By Associated Property Management (APM)

04/04/2010 Today, community associations are watching their expenses due to reduced revenues. In an effort to save money, associations may be skipping simple ways to improve and spruce up their community. Here are some simple suggestions to clean-up your association very cheaply:

1. Pressure clean all sidewalks, street gutters and any other areas in your community such as decks, walls, entry features and signs.

2. Replace any old worn out, discolored and bent signs, traffic devices and street ID signs.

3. Paint all street stripes, all stop areas and any other street directional stripes as well.

4. Pressure clean all car stops. If they are painted & numbered, this should be done again too. If some are broken, they should be replaced also.

5. Mulch all common areas. If this is too much, at least mulch and clean up your front entrance. Remove rust from any walls, signs, posts or any other structures in your community.

6. Clean all community signs and posts. Paint posts if necessary. Also, replace or straighten any posts within the community. All street lamps and posts should be cleaned or painted.

7. Plant around any pumps, transformers and any other mechanical equipment. Straighten, paint or replace any fences or gates.

8. Finally, plant the front entrance and any common areas with colorful annuals.

These are easy and cheap ways to help clean up your community association without breaking your association’s budget. Some of these items may even be accomplished by community volunteers to further save money. Just check with your insurance agent that resident volunteers are covered under your current insurance policies, in case someone gets hurt.