Welcome Letter to New Owners

Alex,

I don't know anything about forms that are archived but our associaion made up a welcome letter which we deliver to new owners.

WECLOME TO __________!

We are happy that you have chosen ____________ as your home and would like to provide some information they may be helpful as you settle in. _____ is a deed restricted community and all properties are held, sold and conveyed subject to the governing documents of the Association that you received at closing.

Our Board of Directors is made up of residents who volunteer their time and whose function is to act for all residents, preserve property values and to keep _____ a community of which we can be proud. We hope you will become involved in the activities of the Assocation.

(Then we list some items, ie, trash pickup day, etc. We also list the most important restrictions...not nitpicky things). We have the ability to join in our neighbor assocation that has a park on the water and let them know how to get a key.

We end it with "We hope that you enjoy living in _____ and invite you to become involved in our community. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have."

On the left hand side of the letter we list the names of the Board of Directors and Mangement Company with either emails addresses or phone numbers.

Ellen this is awesome. I am going to use it with the suggestion of a Welcome Committee at our next meeting.

Ruth and Deborah,

So glad you think this is a good idea. I think delivering the letter and introducing yourself adds to the feeling of community. Our problem has been trying to get a heads up from our management company. We have asked them to notify us when properties change hands but to no avail so we must depend on neighbors letting us know when someone moves in.

Ellen and Roger,
I do my version of the same thing, only less formally. I buy a small plant, get a welcome to the neighborhood card, make copies of the CC&R's, the Bylaws and the neighborhood map, and go introduce myself as the President. I get their contact information, have a chat, tell them about garbage/recycling/green waste pickup, and then say, "If you have any questions about the CC&R's or the neighborhood please call me or one of the other Board officers," who are identified on the neighborhood map. And then I leave. This way, their first glance at the paper will not see,(and they will glance at it) "You have moved into a restricted community. These are the rules you have to live by." I want them to see and feel the plant first, leave the card and envelope unopened and just have the chat. Then in the privacy of their home, they can read the inviting card, which says nothing about what they can or cannot do, and move onto the CC&R's all warm and fuzzy.

Now, I know that is NOT what your lovely letters of welcome say. But I also know that human nature will tell this homeowner that it does. And, also instinctually, she may feel the "Big Brother" creep up upon her. It's all irrational but it's also predictable, whether she's already read the CC&R's already.

Now having said that, I have just 40 houses in my 'hood, so this personal, non-form letter approach is highly doable and effective. The large communities in the hundreds, perhaps not so much. Still, a welcome letter of any sort is just good form - whatever form fits!

Dorothy