Jan. 30, 2007 - Garage Doors

1. Aesthetics: Plain and simple, an open garage door is an unsightly addition to the neighborhood.  While your neighbor may be proud of his collection of boxes, beer bottles, and risqué posters, not everyone else share his sentiments.  I’m certain you’ve heard the expression, “less is more.”  Seeing less of what others store in their garages is really more appealing.
2. Comfort: Is it warmer in your garage than it is outside?  If your garage door is closed, yes it is.  Leaving the garage door open exposes a large section of interior wall, an entry door, and your water heater exposed to the cold.  Close the garage door and you help insulate your home, your cars, and your water heater (that’s probably already working overtime just trying to keep your water hot).
3. Safety: Do you lock the door between your home and the garage?  If not, you’ve just eliminated a formable deterrent blocking someone from entering your home.  Close that garage door and protect yourself, your family, your pets, and your possessions.
4. Theft: Now, what if you do have something nice in your garage?  An open garage door is an open invitation for the five-finger-discount.  Why pay for what is easily and readily accessible for free at the nearest open garage?  After all, you didn’t like those antiques that your grandmother left you?  Did you?  Close the door and reduce the risk that your valuables walk off with someone else.

Jan. 26, 2007 - Castle Rock April 2007 Happenings

Want to know what the businesses of Castle Rock have to offer?  Visit the Front Range Showcase at the Douglas County Event Center the weekend of April 13th and 14th.

Check back later for more April Happenings.

Jan. 26, 2007 - Castle Rock March 2007 Happenings

On March 9th help the Women's Crisis and Family Outreach Center in their 7th Annual Empty Bowl fundraiser.  It will be held at the Douglas County Event Center in Castle Rock from 6 to 9pm.  Currently the tickets are scheduled to be $35 a piece but are subject to change - call 303-688-1094 for updated pricing and additional information.  There will be live entertainment, silent auction, a soup dinner with nonalcoholic beverages, and a handmade pottery bowl. 

Check back as additional March 2007 activities are added.

Jan. 26, 2007 - Castle Rock January 2007 Happenings

On January 28th don't be surprised if you see a pig being kidnapped on Wilcox.  i25productions will be filming on the 28th in town and in Jett's Corner Cafe.  There are no plans to include pedestrians or to stop traffic.

Do you want to share your dreams for the future of Castle Rock?  The town invites you to an informal open house on January 29th at the Philip S Miller Library between 6 and 8pm.  Children are invited to share their ideas as well.  For more information visit the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce Web site.

Jan. 26, 2007 - Castle Rock February 2007 Happenings

Dads, do you want a night out with your Daughter?  Castle Rock will be having a Daddy-Daughter Ball February 10th from 6:30 until 8:30.  The Ball will be held at the Catle Rock Recreation Center located at 2301 North Woodlands Blvd in Castle Rock.  Advanced tickets  are $20 per couple for residents of Castle Rock and $25 per couple for non residents.  Tickets can be purchased at the Castle Rock Recreation Center.  Ticket price includes refreshments, pictures, music, dancing, and prices.  For more information - 303-660-1036.

Check back as more February Happenings are updated!

Jan. 25, 2007 - For Sale, Political, and Announcement Signs

Throughout the year we see homeowners, REALTORS, and residents put up signs throughout the community to support a political candidate or referendum, to list a home for sale or lease, or to announce a joyous event in their lives.  Please remember that these signs should be located in the "yard" or window for each unit and not within the common areas of the community.

Locations where signs or flier boxes should not be:
Fences
Exterior walls
Garages
Roofs
Behind Garages, and
Any landscaped area that is maintained in any form by the HOA

Locations where signs or flier box should be:
Inside the property in the windows
Inside the fence line in the property yard freestanding and not attached to the fence or the building, and
Fliers can be located on the announcement board in one of the flier boxes.

Hope this helps clarifies where signs can be placed.  Signs that are placed incorrectly can result in removal and/or fines.

