This is a guest post by: Drew Smithfield, a freelance safety and security writer. 

Some of the best security advocates you can find are just yards away from your home – they're your neighbors. Introducing yourself to your neighbors and establishing a relationship with them not only helps deepen your ties to your homeowners association community but also helps increase the security of your family and home.

Within homeowners associations throughout the United States, residents are becoming more aware not only of their community’s surroundings but also of the persons who live in their community.

You live in a homeowner’s association. You have a great idea. You’re not on the board, and elections are months away. What next? Present it! Presenting a good idea, whether to the HOA board, a boss, or anyone else in the position to approve it, isn’t about them or you -- it’s about the idea.

Deer browsing in the back yard is charming. Birds are beautiful, graceful and melodic.  Seeing coyote in the distance and hearing them calling to one another at night gives a sense of being close to nature and adds to the feel of your community. But too much of any one thing is never good, and the feeding and encouraging of wildlife in the homeowner's association is not in the best interests of you, the animals or the association.

The homeowners association is a home and community. When you chose to be a member, you agreed to some unique obligations to the community and to other residents within it.

Planned Unit Developments and Condominiums with attached walls tend to have more challenges around confining issues like infestation to just one unit. Bed bugs could have a devastating impact on these communities and it’s good to be aware of just how likely these critters could affect you. 

Many homeowners dread the end of summer—sunny days, mild nights, vacations, the beach, ball games, picnics and so much more. Although fall and winter bring holidays, homeowner association gatherings, the warmth of a fireplace and football (actual and fantasy), for many people the winter months mark the return of seasonal depression.

Winter and Spring weather usually means staying in and snuggling by the fire, but it can also bring severe weather. Threatening thunderstorms often loom large in Northern California so it’s important to be prepared for downpours and accompanying lightning, which can strike at any time. Consider the following suggestions when planning get-together’s in your homeowners association this season to reduce the risk of a lightning strike.

Driving at night can be tricky, especially through poorly lit homeowners association neighborhoods or dimly lit landscapes. It’s important to keep in mind a few basic guidelines to make sure you and your vehicle both are well-prepared for the trip. Consider the following suggestions to help get you to your destination safely.

It’s time for some seasonal cleaning in your homeowners association. Out with the old and in with the new – but what do you do with the “old” when it’s not quite ready for the landfill? Donating used items is a great option as long as you do a little homework to find out which local organizations and donation centers are most appropriate for the items you’d like to give away. Use the following tips as a guideline for determining what goes where and how to get it there.