Community Associations Network Industry News

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the first time, new homeowners will have access to Homefree, a personalized, online home maintenance plan, thanks to an agreement between Trend Homes, Inc., a Valley homebuilder, and Ethix Media, LLC, the producers of Homefree. Trend Homes will give each of its new home buyers a ready-to-use subscription to Homefree, fully populated with information specific to the new home, and complete with a year-round maintenance plan and monthly e-mail reminders.

Loaded with data including a full home inventory of materials, systems, serial numbers, and appliances, Homefree can be used right away by homeowners to take a preventive approach to home maintenance. Each online subscription to Homefree is customized for each homeowner. Unique details from location to custom paint colors can be added to the program for every subscription.

“Trend Homes has a rich history of excellent customer service and innovation. By providing Homefree to every new homeowner, they continue to set the bar,” said Tom Blondi, CEO of Ethix Media. “After all the boxes are unpacked, new homeowners often find themselves with lots of questions about how to care for the systems or amenities in their homes; Homefree is a tool that helps answer those questions. It acts as a central repository for all the information that’s vital to their new home and automatically prompts homeowners when it’s time to perform routine maintenance.”

Homefree simplifies home maintenance for busy homeowners so they can make smart maintenance decisions in just minutes a month. With Homefree, homeowners need only to glance at the dashboard on their personalized site to keep on top of home maintenance issues. In addition, helpful monthly e-mail reminders are sent with recommendations specific to each homeowner. Homefree subscribers know what to do and when to do it to keep their homes running at optimum levels.

“Our goal is to continue offering the highest-quality homes, together with a valuable tool in Homefree that will serve as a ‘how-to guide’ for homeownership and maintenance,” explained Ty Fields, General Counsel and Vice President of the Warranty Department for Trend Homes. “Offering a free Homefree subscription to new home buyers for two full years is another indicator of our unwavering desire to cultivate long-term relationships and provide top-notch customer service.”

To learn more about Homefree please visit www.homefree.com. To learn more about new home sales and inventory homes currently available at Trend Homes communities located in both the East and West Valleys, please visit www.trendhomes.com.

About Ethix Media

Ethix Media was founded in 2004 by Jack Cleeves and Lawrence W. Smith, PhD, to empower homeowners to make intelligent choices about their homes through an array of products and services. Centered on alleviating the stresses of homeownership, its premier service, Homefree, is an online, personalized toolbox that provides an at-a-glance view of a home’s maintenance status. For Web-savvy homeowners overwhelmed by the stresses of home management, Homefree’s resources and preventive upkeep schedules help save time, money, and worry. Homefree organizes home details into a dashboard view, so maintenance decision-making can be streamlined to take just minutes per month. For more information, please visit www.homefree.com or call 1-888-TO-ETHIX.

About Trend Homes

Trend Homes and its sister company, Classic Communities (“Trend,” collectively), provide distinctively designed homes of quality and value, striving to create a positive and meaningful experience to all new home customers. The slogan for Trend, "Built for Living, Built for Life," reflects a commitment to building beautiful, quality homes for all types of individuals and families. Trend’s innovative floor plans, superior design, and value-oriented philosophy have allowed them to succeed in a price-conscious market. Trend invests heavily in award-winning architecture and color design to bring handsome and unique elevations and floor plans to market. A steady and well-planned growth has allowed Trend to diversify into several important market niches, including higher density condominium projects, single family homes, and "Regency" brand luxury homes.

Posted by Joe at 10:52 AM | Permalink

DALLAS and SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Dante Alexander, President and CEO of the National Association of Condo Hotel Owners (NACHO), has announced the association's first governing Board.

"The coming year will pose some unique opportunities for this burgeoning industry," Alexander said. "The board represents an exacting selection process to effectively represent the association's first year, including industry leaders in management, development, financial trades, legal, home owner association administration and condotel unit owners."

"This board rounds out the association's resources so it may effectively serve this burgeoning industry."

Bernard S. Meyer, Senior Vice President of Associa(R), will serve as chairman of the NACHO Board of Directors. His career spans nearly three decades of service to all facets of property types and community management. Associa is the nation's leader in community association management, serving thousands of communities across the United States through more than 70 offices.

"Bernard Meyer brings with him a deep understanding of our constituents and a wealth of resources not previously available to the association through his responsibilities with Associa," said Alexander. "I personally welcome the members of this board, all of whom are leaders in this new industry and many of whom have served on the association advisory board through formation and launch. They bring sensibility and smart, long-term vision to this emerging market."

The board is comprised of qualified professionals, dedicated to the growth and expansion of the condo hotel segment through sustainable growth and unit owner satisfaction. The association and its board represent the interests of individual condo hotel unit owners, commercial hotel, real estate trades, legal, and association management. The Board of Directors guides the organization in governing the company and provides management, investment and liquidity oversight.

