Question: Our board dealt with a contentious issue recently. When it came time to vote, one of the directors pulled out a proxy from an absent director authorizing her to vote on his behalf. Is that proper? Answer: Proxies are not appropriate for board meetings since directors are elected to pe
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03/19/2015
Vacation season is quickly approaching and renters will be booking stays in iconic beach destinations along the Florida Panhandle, Myrtle Beach, Cape Cod and Hilton Head Island. But, is your vacation home ready for the busy summer season? If it’s been while since you decorated, consider these tip
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03/19/2015
The national average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage last week was 3.86 percent, according to Freddie Mac's most recent survey. Freddie's Deputy Chief Economist Len Keifer believes 2015 will be a great year, with the highest number of housing sales since 2007. The outlook for 2015 is even bet
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03/19/2015
One of the great challenges most homeowner associations experience is how to reduce landscape maintenance and water costs. Xeriscaping is a method of combining attractive, pest resistant and low maintenance native plants in a way that conserves water. It is based on seven basic horticultural prin
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03/18/2015
Question: My mother passed away a few years ago. Since that time, my father remarried and has begun to sell properties that he and my mother accumulated over the years. My mother wanted her four children to have equal shares of one particular property. Although she did not put this in writing, sh
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03/18/2015
The interior design industry has been trying for years to break homeowners' addiction to granite counters. They've introduced stainless, concrete, glass, quartz, wood, marble and other ideas to wean people away, but the alternative surfaces just don't have the luxury look that granite does. If
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03/17/2015
With dozens of condominium buildings competing for buyers in Canadian cities, building amenities have become an important part of developers' marketing plans. In the first condominium buildings, amenities were pretty much limited to indoor pools and a generic "party room". Now buyers are lookin
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03/17/2015
Gray continues to invade every space and surface of our homes as the modern-day neutral (aka beige replacement). But other hues continue to bubble up, providing options for those looking to inject a little personality into their space. The latest color trend: olive green. "This cool, muted shade
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03/16/2015
Time to redo the floors? Confused about what to put down? There was a time when the only legitimate answer was hardwood. But today the options are endless. Here are a few you might want to consider. Cork Cork floors are long lasting, easy care, soft under foot, and a great choice for everything
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03/16/2015
The curious expression "Is you is or is you ain't?" has a number of meanings but one is "are you really what you appear to be?" Appearances can often be deceiving and none is more prone to deception than construction contracting. Since most HOA boards possess little knowledge of how contract jobs
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03/11/2015
