141 | What HOA Boards Need to Know Before Replacing a Roof

Ep 141 | What HOA Boards Need to Know Before Replacing a Roof

Jeremy Lara 00:00

I would ask is, when you’re vetting out some companies, you know, what experience do they have in the HOA world? Ask for not only recent projects, but some recent contacts from projects in the last three to six months. They’re not just cherry picking, you know, their their favorite ones, and then transparency. One of my favorite things is this, you know, ask them about jobs that didn’t go perfectly, and how they overcame those challenges and how they resolved issues, and when they give you those answers, ask for which community it was, maybe ask to talk to some board members from that community that’s that’s huge.

Announcer 00:31

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Robert Nordlund 00:47

Welcome back to HOA Insights: Common Sense for Common Areas. I’m Robert Nordlund, and I’m here today for episode number 141, with Jeremy Lara, the president of Baja roofing. It’s a family run roofing company dedicated to serving HOA and Property Management communities all across southern California. Jeremy is one of our listeners, and when he suggested being on the show to give a roofers point of view to our board member audience, that was an easy yes. Now remember, we had Gavin Nelson from Merchants Bank on the show back on episode 128 and that episode gave our audience a sneak peek into what bankers do for an association. So today we have a roofer on the show to help you see life from their point of view, what they do, how, when, why, and what makes it more or less expensive for you. Last week’s episode, 140 was another conversation with regular co host Kevin Davis on the latest insurance and budgets and risks and claims and board member behavior type subjects. And I always enjoy that time that I spend with Kevin on the program. If you missed that episode or any other prior episode, take a moment after today’s program to listen from our podcast website, Hoa insights.org, or watch on our YouTube channel, and, better yet, subscribe from any of the major podcast platforms so you don’t miss any future episodes. Well, those of you watching on YouTube can see the HOA insights mog I have here that I got from our merch store, which you can browse through from our Hoa insights.org website, or we’ll put a link in the show notes, and you’ll find we have some great free stuff there, like board member zoom backgrounds and some specialty items for sale, like the mug. So go to the merch store, download a free zoom background, take a moment while you’re there, look around, find the mug you’d like and email it to me at podcast at reserve study.com with your name, shipping address, mug choice, mentioning episode 141, mug giveaway, and if you’re the 10th person to email me, I’ll ship that mug to you free of charge. Well, we enjoy hearing from you responding to the issues you’re facing at your association. So if you have a hot topic, a crazy story, a friend you’d like to have on the program, or a question you’d like us to address, you can contact us at 805-203-3130, or email us at podcast at reserve, study.com now this episode was prompted by George from Des Moines, Des Moines, Iowa, who asked, actually, a while ago, and we were kind of wondering how we’re going to handle this, what are we going to do with this? But I remember it says our reserve today says we need a new roof next year. But how do we know? Can we trust them? I don’t want roofs on all our five buildings to leak, but I also don’t want to replace them when they have a couple of years left. What do I do? Well, I thought that was a great question, and fortunately, now we have Jeremy Lara on the program here with an expert answer. So Jeremy, welcome to the program, and how would you respond to George,

Jeremy Lara 03:58

yeah, first and foremost. Robert, thank you for having me on the program. Yeah, I would say, George, you know, that’s a fantastic question. It’s actually a question that we get quite often. My answer to that would be, is, I’d look at the reserve study as more of a preventative warning, rather than a hard deadline, right? The reserve study is really a financial planning tool to help set expectations, but it doesn’t really come with a physical roof inspection that you’re going to need. So what I recommend doing is getting some additional options from some reputable roofing companies or even a third party roofing consultant to be completely transparent. Sometimes these consultants are in cahoots with certain roofing contractors out here, that ones that push to give them commission. So that’s why I always suggest getting at least three independent reports from reputable roofing companies in the area. That way, you can provide the boards with some options. You know, whether it needs to be repaired restored, or if it actually has to be replaced. There’s usually not an answer that fits, you know, one particular predicament

Robert Nordlund 04:59

Can I follow up on? That I realized after I read that question from George, I remember hearing a joke, what do you expect when you ask Barbara if you need a haircut, they’re gonna say, Yes, you need a haircut. So I understand George’s concern. He doesn’t want to ask a roofer if they need a new roof, because a roof is going to be, of course, there’s, well, there’s work we can do for you, but you’re right. It’s a roof is probably going to be one of the associations biggest ticket items. And they don’t want to go too late and they don’t want to go too early. So I like your recommendation that get a few opinions. Look for reputable people. People. People. Where would you find reputable people?

