Condo Media - March 2018 - 30

Lawn DOCTORS
concerned about maintaining a good
relationship-and keeping a contract-
may have more incentive to perform
well than a subcontractor who doesn't
share those concerns.
But using subcontractors isn't necessarily a disqualifier, Butts observes. If
the landscaper is also providing snow
removal services, it's probably reassuring to know that the company can bring
in additional equipment and staff if
needed to handle a major storm. There
are also some services for which you
probably want a landscaper to rely on
outside professionals. Tree care is an
obvious one. If your community has
mature trees, you probably want an
arborist to take care of them.
But there is a difference between
using subcontractors to provide specialized service or backup when needed,
and relying on them consistently, because the company doesn't have the in-

employees have industry certifications
(Certified Landscape Professional-
MCLP in Massachusetts-is the primary one)? Do they consider landscaping
a profession or a job? The best measure
of a vendor's competence is the service
they have provided other clients. And
the best way to gauge that is by looking
at the properties for which they are
responsible.
"I 100 percent recommend that,"
Butts says. He suggests getting three

"The savings on a lower-priced contract will
be short-lived, compared to how disappointed
boards and owners will be when they don't get
the services they expected."
house staff it needs to service its clients.
"It's a conversation boards want to have
with landscapers they are considering,"
Butts says.
Competence. You can measure
capacity numerically, based on size,
staffing, and equipment. Competence
is more subjective and thus harder to
quantify. Professionalism is one indicator, measured partly by how long the
company has been in business and, even
more important, by whether its client
list includes properties like yours. Many
companies can mow lawns and trim
hedges; not all of them can meet the
landscaping and snow removal needs of
a community association.
Professional training is another
benchmark you can consider. Do the
company's principals and senior

30

CONDOMEDIA

references from vendors you are considering. But calling references isn't
enough, he cautions. "They'll just tell
you [the landscapers] are good guys
and we like them." There is no substitute, he believes, for physically visiting
a property.
McGowan agrees. Ideally, he says,
you want to tour the properties during
different seasons-twice during the
summer, and again in the fall. "That
will give you the best read on the quality of the service the community is
getting." The closer the properties are
to your community in size and style,
the better the indicator of the service
you can expect. "As much as possible,
you want to compare apples to apples,"
McGowan suggests.
Compatibility. This is the fourth C

on our list, but it is by no means the
least important. You're looking for a
good match in business philosophy and
personality. You're not trying to find a
best friend, but you do want a company
that understands your community, that
shares its vision, and is comfortable
with its management style. The best
way to test these waters is in a personal
interview, which McGowan and Butts
both recommend.
McGowan suggests selecting two or
three finalists whose RFPs "have hit
the nail on the head" with their pricing
and servicing, and having them meet
separately with the board. McGowan
says he uses these sessions to gauge
"their expertise" but also to assess "how
carefully they have studied the specifications in the RFP" and how much
effort they have put into analyzing the
property. "I'll ask what they think of the
property; do they think the time frame
we've outlined makes sense; would they
change the pruning cycle?" He also
pays careful attention to the questions
vendors ask in these interviews, as an
indicator not only of their expertise, but
also of their desire to understand the
community and its landscaping needs.
Vetting landscaping firms thoroughly
and carefully will increase the likelihood that you will be happy with the one
you select. But it won't guarantee that
result. "You'll never know if you've made
the right choice," McGowan says, "until
they show up and do a good job-or not."
n NENA GROSKIND, IS PRESIDENT
OF ECONTENTPLUS, PROVIDING
EDITORIAL CONTENT FOR
WEBSITES, PRINT AND ELECTRONIC
NEWSLETTERS, AND MAGAZINES.



Condo Media - March 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - March 2018

Contents
Condo Media - March 2018 - Cover1
Condo Media - March 2018 - Cover2
Condo Media - March 2018 - Contents
Condo Media - March 2018 - 2
Condo Media - March 2018 - 3
Condo Media - March 2018 - 4
Condo Media - March 2018 - 5
Condo Media - March 2018 - 6
Condo Media - March 2018 - 7
Condo Media - March 2018 - 8
Condo Media - March 2018 - 9
Condo Media - March 2018 - 10
Condo Media - March 2018 - 11
Condo Media - March 2018 - 12
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Condo Media - March 2018 - 14
Condo Media - March 2018 - 15
Condo Media - March 2018 - 16
Condo Media - March 2018 - 17
Condo Media - March 2018 - 18
Condo Media - March 2018 - 19
Condo Media - March 2018 - 20
Condo Media - March 2018 - 21
Condo Media - March 2018 - 22
Condo Media - March 2018 - 23
Condo Media - March 2018 - 24
Condo Media - March 2018 - 25
Condo Media - March 2018 - 26
Condo Media - March 2018 - 27
Condo Media - March 2018 - 28
Condo Media - March 2018 - 29
Condo Media - March 2018 - 30
Condo Media - March 2018 - 31
Condo Media - March 2018 - 32
Condo Media - March 2018 - 33
Condo Media - March 2018 - 34
Condo Media - March 2018 - 35
Condo Media - March 2018 - 36
Condo Media - March 2018 - 37
Condo Media - March 2018 - 38
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Condo Media - March 2018 - 41
Condo Media - March 2018 - 42
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Condo Media - March 2018 - 46
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Condo Media - March 2018 - 54
Condo Media - March 2018 - 55
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Condo Media - March 2018 - 58
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Condo Media - March 2018 - 62
Condo Media - March 2018 - 63
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Condo Media - March 2018 - 65
Condo Media - March 2018 - 66
Condo Media - March 2018 - 67
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Condo Media - March 2018 - 70
Condo Media - March 2018 - 71
Condo Media - March 2018 - 72
Condo Media - March 2018 - Cover3
Condo Media - March 2018 - Cover4
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