The Association's founding Board of Directors: * Robert Haiman, Senior Vice President of Remington Hotels, LLP * Casey Flynn, Condo Hotel Unit Owner and Regional Sales Manager with LodgeNet Entertainment * William R. Hopkins, Condo Hotel Owner since 1980 and Principal of Pleiades Real Estate Investments, LLC * Kevin Jones, Condo Hotel Owner and MBA Economics Degree * Cliff Risman chairs the Gardere Financial Services Practice Group and leads the Gardere Hospitality Industry Team * Grant Sabroff, Senior Vice President of Business Development for Boykin Management Company * Chris van der Baars, Vice President Development for Interstate Hotels & Resorts * Edward Watkins is the editor of Lodging Hospitality Magazine * Bob Waun, CEO of Vacation Finance * Bill Meyer, Principal, in legal practice representation of condominium associations for the past 20 years

The National Association of Condo Hotel Owners will ratify its first Board of Directors prior to the association's first conference. NACHO's Condo Hotel Summit 2006 runs November 30 - December 1, 2006 and is being held in Coral Gables, Florida.

The National Association of Condo Hotel Owners (NACHO) is a non-profit trade association, representing the entire lifecycle of the condo hotel segment from would-be buyers, developers, supporting trades, and unit owners.

Posted by Joe at 10:09 AM | Permalink

OCTOBER 11, 2006, ALEXANDRIA, VA - Community Associations Institute (CAI) is giving residents in homeowner and condominium associations across the country the opportunity to get flu vaccinations in their own communities, eliminating the need to schedule appointments with their doctors.

CAI members can sponsor flu vaccination clinics that will be conducted beginning in early November. The vaccinations are $25 each, and Medicare Part B is accepted. There is no fee for associations that sponsor the clinics. This benefit is also available to CAI business partners, including management companies.

CAI is teaming with Care Dynamix LLC to provide this opportunity to CAI members.

"The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year," says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Between 5 and 20 percent of the U.S. population is infected each year with influenza. That's 15 to 60 million Americans. The result, according to the CDC, is an estimated 36,000 related deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations. Because influenza viruses are continuously changing, the strains of influenza virus included in the vaccine are re-evaluated each year.

"We are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to our members," says CAI Chief Executive Officer Tom Skiba. "This is an easy, no-cost way for community associations to provide a valuable service to their residents, and for businesses to provide a convenient and important benefit to their employees."

While there is no charge for hosting a clinic, communities and businesses doing so must appoint an individual to receive and refrigerate the shipment of vaccine 2-3 days prior to the clinic. That person also needs to be available the day of the clinic to provide administrative support to the nurses.

A clinic can be held for any organization that can be reasonably sure that at least 40 people will participate. An online scheduling mechanism is available for communities and businesses that anticipate more than 100 participants.

While the community or business will be primarily responsible for promoting the clinic, Care Dynamix will provide customized flyers and posters to promote the clinic, as well as language to use in e-mail promotions, newsletters, websites and bulletin boards.

To sign up, members need to complete and return a short, online form. It can be accessed in the members-only section of the CAI website at www.caionline.org/members/prv/index.cfm and should be e-mailed to mcopps@... or sent via facsimile to (703) 684-1581. Allow two business days for a response.

Non-member community associations can take advantage of this offer for a $150 administrative fee, or join CAI and get this service as a free member benefit. Annual memberships for individual community association managers and homeowner volunteer leaders (board members) are $95. Membership information can be accessed at www.caionline.org/join/index.cfm. Non-members interested in the flu clinic should call CAI toll-free at (888) 224-4321.

CAI is a national membership organization dedicated to helping homeowner and condominium associations meet the expectations of their residents. CAI's 28,000-plus members include community managers, volunteer homeowner leaders and businesses and professionals who support associations.

For members and general inquiries, contact the CAI Direct customer service team: Community Associations Institute
225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 300 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: 703-548-8600 Fax: 703-684-1581

Posted by Joe at 10:19 AM | Permalink

Cincinnati, Ohio—PDmB, Inc., a leader in the field of home inspection software, announces the release of PDspect, a customizable inspection program adaptable to almost any audit or inspection application. The capabilities and flexibility that made PDmB’s home inspection software the leader in that industry have now been integrated into a commercial-use audit and inspection program applicable to a wide variety of industries. With PDspect inspectors and auditors in fields as diverse as franchise restaurant management, heavy equipment maintenance, or playground inspection can tailor their audits and inspections to their specific needs.

The PDspect program allows auditors/inspectors to create and use custom forms and comments. “The ability to customize comments and drop them into the report with just a click saves a lot of time” says Curt Bauer, operations manager for Diversified Thermal Services in Anaheim, CA. Auditors can also integrate pictures into their inspections, point out specific issues with PDmB’s exclusive EZMarkTM photo highlighting tools, then e-mail the completed reports anywhere in the world, all with the convenience and efficiency of mobile technology.

“PDspect allows auditors and inspectors to produce descriptive reports specific to their business in a complete and easy-to-learn package,” states Don Peak, President of PDmB, Inc. “Everyone concerned can see immediate results from the inspection, which will help ensure compliance, enhance company image, and reduce paperwork and liability.”

PDmB, Inc., the makers of PDspect, has experienced 300% growth in the last five years. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, PDmB, Inc. entered the home inspection market in 1998 and now has home inspection customers throughout the world. PDmB, Inc. also designs portable software solutions for all types of inspections, including commercial, business, medical, and thermal imaging. Other products in the PDmB, Inc. family include Palm-Tech Inspector,
Picture Album software, Inspection Designer, and DUAL-VIEW photo report software.

Learn about PDspect and its creator PDmB, Inc. by calling 888/736-2462 or by e-mail at info@pdspect.com. Visit the web site at http://www.pdspect.com for a free demonstration package.

Posted by Joe at 10:22 AM | Permalink