RedDog

The first time you heard one of our managers refer to RedDog, you were probably wondering what they were talking about. RedDog is the name of our proprietary management software that was developed in-house and our prior management system in 2000. It is great software that allows us to efficiently handle all of the details of our communities. But where did that name come from? Here's the inside story from the software developer, Ralph Troiano.

It has been suggested that it was named after RedDog beer. Interesting but not true. Much of RedDog's early development occurred during nights and weekends at home. Ralph's dog, Roo, would sleep by his side through every line of code and every phase of testing. From the photo, you can see Roo is red. So our software is named after the faithful companion that was there during its development. During the initial RedDog training, all employees received a stuffed red dog with a RedDog logo bandana.

Roo and her best buddy Risa have been daily guests at our Bandera Office since it opened in June 2008. Sadly, on September 25th, Roo passed to the great meadow in the sky. We will miss her very much.

Economy Impacts HOAs

Over the last year, the U.S. and world economy has been suffering. We have officially been in a recession and maybe we are slowly emerging from it. But what economists talk about on a macro-scale affects us all on a personal scale. Wages are stagnant and in Houston, about 8% of us or our neighbors are out of a job. The good news, if any, is that prices have been stable and personal savings are up (at the expense of consumer spending).

C.I.A. Services manages around 100 community associations with nearly 50,000 properties in the greater Houston area. We see the impact of the economy in a number of ways. More owners are taking advantage of our payment plans. The annual assessment statements being issued now through the end of the year will have an automatic multi-payment option. You can pay the assessment in full by the January 1st due date or make two or three payments by the end of January with the coupons and return envelopes provided.

Another indication of the economy is the number of foreclosures by banks that occur each month. This graph shows the monthly bank foreclosures we have seen in our communities over the last 10 years. Through 2004 when the economy was still strong, the bank foreclosures in our communities averaged 18 per month. Since 2005, the average has risen to 43 per month. Perhaps surprisingly, there was not a spike during the mortgage crisis last Fall.

The current rate of foreclosures we are seeing is about 1% of all homes in all of our communities each year. Every foreclosure is a unfortunate and a personal crisis for those families involved. However is 1% a large number? Does than make sense in an economy that has "crashed"?

The answer lies in a study done at the University of Houston Center for Public Policy after the Houston area problems of the 1980's. At the time, we had record foreclosures when the oil industry hit the skids, unemployment skyrocketed and the building boom came to a standstill. U of H studied the impact of homeowners associations had on a community in distress. For the study, they looked at the Houston area communities worst hit by the downturn - that is, they looked at all the communities with high foreclosures rates. What they found was that home values in communities with an active homeowners association dropped less that those with inactive associations. Remember, the study covered the highest foreclosure communities so even the ones with active HOAs dropped more than the Houston average.

And when the local economy turned around, the study found that homes in those hard hit communities with active associations recovered their home values faster and more fully than homes in the other communities. Both these conclusions make sense. The stated purpose of HOAs is to "protect, maintain and preserve home values". This study specifically showed that impact in Houston.

Free Discounts

Are you a coupon clipper? If not, it's time to start. You can get serious discounts for everything from groceries to travel. Before you head out to the grocery store or the mall, do a little web browsing for online coupons that can save you a bundle. According to the Promotion Marketing Association Coupon Council, the average savings per coupon is $1.15. Come with several and you're talking serious change every time you shop.

Most online coupon sites are searchable by brand name or product category, which allows you to find coupons quickly for the specific items on your list-a big plus for list shoppers. If you're headed to a particular store, be sure to check that store's website for special offers. Well-known product manufacturers have printable coupons listed on their websites.

Of course, you'll need to print the coupons to take with you, but the online versions are easier to find and there's no clipping involved. Some sites will require you to download software to print the coupons. This is necessary for the barcode to print correctly and scan easily at the checkout counter.

Most sites will want you to register using your e-mail address. If you're a serious coupon user, this can be good, since the sites will provide customized information and incentives based on your favorite brands.

