Cohousing-L Mailing List: Property Management

[Jim Snyder-Grant (jimsg]

New View (Acton Mass) is starting to interview property management companies
to help us with the task of coordinating the maintenance work needed here
(buildings not landscaping). Any experience with working with management
companies out there?

We are finding that in the booming economy of Massachusetts we don't seem to
have the clout to locate & successfully work with contractors for the myriad
of small projects we need as a 24-unit, 5 year old development.  We are
hoping that a management company will have sucess where we don't.  As one
person said it, the management fee "would be our bribe to make sure that
folks actually show up". Harsh, but you get the idea..

Are there any cohouing groups that have worked with property management
firms that would like to share advice on how to meld the coho model with the
typical condo management model? Or advice from those that have experience
with management companies from other life experiences?

Thanks in advance for your usual collective wisdom..

-Jim Snyder-Grant
jimsg [at] newview.org
New View, Acton MA.

Where beautiful fall weather has been the backdrop for volunteer crews
sticking the snow-stakes in the ground in prepation for guiding the snow
plows through What Is To Come; and we just tentatively approved a 15%
increase in our condo fees, mostly to cover new anticipated maintenence
tasks such as roof repairs & house painting..