Jeremy Lara 05:42

I mean, so some organizations that I’m a part of have some reputable roofing companies. But really talk to, you know, if you’re a property manager, talk to the other managers in your area. If you’re a board member, ask to speak to some other property managers. Ask your manager to get some information from some other managers that have had some good experiences with roofers, I always just recommend that route, and it’s usually the easiest route

Robert Nordlund 06:06

to go. Yeah, referrals is good. And I also appreciate you mentioning that the reserve study is a guide. It’s not something stamped in concrete, because we are, we’re budget consultants. We want to get the association ready for that big roof project, but it’s not necessarily exactly when the roof needs to be done, so I appreciate that clarification. So you go, I guess, guided by the reserve study, you know that your roof life is getting low, so when it gets within a year or two, is that when you start to reach out for some wise counsel? Yeah.

Jeremy Lara 06:43

I mean, you know, it’s really difficult to truly identify when the roof is at its life’s end, so it’s really important to have multiple opinions as far as what to look for. And a roof and in different roofs show different signs of deterioration, right? Whether you’re looking at shingle roofs, flat roofs or tile roofs. There’s always some different caveats that contribute to the roof approaching its the end of its life cycle. So it’s really important, like I said, just to make sure you have a independent roofing consultant as well as a third party consultant really evaluating the roof, even if you have to spend a few $1,000 to get it done, and the long run, that’s going to save you 10s of 1000s of dollars from making the wrong decision.

Robert Nordlund 07:22

I like that. Okay, so that’s an encouragement to be proactive and be willing to spend a little bit of money. And like in so many things in life, it takes money to save money, and that’s a wise little bit of advice. Does the average roof give you a little bit of a heads up that it’s at the end of its life when you get a leak in a corner, or a leak in a specific area, is that typically reveal a weak link. And give you the heads up that, hey, we’re serious about this. We need to, boy, we need to, get ready to replace this roof. Does it often give a telltale Sure.

Jeremy Lara 08:01

I mean, usually, you know the rule of thumb is when your roof starts leaking, it might be at the end of its life, but again, that’s going to be contributing to a few different factors. Maybe the workmanship from the previous roof just wasn’t done correctly, and that’s why it’s leaking. So some Telltales. For instance, what’s shingle roofs? Say, your community has a bunch of shingle roofs on their lot, and then you see a lot of the little granules starting to fall. You see in the gutters, or maybe in the driveways of the homeowners, you know, I say that’s the roof crying for help. Okay, right? That’s when it starts to degranulate. Um. You see that happening a lot on flat roofs as well. Once you start to see some fiberglass resin, some degranulation, the mat underneath, um, starting to be exposed. Those are some definitely telltale signs that the roof is approaching the end of its life.

Robert Nordlund 08:45

I like that. There’s a lot of our board member audience here who has never been up on the roof. And I remember getting up on a flat roof must have been two or three stories taller. I remember it was a significant ladder, and the lady board member who was with us, not a young person, she said, Well, I want to come up with you. I was like, it’s up to you. And by golly, this woman climbed the ladder. I told her how to do it safely. She joined us, and she saw exactly what you were talking about. How on some flat roofs, you can start to see the fabric, the seems like the fiberglass, the ribbing in it, some bubbles in it. There are Telltales. But I think it’s also wise to get that professional out there, because maybe it is just a corner of the roof that a tree has been rubbing up against. And if you fix that one area got another five years left. So it doesn’t always mean, yeah, doesn’t always mean it’s time to go. All right, we have a lot of board members here who are very cost conscious, and they’re saving for that roof project. They’ve hopefully been saving for that roof project. Project better part of 20 years, and that means that their their hands have been holding on to that money for a long time. So we’re trying to get them ready to release is it going to be more expensive to replace a roof a year or two early or a year or two late? Got it help? Help us through that decision point.

