Community Transition from the Developer

By: Ann Marie Baird  - Brighton Corporation

There’s a point in every new community’s life where it must transition from the Developer’s control to homeowner control. Sometimes this can feel like a huge task. With a little planning and coordination, the passing of this baton can be seamless. The Developer’s role is to build the community by installing infrastructure and building out common and home lots. There’s a lot of information to transition so starting early and doing it over time is best. As the Developer, you should know when the turnover should happen, so you can be prepared. Review community documents and make sure they’re completed. Create committees like an advisory, ACC, event, and neighborhood watch. Getting people involved and serving helps them learn the information and creates history, shares knowledge, and shows transparency, which allows you to gain input and even face issues or concerns upfront. Openness and communication builds trust.
Hopefully, management is in place before the transition, but if not, once the transition happens, with an election of a homeowner board, work with their chosen management company to review the community records and documents. The management company will help new board members with getting organized, understanding their positions and roles, and keeping everything rolling, so as information and leadership changes, the day to day operations continue on. Knowing the process of the turnover and reviewing all the documents can be consuming, but it’s worth it for a smooth transition.