September Newsletter

September 1 – 4:      Chicago Jazz Festival
September 5:            Labor Day
September 9 – 25:    World Music Fest Chicago
September 16 – 18:  Riot Fest & Carnival  

With Labor Day quickly approaching, many homeowners are preparing for festivities which usually include grilling and outdoor activities. Be sure to check out our blog page for helpful grilling tips this Labor Day Weekend.

Hales would like to welcome Brock Duhon, Kevin Rachner and Jade Coleman to the management team!
We are also thrilled to welcome five new buildings to our portfolio River West II, Ambiance, 1330-32 Albion, 1801 Orleans and 3047 Oakley.

Q: What can I do to save money on my energy bill this fall and winter season?

• Use your programmable thermostat to keep temperatures lower during the day while you’re out of the house, and at night while you’re under the covers.
• Keep window blinds and curtains open during the day, to let the sunlight naturally raise the temperature in your condo.
• Reverse your ceiling fans, so they push warmer air down instead of pulling it up.
• Check and (if necessary) replace the insulation around windows and doors to prevent heat loss.

In case of a water-related problem, owners should know how to shut off the water to their condo unit to prevent flooding and/or water damage until the issue is fixed. Here’s a short video on locating and operating the water shut-off valve in your condo:

Association meeting season is quickly approaching.  If you would like to join your HOA Board, so you can have a more active presence in the way your building’s affairs are run, here are four tips:

2. Meet the other owners: Whether it’s at an HOA meeting or a social gathering, it’s important to know the other owners as they’ll be the ones who ultimately vote you into office. 

 3. Make your platform known: Running for an HOA board seat doesn’t require as much campaigning as running for political office, but you should still decide what aspects of building operations are important to you. Doing so will help make your case for why you should be elected. Are you interested in keeping the building’s fiscal affairs in order? Are you interested in making improvements to the building’s common areas that can benefit everyone? Pick a cause and run with it.

4. Make sure you’re in “good standing” as an owner: Many HOA elections require those running to be in good standing, which simply means being current on your assessment payments and not having any pending actions or warnings against your unit. Don’t let something negligible keep you from getting elected, and make sure you’ve taken care of these details.

As summer comes to a close, we are starting to ramp up to our busiest time of year which is when many buildings scramble to approve good weather projects as well as prepare for annual association meetings.  If you are interested in running for the Board, please reach out to your property manager who will help you better understand what is involved in the position.