Jeremy Lara 10:21

Okay, yeah, is it going to be more expensive to replace the roof a year, too early or too late? I guess, you know, that’s, that’s kind of, I wouldn’t say it’s a trick question, but it’s a situational answer, because it really depends on the roofing system. You know, more importantly, you know, how was it installed in the first place? If a contractor promised you a 30 year Roof, but you start having issues around around year 20, then it may be actually more cost effective to replace it a little bit earlier to avoid some more costly emergency repairs. But you know, on the other hand, if the contractor did the right job from the start and the board and the management company actually stayed on top of the roof’s maintenance annually, then you can usually stretch out that roof past its life expectancy timeline, or it’s warranty, I would say it’s a situational basis, but it’s definitely going to be more cost effective to replace it earlier, before you start getting into some structural damage, if you have a history of some roofing issues that are related to water intrusion in your community.

Robert Nordlund 11:19

Yeah, I’m glad you said that, because that’s my my gut feel, because once you start leaking into units, all of a sudden, you know, you’re going past the structural part into actual units, and you’re having damage. And all of a sudden, I think when it is time to finally do that roof, you’re going to have a lot of extra repairs and extra costs. So that’s Thank you. That confirms what I’ve been seeing and what I’ve been feeling. But you mentioned something very important. You talked about maintenance. What does annual roof maintenance look like? And does even a new association? Should a new association be doing annual roof maintenance?

Jeremy Lara 11:59

Absolutely So again, with with the annual roof maintenance, what that typically looks like? Again, it’s going to depend on the right type of roof that you have, but let’s just call it a flat roof, right? If you don’t have a lot of trees or a lot of vegetation in the area that’s contributing to debris falling on the roof, then you know, one time a year you’re gonna get your roofing company out there take a look at the roof. I call them the chuck in the trucks, because we got chuck in the truck with a bucket going out there. And it’s doing some preventative maintenance, you know, sometimes goes a long way. Some sealant here, some sealant there. The pipes have the sealants, and they start drying up, and they start having some little hairline cracks. You can seal it up. And that’s really what preventative maintenance does, and it’s going to make sure that performs how it’s supposed to. And then when we start seeing the roof crying for help, as we call it a degranulating you can catch it early and do some preventative damages. Now, if the roof is brand new, it’s often a misconception of not needing maintenance for, you know, 10 years down the line. But the one thing with that is a lot of companies, they have this fine print, especially with the manufacturers stating that if you don’t get the roof looked at by a certified installer, then your warranty can be void. So in years, if you have a leak and if it’s not being maintenance and inspected annually, there is a terminology and exclusion in the contract that can get the roofing company and the manufacturer out of that warranty when you just paid a million dollars for your roof. So it’s very important to make sure you read the fine print when it comes to trying to look for the right contractor for warranties.

Robert Nordlund 13:28

Yeah, often when we hear the term fine print, we feel that we’re getting snookered, but it sounds to me like with an automobile or, I guess, a gasoline automobile. We need to say nowadays, if you’re not doing your regular oil changes, you’re not going to get life expectancy out of that engine. And no one’s surprised. It’s just part of taking good care of your automobiles. Gasoline engine is doing that regular oil change. I’m thinking now about roofs. I’ve been up on flat roofs since you were speaking about it, where I’d be up there and I’d be just confronted with a lot of tree debris, and I realized, Oh, this is not good. Or I could see that there’s been a lot of air conditioner repairman up there, and there’s sharp objects, there’s things up there that shouldn’t be there, and puncture opportunities. And so I’m all in support of maintenance to make sure your roof is clean. It’s going to drain, make sure it’s not turning into a swimming pool up there, those kinds of things.

Jeremy Lara 14:30

Yeah, no, we can’t stress enough how vital maintenance is on our roof.

Robert Nordlund 14:36

Boy, I’ve got so many questions. Tell me if it’s a, let’s say, a five building Association. Do you generally expect to do all five roofs at the same time, kind of for economies of scale and because they were effectively built at the same time? Or do you see roofs even that close together have a little bit different life expectancy?

