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HOA loan answers for boards and property managers.

Plain-English guides on how community association loans work; rates, terms, approvals, and the questions every board asks before financing a capital project.

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  • The HOA Loan Timeline: From First Call to Funding

    A realistic HOA loan timeline runs 30 to 90 days from first consultation to funded loan, and some take longer for a variety of reasons. This deep-dive walks each phase week by week: consultation, document collection, lender RFP, term sheet negotiation, board vote and opinion letter, and closing. Common delays get named. Accelerators get named. Four-question FAQ addresses the questions boards ask most about pacing. The point: boards who understand the timeline plan around it. Boards who do not, chase it.

    Ben Kirschner ·

  • The Real Cost of a Special Assessment vs an HOA Loan

    A take piece on special assessment vs HOA loan choices. Boards default to the special assessment because it feels responsible. The math tells a different story, and the equity argument is stronger than most boards realize.

    Larry Kirschner ·

Showing 9 guides of 67

  • Loan basics

    HOA Financing Options for Small Associations (50 Units or Fewer)

    Small associations sit in an awkward spot in the HOA lending market. Smaller loans face higher lender minimums, fewer bidders, and sometimes wider spreads than larger deals, though we arrange financing for projects from $100,000 with no set maximum. This post walks boards under 50 units through the real economics, which lenders actually bid on small deals, and the document discipline that makes a $500K loan close cleanly. Plus a four-question FAQ and next steps.

    Ben Kirschner ·

  • Loans vs assessments

    How Property Managers Can Use HOA Lending to Win Boards

    Board retention comes down to who solved the last hard problem. When a reserve study lands badly, a special assessment gets voted down, or an insurance claim leaves a six-figure gap, the property manager who introduces a financing path wins the account. Doing that without stepping into a fiduciary role requires a specific framing. Here are the three moments to bring lending up, the language to use, and how our client portal keeps the paperwork off your desk.

    Ben Kirschner ·

  • Loan basics

    Case Study: A 12-Unit Townhome Association's First HOA Loan

    A real case study drawn from small association work. A 12-unit townhome community with a failing private road, $22,000 in reserves, and a $180K project. Small associations have fewer lenders to choose from. This walks through the situation, the challenge, the four lenders approached (three passed, one said yes), the final structure (10-year fully amortizing, fixed rate, no balloon), and the lessons every very small association board should take from it. Ends with a consultation CTA aimed at similar boards.

    Ben Kirschner ·

  • Choosing a lender

    Why HOA Boards Often Choose the Wrong Loan First

    Many HOA boards choose the wrong loan first, and the pattern is predictable. One offer, gratitude, signature. The reasons are information asymmetry, volunteer fatigue, and deposit relationships that feel like loyalty. But the second and third offers change the math. A 25 basis point spread on a $5M loan is about $12,500 in the first year. Written by Larry Kirschner, who has spent 30+ years in commercial banking and 20+ years serving on HOA boards, from watching boards leave money on the table.

    Larry Kirschner ·

  • Reserves & planning

    Financing Building Envelope and Facade Projects

    Building envelope financing for HOA associations covers windows, sealants, expansion joints, and waterproofing on mid-rise and high-rise condos. The construction timeline runs 18 to 24 months. Here is what the scope covers, what lenders scrutinize, and the four questions boards ask most often.

    Ben Kirschner ·

  • Board operations

    A New Board Member's 90-Day HOA Loan Education

    New HOA board members inherit financial obligations they did not sign up for. This 90-day plan walks a first-term board member through the governing documents, reserve studies, assessment structures, and loan vocabulary they need to make informed decisions. We cover the specific documents to request from the outgoing board, the questions to ask the property manager, and the reading order that turns a volunteer into a competent fiduciary before the first loan discussion arrives.

    Larry Kirschner ·

  • Process & approval

    Spring Capital Projects: A Treasurer's Loan Planning Guide

    A planning guide for HOA treasurers with a spring capital project on the books. We map the timeline backward from a June construction start to show why the loan application needs to be in by early April at the latest. The guide covers the documentation checklist, when the rate gets set, and four questions treasurers ask us every March.

    Larry Kirschner ·

  • Choosing a lender

    The Lender Network: Why Choice Matters More Than Any Single Bank

    A single bank has one credit box. A network has many. We tell the story of a small mixed-use association where four of six lenders in our network passed and the winner was the one specialist who writes that exact profile. Larry Kirschner explains why our network exists, how it was built since 2016, and why relationships that survived multiple credit cycles are the ones that pay off for boards today.

    Ben Kirschner ·

  • Board operations

    Year-End Audit: How HOA Boards Should Present Loan Status

    Board treasurers present loan status to owners every spring, and many struggle to make it clear. This guide covers the required disclosures, the reconciliation between reserve fund balances and loan proceeds, the sample slides that work, and the questions owners commonly ask. Written for the March through May annual meeting season, when boards have the year-end financials in hand and need to translate them into a conversation owners will actually understand.

    Ben Kirschner ·

Free guide

A Board Member’s Guide to HOA Loans

A walkthrough of qualifying, approvals, and structuring a loan: everything a board needs before the first lender conversation.

Download the guide