Entering "free coupons" or "grocery coupons," in your web browser will bring up thousands of sites, all offering similar basics; and each one usually has a few extras or special features. For example, one may e-mail coupons to you for grocery stores in your neighborhood based on your zip code. Another will invite you to sign up to receive free samples of your favorite products in the mail. Websites and features seem almost endless, so it's easy to find a few you like. For example, typical sites include:

• www.ShopAtHome.com. This site lists stores alphabetically, so you can look for deals and coupons before leaving home. It offers financial incentives for joining.
• www.eBates.com. Joining this site earns you rebates when you shop at certain online stores.
• www.yadahome.com. This site allows you to create your grocery list online and then searches for matching coupons.

Beware of websites "selling" coupons. Some are legitimate, but many are fraudulent. Considering how many websites have free coupons, you don't need to pay for them.

Upcoming Seminars

Our updated C.I.A. Services Seminar Series is now underway for our 7th year of presenting educational seminars for our board members and other community volunteers. Each seminar concentrates on the practical aspects of the topic and provides board members with background knowledge to help them in their decision making. We consistently receive positive feedback on the content and presentation. To view the seminar descriptions and full schedule, click here or visit the Library page of our website.

Each seminar begins at 6:00 p.m. and runs 2 hours. We provide deli sandwiches so you won't have to rush to eat dinner beforehand.  You'll leave with knowledge you can use immediately and a great notebook with the seminar slides, samples and reference materials.

Board Member Orientation This seminar is a must for all new Board members and a great refresher for seasoned veterans. It will help you get up to speed quickly by understanding your responsibilities and authorities. We’ll review each of the documents that govern the way you do business. We’ll give you an overview of the governing documents, basis of authority, conduct of meetings, elections, collections, deed restrictions, architectural control and many other important topics. October 7, 2009 (Wednesday), 6:00 p.m. — Southwest Office October 29, 2009 (Thursday), 6:00 p.m. — North Office

Facilities, Contracts & Maintenance If you don't know the difference between a vacuum breaker and a vacuum head and you're not comfortable wandering around a swimming pool pump room, then this seminar is for you. We'll review your major facilities and equipment including irrigation systems, pool mechanical equipment, gate operators and explain how they work (and fail). We'll move onto the essentials of bidding major contracts. When we're finished, you'll be talking like a skilled contractor! November 9, 2009 (Monday), 6:00 p.m. — North Office November 18, 2009 (Wednesday), 6:00 p.m. — Southwest Office

You can register at any time by calling 713-981-9000 or emailing seminars@ciaservices.com.

Community of the Month

We are proud of every one of our communities so it is always hard to find just one to highlight. We start by having each of our Community Managers write a nomination for one of their communities. We then read them and take a vote. Here are our most recent selections:

• October - Plantation at Woodforest Community Association
  North Office - Brenda Ellington, Community Manager
• September - Quail Green Homeowners Association
  Southwest Office - Tony Victorino, Community Manager
• August - Cypresswood Lake Community Association
  North Office - Kim Easterling, Community Manager

To see the full story on these communities and to see the past winners, visit the Community of the Month page on our web site.

Anniversaries

Every month we appreciate the communities that are celebrating their anniversaries with us. Here are the clients that started with us in October.

• Indian Shores Property Owners Association — 22 years
• Bowling Green Garden Homes — 21 years
• Ashcreek Homeowners Association — 19 years
• Kirkmont Section 2 Association — 16 years
• Traces II Community Improvement Association — 13 years
• Belleau Wood Civic Club — 8 years
• Rivermist Homeowners Association — 6 years
• Summerwood Community Association — 4 years
• Fairway Pointe Community Association — 3 years
• Cypresswood Lake Community Association — 2 years
• Courtyard-Westway Homeowners Association — 2 years
• Hunters Green Homeowners Association — 2 years

Our goal has always been to create a positive, long term relationship with all of our client communities. We are very proud to be managing all of these communities.

Employee Spotlight

• We are pleased to announce the promotion of Dannielle Chiodi-Jones to Community Manager at our Southwest Office.
• Thank you to Renea Miksch and Libby Hodges for presenting our recent seminars on The Super Budgeting Process. Renea is our North Office Branch Manager and Libby is our Southwest Office Branch Manager.

Dannielle Chiodi-Jones		Renea Miksch		Libby Hodges