Jeremy Lara 14:58

That’s a great question too. So. Typically, hypothetically speaking, if the roofs were all done simultaneously in the past, it’s always best to get them done simultaneously in the future. Number one, you know, we’ll just rip the band aid off. We’re going to have the disturbance up front for the couple of months, and then you’ll never have to see us, you know, if the remaining 3040, years. But however, it’s on a situational basis, right? It really depends on the community’s budget. If they just simply can’t budget for all five to be replaced simultaneously, look for a roofer who can offer some financing. You know, we give our communities a 12 months financing, so we can do all five buildings, and they can have a year to pay it off, we know, in zero with zero interest. Or, come on, on an annual plan, we get one roof done per year. So it really depends on the reserve study, on how well the budget is allocated towards the roof. But typically, it’s always best just to get them all done at the same time.

Robert Nordlund 15:52

Well, you said, to minimize the disruption, I imagine there’s economies of scale there too. So if you’re able to do all five at once, rather than mobilizing five times, once a year for five years, that’s probably going to be less net expensive for the association too. Is that fair? No, that’s

Jeremy Lara 16:09

100% fair. I mean, as you know, with inflation rates, especially here in Southern California, price of labor and materials are constantly going up annually. So it will be less expensive for the association.

Robert Nordlund 16:19

Got it so if it’s just make the numbers easy, a million dollar project to do five roofs, if you stagger it out, yeah, maybe you only hit, what, $200,000 this year. But next year, it’ll be 225, or 250 the next year, it’ll be 275, or 300 Yeah, you’re you’re spreading out your cash flow. But inflation is not our friend right now, and so capturing it.

Jeremy Lara 16:48

Don’t forget about the tariffs either. You know, a lot of the materials are made here in the USA, but a lot of the materials to make the products in the USA are shipped from overseas. So that’s something that a lot of people aren’t don’t realize. So the tariffs have a big part as well. Wow.

Robert Nordlund 17:01

I would have thought the major brands did that kind of heavy, not heavy construction, heavy assembly, creating roof tiles, creating roofing materials. The felt you’re saying, a lot of that comes from overseas. A lot

Jeremy Lara 17:13

of the material comes from overseas, but it’s interesting in the USA. So they can just slap a name tag on it, just to say made in the USA. So it’s really important, too, to keep an eye out for the manufacturers that are being used, because some of them might look more affordable up front, but you’re not going to get the longevity from them, you know, on the back end.

Robert Nordlund 17:31

Got it okay? So with brands, brands and materials matter on my house, I have a single family home. I’m in a planned development, so I have an association, but I’m responsible for my roof. Last year, we replaced our tile roof, and we ended up paying for a like a 30 year underlayment, rather than the 20 year underlayment, because at my age, I want to say this is the last roof I’m going to buy in my life. And there are some cost effective things you can do. So brands, quality of materials, make a difference. Talk to me about the quality of the installer. How do you know you’re getting someone who’s really good I liked what you said earlier about referrals, because if a manager, a portfolio manager, has had good experience here or there or somewhere else. That’s a fantastic thing. But are there any, well, tell tales, any memberships, alliances, certifications to look for?

Jeremy Lara 18:32

Yeah, yeah. So this one’s simple. Again, it goes back to doing your own research. You know, a lot of these bigger corporations that you see out there, sometimes they don’t where, most of the time actually don’t have an online presence, and they don’t even show reviews, and sometimes that’s by design. A lot of them treat communities just like another transaction, just another number on the board. No pun intended, but when you’re looking for a roofer, you really want someone that specializes in the HOA space and that understands the complexities of working with board members and property management companies and multiple tenants at the same times.

Robert Nordlund 19:05

Not that we don’t love them, but board members and management companies can be a challenge.

Jeremy Lara 19:10

Yeah, for sure, and then yeah, like, you know what I would ask is, when you’re vetting out some companies, you know what experience you that have in the HOA world? Asked for not only recent projects, but some recent contacts from projects in the last three to six months, they’re not just cherry picking, you know, their favorite ones, and then transparency. One of my favorite things is this, you know, ask them about jobs that didn’t go perfectly, and how they overcame those challenges and how they resolved issues, and when they give you those answers, ask for which community it was. Maybe ask to talk to some board members from that community that’s that’s huge, and then reputation, you know, it’s always good to go with a company that does have an online presence and some good reviews, because, you know, they’re not scared to put themselves out there, because they have a reputation of the product.