Jan. 25, 2007 - Snow Removal Equipment

We've been receiving some calls and e-mails in regards to the "bobcat" that is located at the community.  DCM&R is the snow removal contractor for the community and have found with the large amount of snow that the community has been receiving over the last 5 weekends (weekend 6 of snow fall is approaching) they have found that leaving the "bobcat" at the community allows them to better serve the community in snow removal.  When snow gets too deep, they are unable to pull the trailer that the "bobcat" rides on from community to community, thus requiring some communities to miss out on the snow clearing capabilities.  Without the "bobcat", snow removal costs increase as more hand shoveling is required.

Yes, parking in the community is a premium when those in the community do not utilize their garages for parking and a "bobcat" parked within the community takes up one of those spaces.  The question though should be, is the community willing to pay more for snow removal if the "bobcat" is not at the community and accessible freeing up one parking space, or is it better for the community to have the "bobcat" at the community to help with all the snow removal?

Jan. 25, 2007 - Foreclosures and Bankruptcy Effects on the Community

Those that live in Colorado believe that the state is great.  Colorado has held the distinction of being number one in healthy people, great hiking, and so much more.  One distinction that Colorado I'm sure didn't want - to be number one in foreclosures in 2006.

Why is it important to the Townhomes at Red Hawk community to know about the foreclosure rates in Colorado?  Foreclosures and bankruptcies within your community effect your community greatly.

Each time a bank gets a home back because of a foreclosure, the bank sells the home for what they have invested into it or the best offer.  Banks are not in the business to hold onto homes and wait for the value to go up - they are in the business to loan money and charging interest to make money.  When these sales prices are low, the comparibles for sales numbers for the community are lower.  This means those looking to purchase within the community sees a home that sold for lower than others listed and will try and negotiate the price down. 

If the homeowner that is foreclosed on owes money to the HOA for assessments, the HOA has their hands tied in what they can actually collect in past dues.  Per the community's collection policy, when a homeowner is behind in an amount equal to two month's worth of dues and late charges, the account begins moving towards the attorney for them to seek further legal collection procedures.  If someone is going through a bankruptcy or a foreclosure, they are usually having a hard time of it with their finances and we all know that getting "blood from a turnip" is difficult - so is getting money from someone that hasn't any.  So these owners are having a hard time, but they are receiving the benefits of the community's resources without paying for it if they are choosing not to put their duties to the community ahead of the car, the doctor bills, the housing bills, the food bills, the electrical, the credit card, and ...  There are some owners that are in a financially poor position but they choose to keep their dues current because they see the value they are receiving and don't want to see the rest of the community pay for their services - to them I say "Thank You!"

The attorney and the HOA must conduct collection procedures by following the fair credit acts and other laws to protect those that owe money.  Some remedies are to garnish wages, file a judgement in court, put the home into receivership, and others. 

Once notice to foreclose has been sent out from the bank though, the HOA has some recourse.  HOA assessments are first lien holders and collect up to 6 months of past dues from the bank that is foreclosing going back from the date of the notice.  This doesn't include late fees, but assessments are good to have.  Those assessments that go back further than 6 months from the notice to foreclose are still owed by the homeowner that has lost their property in foreclosure but you've lost some of the remedies available to collect these dues.  Many times these dues should be written off as the HOA most likely will not see them.

With bankruptcies, the court determines what the HOA is able to collect.  Sometimes the courts state that all past due dues are wiped out - the HOA then needs to write those costs off.  Sometimes the court determines that a portion is owed to the HOA and the receiver for the court collects the funds and forwards them to the HOA.  While someone is in bankruptcy proceedings and has not been discharged yet, the HOA and collection attorney have their hands tied in regards to what can be done towards collecting these fees.  The HOA can file motions to the court asking for relief but we are finding those costs are more than what is due so the Board of Directors must decide how much money to spend in these cases or what is budgeted.

Your Board of Directors, HOA Management Company, and collection attorneys do everything within their power to collect as many of the dues as possible.  What the community needs to remember is that foreclosures and bankruptcies do happen and there isn't anything that these three can do to stop them.  What we can all do though, is help out our neighbors and remember that even with hard times, keep paying your dues so your neighbors aren't paying for your water service, your trash service, and all of the other items that dues pays for.  By everyone paying, you will help keep dues from being increased to cover required write offs.

