About Us
Premier HOA Management, Inc. was founded in January 2019 after President and CEO, Jeff Lucero, relocated with his family to Santa Maria, CA. A graduate of Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business with a Bachelor’s degree (BSC) in Organizational Analysis and Management, Jeff has over twenty years of industry experience managing Homeowners Associations (HOAs), preparing reserve studies, practicing as a licensed real estate salesperson, and working as an assistant construction manager. Jeff previously owned a community management company in Silicon Valley for 10 years and is proud to now be serving the beautiful California Central Coast.
We are a proud member of the Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce and are located at 7 W. Figueroa St., Ste. 300, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Our mailing address is PO Box 5845, Santa Maria, CA 93456. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and telephone support is provided to help with emergency maintenance situations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Maintenance Responsibilities
Most people purchase into a community with an expectation that inside and outside of the walls of the home is a determining factor in maintenance responsibility. It is never the case. Whether your property is a condominium, defined by the ownership of air space while buildings are owned in common, or in a planned unit development (PUD) in which you typically will own your entire building (short of a possible shared party wall) and the lot it sits on, your maintenance responsibilities have more to do with what’s specified in your community’s CC&R’s. The more you own, the more you are personally responsible for versus the Association, and as a result your assessments will be lower. Conversely, the more responsibilities the Association has (like in the case of condominiums), the more you pay in assessments and less out of pocket for items you personally are responsible for.
Rules and Regulations enforcements
This is a critical component to HOA living. The Board of Directors is tasked with the enforcement of the guidelines in the governing documents, which includes the CC&Rs and Rules & Regulations of the community. If the Board does not perform this duty, the individual members can be held liable for not performing their duties. Typically, this is one of the tasks handled by a 3rd party management company to assist the Board in their enforcement duties. There are few tools at the disposal of the Board, which is why acceptance of the regulations and agreeing to abide is part of what’s signed off on and accepted as part of the purchase. Not being aware of a regulation does not preclude one from being responsible for abiding by said regulation.
Assessments, Budgets and Reserve Studies
These are a set of not-so-well understood subjects that go hand in hand. Regular assessments can be increased without a membership vote by 20% annually, and a 5% Special assessment can be imposed without a membership vote annually. This alone is an important reason for people to stay in tune with what’s going on their community, to avoid being hit with unforeseen assessment increases, and to keep tabs on, or be one of the people making decisions on the Board. Budgets are handled annually and budgeting for a non-profit corporation that wants to keep income low but is up against the natural forces of inflation over time, is delicate and not like budgeting for a For-Profit Corporation. Another component of the budget is the Reserve Study, which is updated annually based on the work performed and Association finances and is a study of all the major maintenance responsibilities of the Association over a 30-year period of what work gets done, when and for how much. This tool helps the Board determine one factor of the annual operating budget that is the Reserve Contribution, which is how much needs to get put away every year via monthly contribution to maintain the property in the future.