Robert Nordlund 19:55

I like that in that hypothetical of a million dollar roof project. Project, five buildings, I know right now, it’s not going to be perfect. There’s going to be someone parked right where you needed to be one day, and so that slowed down a day of progress, or they found something wrong when they pulled the material off that required a repair and a change order. And that’s what I think separates someone that you want to work with from someone that is an absolute pain. And is that what we’re talking about here? Yeah, yeah.

Jeremy Lara 20:30

100% you know, a lot of times, even companies, you know, will come in at a really low number and then make it back on the back end with a bunch of unnecessary change orders,

Robert Nordlund 20:41

all those normal things that do come up, fascinating. Okay, well, I gotta, I gotta sit on that for a while, some interesting stuff. But I look, and fortunately, I look at the time here, and it’s, it’s time to take a break to hear from one of our generous sponsors, after which we’ll be back with more of this, talking about roofers and roofs and community associations, and basically common sense for common areas

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Robert Nordlund 21:36

and we’re back well during the break, Jeremy and I were talking about this interesting intersection between having a professional on your side, a construction consultant, a project manager, because, after all, a million dollar roof project is not something you as a board member want to be adding to your daily workload. That’s a lot of money of association money to be spending, but yet, we want you to have a part in the process. So Jeremy talk me through the benefit of having a professional yet what a board member can do to help make the process go smoother, 100%

Jeremy Lara 22:15

so I look at it this way, I have my supervisors on site that tell me exactly what’s going on out on the field so I can make some really good, informed decision. So I really urge board members to hire their own project manager. Sometimes they’re very happy with the vendor that is in construction that’s doing their balconies or doing some major construction

Robert Nordlund 22:35

on their they have to get lucky that they have a good one, though, yeah, it’d be nice to put someone on your team.

Jeremy Lara 22:41

So if they do have a good construction consultant or somebody that’s in construction, oftentimes, what’s what’s really popular, at least here in Southern California, is they’ll hire us as a vendor to do the roof, but they’ll hire the construction company that they already have built rapport with to supervise us, that has familiarity in the roofing industry, but that just doesn’t offer themselves. So you can do that, or you can actually hire a professional consultant to come and oversee the project. But a lot of times these professional consultants just kind of stop come in and stop in and just make sure everything’s going to specs, but you’ll get more of a homey feel like if somebody was really on your team, if you hired a construction vendor that you know you have built rapport with to oversee some of the other projects that major projects that are going on, especially with roofing,

Robert Nordlund 23:25

got it okay. So if you hire ABC consultants to help to make sure that the project, the million dollars is getting spent well and spent wisely, how do you as a board member contribute to helping your construction consultant helping the roofing company make sure that everything’s going as smooth as it can. Put the roofing

Jeremy Lara 23:47

company and the consultant in touch with each other, let them know that they working side by side with each other. The consultant will get the specifications written up from not only the roofing company, but they should have an assembly letter from the actual manufacturer as well. So guideline of exactly what to do, the construction consultant should have, you know, the right safety protocols to be following regardless. So he’ll just make sure that everything’s scope, esthetic on on the job site. So the board just has to provide him with all of the, you know, sensitive information that’s been discussed between the vendor and and the board members themselves,

Robert Nordlund 24:17

okay, kind of the glue to make the project works smoothly. Yeah.

Jeremy Lara 24:21

And top of that, daily updated pictures, we have a cloud software called company cam, where we add the board members as collaborators, so every single day, and the construction consultants, you know, they can see what’s happening in real time.

Robert Nordlund 24:33

So a board member, even though they’re not the one going up on the roof, and let’s say it’s a flat roof where you really can’t see up there and shouldn’t be up there. You can least see, oh, they finished the tear off. It’s a new color, new material got done, got installed. Wow, shiny things flashing is up. Oh, they’re done with building one. That’s looks like, looks like building two, yeah, just that kind of stuff, exactly.

