That Best Fits Your Community Association

As a member of your HOA’s Board of Directors, you are now responsible for ensuring the future prosperity of the community. Your homeowners association is a collection of homes and neighbors, instituted to maintain the community and its common area assets and amenities. As a board member, it is now your responsibility to maintain or improve these assets and amenities with the ultimate goal of increasing property values in the community. In order to give your community the level of care it deserves, finding an experienced, knowledgeable, and professional HOA management company to manage your association is imperative.

Choosing the best HOA management company might seem challenging, especially if you’re a newly transitioned homeowners association, a first-time board member, or your community’s needs have shifted… Where do you start? What does your community need? What criteria should you prioritize for evaluating a HOA management company?

It’s important for the HOA Board to be as informed as possible when making a decision, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming.

To help guide you, we’ve compiled a list of things to consider.

Expertise 

Property management is a broad industry, encompassing a variety of different specialties: commercial versus residential, HOA management versus vacation rental management, and so on. Does the management company also specialize in nightly rentals? If so, it’s important to understand their intentions: Are they going to offer your community the highest level of care, or are they simply looking to eventually manage individual units for their rental business?

When evaluating prospective HOA managers, identify what type of communities they specialize in managing, what services they offer, and determine whether that aligns with your own HOA management needs and expectations. In addition, understand what the extent of their experience is managing homeowner’s associations in the Park City area. How well do they know the area, climate, and clientele? How connected are they with the local, high-performing vendors? All of these factors will have a significant impact on how satisfied your community may be with their service.

Key Questions:

• How long has your company managed HOAs in Park City?
• What types of HOAs does your company currently manage? How many?
• What is your experience with financial analysis and capital planning?
• Do you review your communities’ insurance policies annually?

Client History and Experience  

What are people saying about this business?

An integral factor to consider is their client history. Whether it’s a brief review or a personal reference, a professional HOA management service company will have an extensive and positive client history.

Today, one of the best ways to size up a business’s reputation is to read reviews and talk to references. Prior to taking time to meet with a property management company, check out it’s Google Reviews, the followings and feedback they might have received on social media (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.), and any client testimonials. The general consensus of responses on these platforms can illuminate how their clients, vendors, and community members feel about their experience with the company and the quality of their services. Additionally, you can ask for client or vendor references, check the Park City Chamber of Commerce, as well as local business networks to hear about the company from a variety of perspectives. 

Sea to Ski is proud of the long client history and overwhelmingly positive reviews we receive from our current and past clients, from the vendors we work with, and from Park City community partners.

Key Questions:

• How is the HOA manager known and/or viewed throughout the local community?
• What is their track record when it comes to responding to client inquiries?
• Do they take initiative in addressing potential issues and seasonal maintenance?
• Is the company licensed and insured?
• Does the HOA manager outsource work to vendors/subcontractors? If so, are they also licensed and insured?

Services, Pricing, and Agreement Structure 

When approaching a management company, the board should first determine which services they need. This will help the HOA management company understand what they will be responsible for, as part of your service agreement. 

Additionally, it’s prudent to ask if there is an opportunity to customize services so that the HOA is only paying for what it needs and homeowner dues are being utilized as best they can.

Sea to Ski has found that providing a clear outline of our service packages and aligning with HOA Board Members’ expectations from the very start, is vital to a successful and positive HOA manager – community relationship. This helps set a positive tone, a mutual understanding of expectations, and opens the dialogue for clear communication. We customize our services to our clients’ needs to ensure they’re only paying for what they need.  For a detailed list of the different services Sea to Ski can provide, please see our HOA Management Services here. 

Key Questions:

• What will the HOA management company handle? What services or requests will they not handle?
• What are their standard on-site services?
• What additional services do they offer?
• Can you customize services for your homeowner’s association?
• What is included in the monthly management fee?
• How will other charges be incurred?
• What is the service agreement term duration?
• What is the termination clause?

Resource Capacity and Allocation

An HOA management company’s capacity for care, as well as how they plan to care for your community, are also important factors to consider. 

Consider the ratio of staff to properties managed, for instance. How an HOA management company organizes and delegates community property inspections, coordination and notifications of board and annual meetings, accounting and budget management, governing documents enforcement, and maintenance work can significantly impact the client experience. Does this company have the capacity (i.e., available staff and resources relative to the number of properties they manage) to provide high-quality service and accommodate your community’s needs?

At Sea to Ski, we believe in providing high-touch client communications, personalized care, and streamlined service. We assign each community a team, beginning with a designated HOA Manager to each client. The HOA Manager is responsible for overseeing all community property inspections, project management, vendor management, governing document enforcement, and board member/homeowner communication communications. They are your direct line to all matters regarding your homeowners association. The HOA Manager works with your community’s designated HOA Accountant and Sea to Ski’s maintenance team to ensure there are no gaps in communication. The entire team is overseen by the team’s senior manager to ensure we are sharing our collective knowledge capital amongst our managers and their communities.

Key Questions:

• Who will be supporting our HOA? What does the team look like?
• Will you be communicating with that person(s) directly or through a work order request portal (online)?
• How are requests for onsite services, maintenance, or additional services escalated and then executed?

While the importance of finding an HOA management company best suited to your community’s unique needs can’t be understated, it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. We’re here to lend a helping hand – feel free to reach out!

With nearly 20 years as one of Park City’s top property management teams, Sea to Ski knows more than a thing or two about providing a premier level of care. Over the years, we have expanded our HOA management services and found that the best client relationships start with a solid understanding of their specific homeowners association management needs. No community is the same, and we customize our services and pricing based on your community’s needs.

Through premier services, customized care, and proven experience, our team of dedicated HOA Managers and Maintenance Technicians, alongside our highly-rated preferred vendor partners, help our clients enjoy their community year-round.