Jan. 24, 2007 - Great HOA Resources

Today A Vantage Properties posted some great resources for Associations.

Want to know how the laws past by Colorado are affecting your community?

Want to just learn more about association living?

Thinking about running for a position on the Board of Directors and want a guide to serving?

These and a few more items are covered in the A Vantage Properties blog posted today.  Don't miss it!

Jan. 22, 2007 - Snow Removal Costs

Can we say that snow is expensive?  It's great for the high country and bringing dollars into the state of Colorado for recreation but when it comes in big doses to the Front Range of Colorado it brings high costs and declarations of "State of Emergency" to allow for federal dollars to aid in the cost of removal.

Between December 18, 2006 and January 8, 2007 the Colorado Department of Transportation has spent $7.1 million dollars on snow removal for the front range and eastern plains and that number is expected to grow as the bills finish coming in. 

Here are some comparisons:

Denver proper (not the suburbs) has spent $3.7 million for the same time period. 

The Townhomes at Red Hawk has spent $19,935 for snow removal during the snows between December 18, 2006 and January 8, 2007 over the 17 acres within the community.  To help the community if any large snows fall, the snow removal company the community is under contract with is leaving a CAT within the community as it is impossible to bring it to the community on a trailer with large snows.

Some HOA's are pulling money from reserves to pay for snow removal.  Others are looking at special assessments (a "one time" charge) to cover the snow removal expenses.  While other communities are finding that they do not have the funds in any of their accounts (operating or reserves) and that the homeowners will not authorize a special assessment to cover the snow removal expenses. 

I'm sure everyone in the Denver Metro area is hoping that the snow will slow down.  Yes, the moisture will be good for our water reserves and the plants but where can all of the snow piles go?  I know that my mom that lives downstream between the North Platte and South Platte river is going to make sure that her flood insurance will cover everything when the snow begins to melt.

Jan. 20, 2007 - Dues - What do they cover?

One question that A Vantage Properties receives, "What does the dues I pay cover?"

The monthly dues for The Townhomes at Red Hawk HOA include the following: water service, sewer service, trash service, insurance for common areas, snow removal, landscaping services, street maintenance within the community, electric for garage lights and street lights within the community, exterior maintenance, management company services, reserves for future repairs and replacements, and other miscellaneous items.

Did you know that if each homeowner needed to contract for their own trash and recycling services with a tote (trash can) the service would run anywhere from $15 to $20 per month?  So add that to the amount you would pay each month without an HOA including this as part of the dues.

If someone had a single family home the size and make up of each townhome, they would be paying an additional $25 a month (minimum) for insurance on the single family home.  So add that to the amount you would pay each month without an HOA including this as part of the dues.

Per Castle Rock's December newsletter, Town Talk, which was included with the water bills the HOA pays, the town of Castle Rock discusses the increases in their charges for service.  The charge for wastewater has increased by 14% for 2007 alone!  On their web site, the Town of Castle Rock discusses where their water rates are in regards to the entire Denver Metro Area stating that they are not the highest but in the top tier - Broomfield and Roxborough are higher than Castle Rock.  A base rate for Castle Rock single family homes in 2006 was $55 during non summer months and $100 during the summer months, making the average monthly water bill for a year $75 per month.  So add that to the amount you would pay each month without an HOA including this as part of the dues.

If you lived in a single family home and hired the "neighborhood teen" to mow the yard, the average charge is $25 per mow.  Over a course of a summer, bare bones minimum, you would be paying $500.  Divide that per month and at a minimum your average would be $42 per month paid towards lawn maintenance.  So add that to the amount you would pay each month without an HOA including this as part of the dues.

If you lived in a single family home and hired that "neighborhood teen" to now clear the drive and walkway for each snow fall, the average charge for an inch of snow would be $25 per clearing.  This one is a tough one to find an average as the season this year has not been average but per the television stations the average snow fall for the metro area is 35 inches.  With this average and a charge fo $25 per inch we would be looking at $875 total to clear snow, which divided over a year would be $73.  So add that to the amount you would pay each month without an HOA including this as part of the dues.

