COLUMN: Expert: Homeowner associations need help

I've yet to hear anyone compliment a homeowners association other than the people who run them.

Earlier this month, Las Vegans were afforded an opportunity to attend a lecture by an expert on the subject; only about 50 people showed up. They included members of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association; State Sen. Mike Schneider; a reporter and photographer; the head of the Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and yours truly.

Although few in number, the audience listened to every word spoken by Brent Herrington, a national trustee of the Community Associations Institute and noted expert in master-planned communities and property management.

He said homeowner associations are regarded with the same love and affection as the Internal Revenue Service, and that these groups must be revamped to get back to the concept of community.

"Before there were CC&Rs and proxies, there were neighbors; there were people who had come together. Somehow I fear that has gotten lost," Herrington said.

He pointed out that associations were developed to bring people together, but have done more to drive them apart. Associations have become more like housekeeping organizations, dealing with maintenance, enforcement and the collection of funds.

They are plagued by poor leadership, little sense of direction and board members who are serving for the wrong reasons, according to Herrington, who said that managers and management companies are told to not speak to homeowners and to resolve problems through the legal process instead of negotiating with residents.

Because homeowner associations are formed for the betterment of the community and the participation of homeowners, Herrington said the quest of management should be "to create the best possible community."

Managers, he said, should be responsible for making the neighborhood more welcoming and forming relationships with residents and neighborhood businesses. Managers should also maintain a dialogue with the residents and set goals that cater to their needs. When residents are given a chance to participate in their community and provide input on the codes that govern their neighborhood, they are more likely to follow regulations.

At no time did Herrington say these goals could be reached easily. He said that entrenched association leaders tend to be people who have little to do except spy on their neighbors and enforce the rules and regulations. These are the type of people who should be voted out of positions of power, he said.

The CAI is compiling a survey for use by homeowner associations to chart their progress and problems and compare them to the challenges being presented on a nationwide scale, according to Herrington, who was brought to Las Vegas by the Urban Land Institute, which founded the CAI.

At a meeting the night before Herrington's speech, Dan Van Epp, president of The Howard Hughes Corp. and founder of the local ULI chapter, said Summerlin's homeowner associations are patterned after Herrington's models. He acknowledged that there are people who appreciate the order brought by an association and that there are people who wouldn't live in one.

Herrington's proposals sound great. Are they workable? We'll see.

Carmel Hopkins, real estate product manager for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun, can be reached at 380-4574. Her e-mail address is Carmel_Hopkins@lasvegasnewspapers.com. Snail mail is P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.

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