Running an effective homeowners association requires a lot of work and input from diverse teams and individuals. There is a fine balance between managing the needs and desires of members, protecting property values, and maintaining fiscal responsibility. Carolina Preserve by Del Webb at Amberly in Cary, North Carolina seems to have found just the right approach. The organization was recognized with the North Carolina Chapter of Community Association Institute’s 2019 Community of Excellence Award. This honor shows the community’s ability to master business, legal, and financial issues while creating a vibrant and engaging environment for its members.
Carolina Preserve is an active adult, age-restricted community that features 1,360 homes, more than 2,200 members, a 34,000-square-foot clubhouse, and more than 126 volunteer-run chartered clubs. The seven-member board of directors is supported by Kuester Management Group as well as various committees and task forces.
One of the things that makes Carolina Preserve stand out as a Community of Excellence is having a solid 3-year strategic plan that creates the necessary structure to tackle issues and continue making improvements throughout the association. There is a very strong relationship between the HOA and Kuester ensuring that daily tasks are addressed in a timely manner, regular communication is maintained with members, policies and procedures are effectively enforced, and the community aligns with member needs and interests.
Leading Community Improvements
For instance, a major project that Carolina Preserve undertook was redesigning and updating its 10-year-old clubhouse, Bradford Hall. This facility is a staple in the community used by hundreds of people each day. Kuester helped the association create a task force to plan and execute the project while adhering to the established budget.
The association has also been active in working with members to understand their responsibility for replacing roofs on 192 villas. These villas are similar to duplexes where two homeowners share a single roof. It is the homeowners’ responsibility to replace them, (but) Kuester (has) helped to create an educational and informational event where members could ask questions and meet with professionals to discuss the best ways to coordinate shared repairs and adhere to community regulations.
Another major undertaking was transitioning to an entirely paperless office environment. The association worked with Kuester to implement a variety of software and systems to manage all of their community needs from accounting and document management to room reservations and member communications. In addition, Kuester (has) ensured that its own systems would integrate well with these platforms for even more streamlined and cost-effective management.
An Inviting Place to Call Home
Carolina Preserve has created a robust community for its members where individuals can be actively involved with committees, task forces, and clubs, and have the opportunity to participate in 4,500+ events each year. Regular communication takes place to keep members updated on everything that is going on and solicit their feedback and input. The board is highly transparent and gets members as engaged as possible in decision making. These are just a few of the reasons why Carolina Preserve was selected as a Community of Excellence and why Kuester is proud to serve as their property management company.