Jeremy Lara 24:58

Most importantly, OH. Oh, they have delineators around the perimeter. Oh, they’re, actually are wearing hard hats. You know, they have high visibility safe jackets, like they’re, they’re safe for me, that’s the most important thing. Want to make sure that job site is safe. Materials that were purchased are being loaded. You know, I can’t tell you how many times a certain brand was promised, but a different brand was being installed. Interesting. It’s having all that data right in front of you for everybody’s peace of mind is, is huge, excellent.

Robert Nordlund 25:25

And here on the program, we talk so much about communication, transparency, and that is between here we’re talking about between the provider, the inspector, and the board. But that’s also something that you can live with they’re in the association in communicating to all the homeowners. How is their money being spent? Let’s spend effectively. Maybe you can post a couple of pictures in the lobby once a couple times a week to say, This is what the noise is doing upstairs. This is your money being spent. This is what the value

Jeremy Lara 26:00

we try to do that for them by putting some donuts out in the lobby, because I know they’re tired of us coming up there every single day. Usually, we’re in a community for at least a month, a couple of months sometimes. So it’s nice to give back to the some of the tenants sometimes,

Robert Nordlund 26:13

yeah, to say, as long as we’re here, let’s make it a good experience for our clients. Exactly. I like that. What board behaviors make a project go poorly? What are things board members should avoid doing?

Jeremy Lara 26:29

Board members should, number one, avoid waiting until it’s too late to put on the freaking roof.

Robert Nordlund 26:36

I can’t, don’t wait till it’s raining.

Jeremy Lara 26:38

Yeah, it’s right now, it’s October, and all the bids we’ve sent out and in spring and summertime Bay and unpaid, this is in really bad condition and needs to have an approval. You know, before it starts raining, they’re barely getting the wolves turning because winter time is right around the corner. Daylight savings is a month away. So one of the things that makes the project go poorly and more costly is just waiting until it was too late, because a lot of times we were not going to expose a roof that’s 50,000 square feet wide when, you know we have a lot of overcast we just can’t do it, because you’re just inviting problems. Yeah, and there’s way too much liability on our end. There’s no way we’re going to do that, so we have to do some emergency repairs and patches that still may not work. So they’re just spending more unnecessary money that they’re doing a disservice to the community, community that way, and their tenants. Another thing is behaviors that you know make our life harder is micromanaging to the point where it’s delaying our progress, you know, not getting all the data and information you need from the vendor. So when you’re doing a roof replacement project with your vendors, you want to make sure that everything is dialed in the complete schedule, not just, hey, we’ll start this day and we’ll finish this date, but you know, have them break it down week by week, so you’re able to communicate with all the tenants. The board themselves know exactly what to expect. Because when you don’t have that clear line of communication, like you touched on earlier, it just creates a lot of confusion, and sometimes concerns, which is concerning the board, and then that concerns going to go to the vendor delayed the project, and then the relationship starts to turn a little bit sour.

Robert Nordlund 28:13

Yeah, it starts to get frayed around the edges. Yeah, when I think about the boards that wait until it’s raining. Gee, the most you can do is do that last minute patching, maybe put some plastic up there and say, in your inside voice, you should have called me six months or a year ago. In your outside voice, you say that’ll hold you pretty good until blank, until the weather clears, or until springtime. Yeah.

Jeremy Lara 28:40

I mean, my inside voice too. A lot of board members don’t realize, if you have a flat roof, especially, you can’t, you can’t tarp the flat roof. There’s much you can do with the flat roof. And on top of that, in my head, you know, it’s not only going to be costly for the board, but a good vendor is going to take accountability and responsibility for that community, so they’re going to do everything they can to protect the tenants, and it’s just going to, you know, delay their own processes internally. It’s always great to be proactive and approaching roof situation that you know needs to get service and replaced.

Robert Nordlund 29:09

I think that brings us right back to the start timing, making sure you’re getting it done at the right time. Look at your reserve study, get an idea, get a consultant, get a roofer out there to confirm that, and then make sure you’re starting well in advance. Look for someone who’s credible and prepare effectively. Get the right help on your team and help the process go smoothly. No micromanaging. So that’s lot a lot of good stuff. I got to ask you, what got you into this crazy business, serving community associations.

