Dictator or Facilitator

By Darlys Walker

Published December 14, 2016

Nowhere is it more prevalent than south Florida, where CAM’s and management firms, make the decisions on what vendors and associations will or will not use! Ask yourself, why is that? The answer is simple. It’s one of two reasons, listed below, and sometimes both!

  • The management company has negotiated a referral fee for bringing all of their clients to specific vendors. Most commonly, law firms and insurance companies. You may wonder how I know this. I speak from experience. Vendors have approached me and my staff and have offered us “”THE SAME DEAL”, to which these vendors are immediately reprimanded for their lack of ethics, and then placed on the “DO NOT USE” list.

  • Many of the large management companies own or have financial holdings in other vendors, such as landscape, maintenance, security, concierge or janitorial. Often, they will undercut their management fees, because they know they can make it up ten times over by using their business.

  • Let’s not forget those large companies who insist on using their proprietary front desk software, which typically cost 3x what industry software costs, and if you terminate their management services, guess what? You lose a lot of historical information.

    Before you choose a new managing agent, take a few steps to protect your association.

  • Google the company. Have they had any name changes or law suits?

  • Review their website. Do they have ownership or investments in other companies?

  • Make all service providers sign an acknowledgement that they are not paying fees to get your business,

  • Ask for references on the last three properties the company has lost. Contact those boards. Boards change and the dynamics of the board changes. So losing clients can and will happen. But how the company leaves a client, speaks volumes to their professionalism and ethics.

  • Remember, as a board YOU are the decision maker. Your CAM should be the information gatherer and facilitator. And NEVER, NEVER, NEVER allow your CAM to sign contracts.


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    Darlys Walker, Founder and CEO of Condominium Concepts Management, Inc. (CCM), is recognized for her straight talk, subject matter expertise, and valued insights regarding real  

    state management, leasing, and HOAs. Her company serves a diverse portfolio of properties, from 16-units up to 600 as well as large mixed-use developments.  

     

       From its beginnings in 2000, CCM has become a well-respected asset manager and now works with over 100 associations with 16,000 units served by over 300 employees. Darlys and her team deliver resources and responsiveness through six regional offices - in Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, Charleston, Nashville and Atlanta.

      

       Darlys Walker is best known for her passion and precision, understanding that the only difference that matters in today's demanding marketplace is service delivery ... doing what is promised and what is right. She knows that every community serves two masters ... the property owner/developer and the resident/homeowner. "If we are not equally responsive to both, we are not doing our job," she states.  

     

       Her clients say it best: "Darlys really knows her stuff" ... "at the top of her profession and it shows in the caliber of her clients" ... "delivers quality resources that match up well with needs and expectations that are really rigorous."  

     

       She is a licensed Real Estate Broker in four states, holds an Associate's Degree in Marketing and has earned the Accredited Real Estate Manager designation from the Georgia Institute of Real Estate Management. Also she is one of few certified as a Lead-Based Paint Abatement & Removal Trainer in Georgia.

      

       Darlys Walker and her team have been selected to manage the condominium conversion process and day-to-day operations for many of the Southeast's most high-profile condominium communities including luxury high-rises, mid-rises and garden-style homes. Most recently she has been recognized as an expert in 're-versions' of communities from condominiums to leased homes, as well as repositioning projects. A visionary and a tireless perfectionist, Darlys demonstrates hands-on leadership, working individually with each client and staff associate to achieve defined business outcomes and satisfaction.  

      

      For more information about Darlys Walker and Condominium Concepts Management, Inc. please visit www.condominiumconcepts.com.


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