So far we are up to a total "cost" of $235 per month with dues as of this writing being only $150.  And we've not even talked about putting money away into savings for the roof that needs to be replaced every 15 years or so, or the exterior painting that will need to be completed every 5 to 10 years, or the replacement of trees and shrubs that didn't survive the winter, or the electrical for the garage lighting and street lights within the community, or someone to coordinate contracts and repairs, or tax preparation, or the repair and replacement of gutters, windows, and ...  If you were putting money away each month into reserves complete these items (capital improvement) you would be looking at another $144.50 per month.

Most people move into a townhome or condominium community for two reasons - the price to invest is usually lower (the price of the property) and the need to complete exterior maintenance is minimal.  I don't believe that people purchase a condo or townhome to loose their investment value because of neglect of the common areas or to get services for free.  With that in mind, currently, the owners of The Townhomes at Red Hawk are receiving a value worth $379.50 per month for only $150.  What a deal can be found in the dues at The Townhomes At Red Hawk Homeowner's Association!

As of April 1, 2007 dues for The Townhomes At Red Hawk increases to $175.  This is still a great deal!

Jan. 11, 2007 - Wastewater Rate Changes

In November of 2006, the Town Council for Castle Rock accepted a recommendation that was brought in front of them to increase the wastewater rate that is charged to its customers.  In January 2007 the monthly base wastewater service charge will increase.  The average increase for non-residential customers, which the Townhomes at Red Hawk is considered, will increase by 14%.  Castle Rock is in the top third of water rate charges along the front range with Roxborough and Broomfield still being higher.

For more information about Castle Rock's water plans visit http://www.townofcastlerock.org/Page.asp?NavID=680

Jan. 10, 2007 - 2007 Board Meetings

Currently, the Board of Directors has the following dates scheduled for Board Meetings in 2007.  All meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. at the Castle Rock Library.  Please check the room board the night of the meeting at the library to verify that the meeting room is the Wells Fargo Room.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Tueady, April 17, 2007

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Prior to attending the meeting, please read the Conduct of Meetings Policy found through links at http://TheTownhomesAtRedHawkHOA.com or at http://yourhoamanager.com/THRH/MeetingP.pdf.  This will allow you the opportunity to understand how the Board meeting will be run.

Jan. 10, 2007 - Water Pipes Freezing Prevention

After 3 rounds of snow storms in 3 weeks, the Denver metro area has another round of snow heading it's way.  With this storm, the forecasters are stating that there won't be too much snow, not several feet, just several inches, but there will be several days of really cold weather.  When cold weather approaches, water pipe (both copper and PVC) freezing is a big concern.  An 1/8" crack in a pipe can spew as much as 250 gallons of water a day.  Do you know ways to keep your pipes safe from freezing?

If there are water lines in the garage, i.e. hot water heater, keep your garage door closed.

Make sure that all hoses attached to spigots are removed with spigots turned off. 

Keep your thermostat at a constant temperature during the day and night.  If you are going to be gone from home, make sure that your heat is set at 65 degrees or above. 

Open cabinet doors where water pipes are located allowing for heat to circulate around the plumbing.  Do make sure that all chemicals are removed from those cabinets to keep your family safe.

If the weather is extremely cold, let the cold water trickle from the indoor faucets where the pipes are on outside walls. 

If pipes do crack / burst, turn off the water to the area and if needed to the entire house.  Contact a specialist to help you mediate the water damage.  Contact a plumber to repair the pipes.  Contact your insurance agent. 

Jan. 7, 2007 - Christmas Tree Recyling in Castle Rock

For Castle Rock residents there is a place to take your fresh cut Christmas trees after the holiday for recycling.  Until January 31st cut trees can be taken to 4 different parks within the Castle Rock area.  The closest park for tree recycling for our residents in The Townhomes at Red Hawk is Paintbrush park located in the Meadows subdivision at 3492 Meadows Blvd.

Between January 15th and March 15th, free mulch from the recycled trees will be available to Castle Rock residents at the parks.

For more information call Bob Maloney at 303-814-6419.

This information is from Town Talk, News From Around the Rock, the newsletter that is distributed with the Town of Castle Rock Water Bills.