Jeremy Lara 29:45

Well, what got me into the roofing business? I didn’t really have a choice. I was roofing since I was a young kid. I’m a third generation roofer. So that got me into the roofing industry.

Robert Nordlund 29:55

I’m getting God when they take blood, it’s kind of tar and Absolutely. It black, came out

Jeremy Lara 30:01

with a hammer in my hand. Yeah, so I’m not even kidding. I’m 34 years old, with 20 years experience. I was forced into this industry. But how I got into serving communities is actually a funny story, because I came from an industrial and commercial roofing background. I was out there swinging a mop when I was younger. We were always a company. My father, my grandfather, they were always the ones that were subcontracted out by these big, large corporations, so the quality of work was ours, but everybody else kind of took the credit for it. It wasn’t until I got a little bit older that I realized this. So once I took the reins from the company and I started steering our ship into the right direction by making those relationships and networking with the right people that led me to this organization, Cai, where I’m now networking with a bunch of managers that are managing these communities, and we’ve made a big splash. You know, right from the get go, we’ve had some really good relationships built with some property management companies, and they’ve vouched for us. They’ve went online to give testimonies about us. Board members have given testimonies about us, and we even got some Karens to give some testimonies about us. So word spread pretty quick, and they like that. We’re still independently. Family ran and owned. My cousin’s my Vice President, my brother’s, my financial consultants, my partner that’s, you know, answering the phones. It’s truly family owned. And they like that as compared to, you know, these major nationwide corporations and these private equity owned companies. So we’ve been doing very well for ourselves, and I really appreciate, you know, all of the success that we’ve had so far.

Robert Nordlund 31:34

Yeah, no, I appreciate that also. You know, we run a small business here at Association reserves, and when you put the client first. A lot of good things happen. And you know, a rising tide should raise all ships, yeah. So take good care of your customers. They’ll take good care of you. Well, Jeremy, I want to thank you for joining us here on the program I was going to wrap. But I do have one more question I want to ask, okay, Southern California, do you when it starts to rain, do you begin to cringe, or is that a good day, because it means it’s going to make the phone ring and set up work for next year?

Jeremy Lara 32:09

You know, a little bit of both. You know, I do have some PTSD from growing up. It’s funny because that night I’m thinking about the business and building it. So I put on some headphones. I have some soothing music. One night, in the middle of the night, the tracks switched to rainfall on the window, which usually is supposed to be soothing, but yeah, because for a roofer, yeah, for a roofer. So you know, it did rain recently, and we know we didn’t have any issues all, all new leaks coming in from customers that haven’t got the roof done from us. So that really made me excited coming into this season right here. So when it rains, you know, we’re prepared. Now, we got a bunch of chucks in the chuck in the trucks, ready to rock and roll, and we have the bandwidth now to service three counties here in Southern California, Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.

Robert Nordlund 32:53

You know, I’m writing that down. That’s fun. I chuck in the truck. There was a phrase that a painter friend of mine said, I think it was blow and go, No, I’ll think of it right after we finished the episode, but fun stuff anyway. Jeremy, thank you so much. It was great talking with you and having you on the program. Any closing thoughts to add for our audience here?

Jeremy Lara 33:16

Let’s see my closing thoughts. You know, the roofs come and go, but the communities are here to stay. You know, the choices that the boards make for their roofs doesn’t it just doesn’t affect, you know, the current group, the current board, but it’s gonna affect the future boards down the line. Yeah, so just make sure, you know, you do your due diligence, vet out a few different contractors, and, you know, make the right choice for, you know, generations to come.

Robert Nordlund 33:38

Yeah, you don’t want future boards cursing you because you got a lousy roof, saving 50 grand, but it’s going to last 10 years less than it should, exactly. Wow. Yeah, good. All right. Well, everyone, if you’d like to get in touch with Jeremy or learn more about the work they do in California at Baja roofing, you can go to their website at Baja roofing.com that’s B, A, j, A, R, O, O, well, you can spell roofing.com or reach him at Jeremy at Baja, roofing.com Well, we hope you learned some HOA insights from our discussion today that helps you bring common sense to your common areas. We look forward to having you joining us for another great episode next week.

Announcer 34:21

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