Find Your Community in Havre de Grace, Maryland

The Bayview Community Board

Bayview Estates is a self managed community that operates for the benefit of the homeowners and their families that live in its 321 homes. The Community Board members are entrusted with maintaining an attractive and family oriented neighborhood located on the Hill above Downtown Havre de Grace Maryland. Our team is committed to maintaining the quality of life and property values within our neighborhood.

Each home votes for members of the Board, who are responsible for:

Setting the policies for implementing the goals set forth in the master plan
Approving the annual budget
Ensuring community funds are well managed
Enforcing community rules
Approving project budgets and proposals
Ensuring the Common Areas & Storm Water Management ponds are in good order
Considering requests from homeowners
Overseeing the work of the Property Manager
Organizing community events

The President/Property Manager* is responsible for:

Ensuring the Day to Day business of the community is completed
Communicating with Homeowners
Developing the systems that run the community, including the website
Data entry and managing community files and records
Ensuring that Board decisions are carried out
Reporting the business of the community to the Board and the Homeowners
Negotiating and Signing contracts with vendors that the Board has approved and ensuring the community is getting good value for its money
Ensuring that the Community is in compliance with local, state, and federal guidelines, especially in regard to the storm water management areas

*Since the Property Manager is also the Community President, s/he has a voice, but does not vote on Board decisions.

The Vice President is responsible for assisting the President in his or her duties, standing in when the president is absent, as well as, ensuring that the homes in the community are in compliance with our rules

The Treasury Team is responsible for ensuring that the funds of the community are being well maintained.

The Board Secretary is responsible for keeping the community seal for all documents and keeping the minutes of all meetings.

Serving Our Community

The 2025 - 2026 Community Board

Christopher R. Ward

Community President &

Property Manager

(term ends June 30, 2027)

Jacki Baker

Community Vice President

(term ends June 30, 2027)

Alan Samuels

Community Treasurer

(term ends June 30, 2026)

Cindy Irizarry

Community Board Secretary

(term ends June 30, 2026)

Elisa Cuapio

Director

(term ends June 30, 2027)

Bill Simone

Community Co-Treasurer

(term ends June 30, 2026)

About how the Bayview Estates Community is governed

Bayview Estates is a self managed community, meaning it is managed by a property manager from the community being overseen by a Community Board of homeowners. They operate for the benefit of the homeowners and their families that live in its 321 homes.

The goals of the leadership are:

To keep expenses to the lowest possible amount to meet the financial needs of Bayview. This minimizes the costs to our homeowners.
To maintain the common areas for the enjoyment of all. Our newly rejuvenated Community Park Playground and picnic area is available for the enjoyment of all homeowners.
Through the budget, we are working to fund a reserve account that will avoid any unforeseen capital expenses in the future. We have promised to only return to the homeowners with a special assessment request as the last possible option.
To Bring the community members together as neighbors in seasonal events that are community building opportunities to foster a sense of friendship that has become unique in our fast paced world of electronic communications.
1. The Christmas tree lighting and carol singing party on the first weekend of Advent
2. The Christmas decorations contest in mid December with prizes for the most beautiful exterior light display
3. The Easter Egg hunt at the park
4. Community clean up days
5. A Summer block party
6. The Community Park Halloween Party
To be as open, transparent, and available to the homeowners as physically possible. This is achieved through our monthly open meetings in which homeowners are invited to come and ask questions, voice concerns, and raise awareness of their needs.
To keep the community looking its best, this is achieved by fairly and uniformly ensuring that our Rules & Regulations' requirements to keep each home to a common standard are being met. This maximizes home values and ensures that we all have a pleasant and attractive place to call home.
To listen to our homeowners' ideas, suggestions, and concerns throughout the year. We have created multiple resources for homeowners to communicate with the leadership, including this website's contact tab, our Facebook page, and by two way email communication that we strive to return within 24 hours.

The Community Assessment is set each autumn by the Community Board to fund the financial needs for the coming year, as well as, putting enough in the reserve account to ensure that future capital projects are funded as they arise without an undue burden on the homeowners.

The 2026 Assessment for each of our 321 homes is $277.09 for the year, due on the first of January and considered late on 15 February. This is one of the lowest community charges in our area. The payment is non-refundable, nor can it be transferred to another homeowner. In the event your home is sold, the new homeowner would need to pay their assessment as well, prorated for the time remaining in the year.

Homeowners can pay their assessment* by:

Using this website's payment tab on the top right side of the home page
Sending a check payable to "Bayview Estates" to PO Box 119 Havre de Grace MD 21078
Using the Zelle payment system using "Bayviewestateshdg@gmail.com" as the contact

*Please contact the property manager if you have any questions or need help making your payment.

Community of Bayview Estates

Self Management Cost/ Benefit Analysis

Cost of doing business

Full Service Third Party Cost (annualized basis)
1. $24,000 management fee
2. $1250 tax preparation
3. $2,500 postage office expense
4. Total Net cost- $27,750 per year/ $86.44 per home
Financial Only third party cost
1. $12,000 management fee
2. $1250 tax preparation
3. $2,500 postage/office expense
4. Total Net cost- $15,750 per year/ $49.06 per home
Self Management cost
1. $4,800 management cost
2. $0 tax preparation
3. $1,000 office/postage expense
4. Total gross expense $5,800 per year/ $18.06 per home
5. Average of 20 home transfer fees ($200 per home) in additional passive income; $4,000 per year.
6. Net cost to the community for self management $1,800 per year or $5.60 per home.

Self Management costs the community 6.4% of a full service third party management contract and about 11% of a bookkeeping only relationship. The assessments on each household is $68.38 less per year by being a self managed community.

Other Benefits

Prompt and accurate reporting of financial reports
Increased accountability to homeowners through direct election of those responsible for management.
Homeowner communication with management is consistent and timely, emails and calls are answered or returned with a 4 hour average response time. Problems are heard through regular open meetings and multiple avenues of communication including in person open meetings, emails, the website, phone calls, and in person interactions.
Community building is prioritized and balanced with finding savings that a management company would not be incentivized to find.
Additional revenue streams made available that would be retained by a management company, allowing for events and amenities that would not be available without the additional income.