HOAleader.com provides practical advice on homeowner and condominium association management, laws, rules, insurance, finances, reserves, dues, liens, assessments, dispute resolution, and more.HOAleader.com provides practical advice on homeowner and condominium association management, laws, rules, insurance, finances, reserves, dues, liens, assessments, dispute resolution, and more.
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Home | Debra A. Warren

Debra A. Warren

Debra A. Warren

Cinnabar Consulting
369B Third St. #495
San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel: (415) 453-1281

Debra Warren is a principal of Cinnabar Consulting, a professional services firm that provides businesses with the tools they need to maintain successful organizations. Cinnabar creates and implements comprehensive training solutions, provides team assessment and development, and facilitates effective meetings. They specialize in supporting community association management firms, professional service companies and non-profit organizations.

You can view her full bio at the firm's website.

Debra has contributed her expert opinion and experience to the HOAleader.com articles below.


Four Ways to Break an HOA Board Tie
An HOAleader.com reader asks, "We had a five-position board. One member has just resigned. We now have four and want to appoint a new board member. The decision as to whom to appoint is a two-to-two vote. How do we break the tie?" . . . keep reading
New HOA Assessment-Comparison Tool: Cool! But Proceed with Caution
January 25, 2013
In this week's tip, we reveal a new tool to help you and potential buyers compare your HOA's assessment levels with those of nearby associations. At the same time, we advise caution. . . . keep reading
How Do Your HOA's Assessments Stack Up?
January 2013
In Miami, the average monthly assessment at the 500-plus associations Ben Solomon advises is $250-$450, reports the attorney and founder of the Association Law Group in Miami Beach, Fla., who advises more than 500 associations and also represents developers through his second law firm, Solomon & Furshman LLP. The highest among Solomon's clients is $2,800 per month for an oceanfront condo in Bal Harbor. . . . keep reading
Keep an Eye on These Trends for 2013
January 20, 2013
In this week's tip, we give you a taste of the trends our experts are seeing at their associations--and that you need to be on top of for 2013. . . . keep reading
Six HOA Trends to Watch in 2013
January 2013
The best board members know not only what's going on in their own HOA, but they also have a finger on the pulse of the broader HOA world. Here, our experts reveal six trends they're seeing at the associations they work with. . . . keep reading
HOA Insiders Reveal Eight Things They Learned in 2012
January 2013
Goodbye, 2012! But before we bid farewell, let's gather the lessons of the year. Here HOA insiders explain eight things they learned--and that you may also benefit from--in the year gone by. . . . keep reading
How to Rein In HOA Owners Who Refuse to MYOB
August 31, 2012
In this week's tip, we give you ideas for curbing the behavior of the buttinsky owner who can't seem to mind her own business. You know, it's the owner who thinks she needs to direct work being done at your HOA, putting your contractors/service providers in a no-win position. . . . keep reading
5 Tips for Handling Rogue Owners who Interfere with HOA Service Providers
August 2012
At one point or another, every HOA has one: It's the owner who thinks he or she needs to direct work being done at your HOA. This can put your contractors and service providers in a terrible position if owners demand they to do work contrary to or not included in their contract. It can increase your fees, and it can really irritate your contractors, causing even your most loyal ones to terminate their relationship with your condo or homeowners association. . . . keep reading
Are Seriously Outdated HOA Documents a Problem? Discussion Forum Follow-Up
August 2012
An HOAleader.com reader writes, "I belong to an HOA that I'm recently discovering is grossly out of compliance. What is the order of priority with the following? 1) Our declaration was written in 1985 and never updated. 2) Our bylaws were signed in 1968 w/no updates. 3) We've never had a reserve study done per 2010 law." . . . keep reading
How to Respond to Owners Publicly Trashing Your HOA
August 10, 2012
In this week's tip, we discuss your HOA's remedy if an owner has begun distributing a newsletter to owners, created a website, or started blogging about your HOA without authorization from the board. . . . keep reading
Underground HOA Websites, Newsletters and Blogs: Can You Reel Them In?
August 2012
Has an owner begun distributing a newsletter to owners, created a website, or started blogging about your HOA--of course, without authorization from you? Whether the content is benign or controversial, should you care? And what's the HOA's remedy when owners exercise their free speech rights about their homeowner association? Here are some answers. . . . keep reading
How--and When--to Respond to Angry Letters from HOA Owners
February 24, 2012
In this week's tip, we offer help with your correspondence. By that, we mean we provide guidance on when to respond to owners' letters, and when your board should hold fire. . . . keep reading
HOA Communications: Dos and Don'ts for Responding to Owners' Letters to the Board
February 2012
Surely, you get letters from owners. The question is how your should HOA Board of Directors respond. Do all letters require a response? If not, which do, and which don't? And who should respond? Your board president, the property manager, or another person? Finally, what should and shouldn't you include in responses to owners' letters? Here we offer dos and don'ts. . . . keep reading
It's HOA Annual Meeting Time: Should You Invite Guest Speakers?
February 2012
Will inviting an outsider to speak at your homeowner association's annual meeting compel more owners to attend? If so, whom should you invite, and when should the speaker take the floor? Here, we provide tips. . . . keep reading
Your HOA Has Too Much Extra Money--Seriously?
February 17, 2012
In this week's tip, we help you with an enviable problem: Your HOA is too flush, and you're actually considering slashing the assessments you charge owners. . . . keep reading
Should You Lower HOA Assessments?
February 2012
Yes, you read that right. There are actually some condo and homeowners associations on such solid financial ground that they're considering lowering assessments. Here's the analysis to consider when your HOA is in that lucky position. . . . keep reading
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