An Opinion on an Industry in Change and History of Avalon

Opinion: The Association Management industry is currently making a dramatic shift in who actually owns the company, and how they derive their income.  Many management companies (while keeping their same name),  have sold their companies to a foreign or out of state corporation, with no roots or experience in your community, your city, your county, your state, and in some cases even your country.  Always ask to meet the person that owns the company you are entrusting your home and your community with. 

Some of these companies may own, "partner", or control landscape, painting, patrol, insurance, maintenance, and other service companies, all taking a piece of your hard earned assessment dollar.

Why is this trend headed in the wrong direction? Association managers are agents for the Association.  You trust your manager to obtain the best pricing and services for your community, but when there is a monetary relationship with the same company that issues the paycheck to the manager - how impartial can the manager be?  In some cases managers receive incentives, or are performance rated on how much business they direct to these service providers.  Even if there are no incentives, what position is the manager in when they have to report that the company "affiliated" service provider is doing sub-standard work?  This places the manager in a conflict of interest position.  Avalon believes this practice violates the duties of an agent and is against the best interest of the client.

Avalon History: In 1979, the owner, Mark D. Jones, AMS®, PCAM®, started serving on the Board of Directors of his own Homeowners Association, and within a year was appointed President. After serving for several years he was asked by local real estate brokers to help out a community which was left in the lurches and without money when the developer went bankrupt. This was the start of Avalon Management.

Since then, Mr. Jones has been heavily involved in what is now known as the Common Interest Development (CID) industry. Starting with education from Community Associations Institute (CAI), Mr. Jones has been actively involved with legislation, education, and the development of standards within the industry.

Avalon today encompasses multiple locations, and as a member of the Innvoia Management Cooperative we represent over 1,500,000 residents in over 2,900 communities. To ensure that your community is properly cared for, every manager works toward or holds the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA®), Association Management Specialist (AMS®) or Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM®) designation.