Community NOW, May 15-18, in Orlando.

The post Post responsibly: How to avoid legal risks and negative effects on social media in your community appeared first on Ungated: Community Associations Institute Blog.

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Neon Colors in Staging?! You’ll Be Surprised How Much You Like It

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey In a throwback to the 1980s, neon colors are popping up in more home decor. The flashiness of neon colors is a sure-fire way to brighten up your home’s interior, and the way fluorescents are being worked into a room isn’t as nauseating as you might at first imagine. Adding in neon-green […]

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Homeowner education: Be resourceful with CAI’s HOAResources.com

The best community associations have knowledgeable governing boards, highly-engaged residents, and educated and trained professional managers leading their communities. CAI has believed that since its founding in 1973, and it’s why we offer information, education, and resources to members and the general public. It’s why we recently launched HOAResources.com, a digital news site for the millions of residents living and working in condominium communities and homeowners associations worldwide.

We recognize that the community association model has evolved and grown up over the years, becoming a well-established and increasingly successful form of community governance and an essential component of the U.S. housing market.

There’s an increasing need to educate, train, and provide the latest news and resources to the millions of potential homebuyers, homeowners, and renters living in these communities. After all, 61 percent of all new housing built for sale is in a community association.

The new site lets CAI members and the general public find practical advice on common issues in the community association housing model. The site will address HOA basics, financial planning, rules and governing documents, as well as security and safety. Many time-tested best practices are showcased on the site, often through free, downloadable documents.

Go to www.HOAResources.com, and share the information with homeowners, friends, and colleagues.

The post Homeowner education: Be resourceful with CAI’s HOAResources.com appeared first on Ungated: Community Associations Institute Blog.

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BiggerPockets Podcast 329: Financial Freedom Before 30 Through Just 10 Deals With Felipe Mejia

Financially independent before 30 years old! Today’s guest Felipe Mejia sits down with Brandon and David and shares the incredible story of how he scaled from a $3,000 mobile home to 10 units and financial independence! Felipe has created a unique system that involves multi-unit properties, short-term rentals, and leveraging others to help run his business. The result? He is currently crushing it! You don’t want to miss the insanely powerful “no-why principle” he’s used relentlessly to succeed whenever he’s told no. Felipe also discusses how he leveraged the job of communicating with his Airbnb guests to buy his time back, and how he took advantage of a construction boom in his hometown to service its workers. He also talks about how he lost 30 pounds after realizing he was in the wrong profession, and how he bought a mobile home for $3,000 and then later got paid $30,000 for it! This episode is jam packed with fun, exciting content and practical advice for those looking to exit the rat race and achieve financial independence through creative strategies with real estate.