HOA management company recommendations?

Started by ThomasO5 • 7 replies • 693 views

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ThomasO5 (Texas)
Posts: 38

Posted:

Our board is shopping for an HOA management company. Our experience with three previous companies was awful. We are now considering:

Associa
PamCo (Preferred Association Management Co.)
PS Property Management

Our HOA is very simple. We have only single family homes (no condos or townhomes) and own some vacant lots. We pay taxes, insurance and landscaping for the vacant lots. No pool or anything complicated.

Does anyone have experiences with one of those companies they would recommend or avoid? Any other company they would recommend?

Thank you for your thoughts!

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

It's against the site's posting rules to mention specific names of people, companies, associations, etc. Is it so hard to read and abide by the posting rules?

ThomasO5 (Texas)
Posts: 38

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GenoS on 04/27/2018 3:06 AM
It's against the site's posting rules to mention specific names of people, companies, associations, etc. Is it so hard to read and abide by the posting rules?

Oops. Sorry. I've never been accused of being observant.

Seems silly not to be able to have a frank discussion about HOA management companies, though. If we can't reference by name, how do we get any guidance on choosing an HOA management company?

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Guidance would come in what to look for.

To check references, you would do better by asking the Board members of those currently being served by the contractors you are looking for. Also do an internet search for [name of company] complaints. Look for a common theme vs. anything specific. Always remember to take the complaints with a grain of salt as those happy with the service may out number the complainers but do not post online.

For me, I look at how the MC wants to handle the money.
I don't agree with having the MC do all finances. Others disagree.
Your Board needs to decide what works for them.

BarbaraT1 (Texas)
Posts: 821

Posted:

When looking up complaints, bear in mind some people complain about the management company for carrying out the instructions of the board. But complaints about slow or no response are worth considering. You should also check Glassdoor and see what employees are saying about the company.

The references they give you are going to be board members they've vetted and know will say positive things. See if you can track down some board members they haven't given you (many cities publish HOA information or you can check with the Secretary of State to see who's on the board).

Ask what their manager turnover is like and how many other properties your prospective manager has in her portfolio. Ask to meet your prospective manager - regardless of the company you choose, your manager will have the greatest impact on the quality of service you receive.

ThomasO5 (Texas)
Posts: 38

Posted:

Thank you BarbaraT1 and TimB4! I appreciate the suggestions.

MikeK22 (California)
Posts: 19

Posted:

We recently switched our HOA management company and the first company on your list was one of our bids. Over all we weren't too impressed by them. I would advise looking for a small to medium size property management company that is local. They tend to have lower manager to property ratios meaning that you will get better service.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

When we interviewed 3 MC's we paid particular attention to associations like ours they were managing. We then asked for reference in each association. We eliminated one immediately. We spent time discussing and re-interviewing two. We chose one.

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