Mike Archer, CEO of Common Interest Management Services, speaks at the 2nd Annual Levy & Ehrlanger Community Association Management Company Owners' Conference

BERKELEY, Calif., March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2^nd annual Community Association Management Company Owners' Conference was recently held in Berkeley, California.  Hosted by Levy & Ehrlanger, one of the largest CPA firms serving homeowner associations in Northern California, this annual conference provides a diverse group of owners from Bay Area Community Management companies the opportunity to engage the industry's leading companies and practitioners.  More than 100 HOA management company owners and their representatives attended the event this year. 

In the final session of the day, Mike Archer, CEO of Common Interest Management Services, was joined by representatives from two national management firms, Associa and RealManage, to discuss various deal structures to consider when selling a closely-held company.  The published panel topic was, "Exit Strategies: Preparing Your Company for Sale" and the format included individual speaker presentations followed by a panel discussion. 

"Thinking about exiting a company that you have built over many years is one of the more stressful life events facing owners.  It's in the top 15 on the stress scale," said Mike Archer.  "It is easy to become complacent and to wait too long to plan your exit.  Too often, owners are forced to sell because of another, even more stressful trigger, like health concerns, divorce or the loss of a partner or spouse.  This can be a difficult time to think clearly about an orderly exit."  Mike added, "If an owner is thinking about exiting in the next 2-3 years, it makes sense to begin the conversation now to allow time to strengthen the company's balance sheet and profits while building a relationship with a potential acquirer."

During the panel discussion, Mike commented on the differences among HOA management companies.  "Each management company takes a different approach to acquisitions.  At Common Interest, we are not formulaic.  We build a relationship with the Seller that allows us to structure the most attractive offer possible.  It's not 'one-size fits all' and we welcome the opportunity to include the current owners in our company's future plans.  We look for companies to acquire that have a strong brand in their respective markets and a reputation for outstanding service.  As part of the sale, we seek to add highly qualified employees as community managers, customer service representatives and accountants.  Unlike national companies, we are not looking for immediate ways to reduce expenses by centralizing all of the accounting and customer support functions out-of-state.   We operate locally so we can invest the time to understand our community clients and we make a point to work with local vendors to strengthen relationships and to support the local economy.  We don't have large national marketing programs and a list of preferred vendors to deploy."  This approach has helped Common Interest to complete three successful acquisitions of local management companies in the past six years.

About Common Interest Management Services

Founded in 1990, Common Interest Management is a leading provider of professional association management services to homeowners associations (HOAs) throughout the Bay Area with offices in Danville, Livermore, San Mateo, San Jose and Campbell. Common Interest Management is invested in the markets it serves with local offices and dedicated employees providing highly responsive and expert service to our owners and residents. Our team's collective effort is dedicated to building enduring relationships with our customers and vendors that stand the test of time. Common Interest Management specializes in the management of master-planned, single family home, condominium, mixed use residential and mid-rise communities and now serves more than 280 communities in Northern California. We are proud and thankful to be an integral part of the communities we have the privilege to serve. Visit us online and request a management proposal today.

For more information contact Dan Nelson via email at [email protected] or via phone at 925-743-3080 x224.

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SOURCE Common Interest Management Services