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HOA loan answers for boards and property managers.

Showing 9 guides of 70

  • Process & approval

    The 5 Financial Red Flags That Kill HOA Loan Applications

    Five specific red flags kill HOA loan applications, and they tend to show up in the same order. Elevated delinquency, reserves that look thin against the study, active litigation, recent board turnover, and an incomplete financial package. Each one has a fix. Written by Larry Kirschner, who has spent 30+ years in commercial banking and 20+ years serving on HOA boards, from watching HOA loan files get declined for reasons boards could have solved 90 days earlier.

    Larry Kirschner ·

  • Process & approval

    HOA Loan Approval: What Underwriters Really Look For

    HOA loan underwriting is not a mystery, but it is a sequence. Underwriters read the file in a specific order, and the ratios they compute are narrower than most boards expect. This post walks through what actually happens inside credit committee, the five document sets that matter most, the three ratios that decide the deal, and the recurring reasons associations get declined. Written from watching HOA loan files move through underwriting at community banks, regional lenders, and HOA-specialized shops.

    Larry Kirschner ·

  • Rates & market

    The HOA Lending Market in 2026: A Mid-Year View

    A mid-year read on the HOA lending market in 2026 from Larry Kirschner, who has spent 30+ years in commercial banking and 20+ years serving on HOA boards. Regional bank consolidation is thinning the direct-lender bench. AI-driven origination is changing how files move. The lenders we work with are trending toward requiring a refreshed reserve study. Owner delinquency has finally normalized. This post covers what shifted in the first half of 2026, what those shifts mean for boards planning capital projects, and two specific predictions for the back half of the year with the triggers worth watching.

    Larry Kirschner ·

  • Process & approval

    Reserve Studies and HOA Loans: Answers for Boards

    Short answers for boards planning a loan: what a reserve study is, how old is too old, when to start one, why current bids override its estimates, what the funded percentage measures, and how Fannie Mae's condo rules use the study.

    Larry Kirschner ·

  • Loans vs assessments

    Why HOA Boards Should Stop Saying 'We'll Just Do a Special Assessment'

    A provocative shareable take on the HOA special assessment vs loan decision. The phrase 'we'll just do a special assessment' is usually a tell that the board has not run the math, has not surveyed owners, and has not modeled the long-term consequence. This post walks through what the phrase actually means in practice, the math nobody ran on a typical $1.5M building envelope project, and the equity question current owners owe future ones. Ends with the exact line every board should put in their minutes.

    Ben Kirschner ·

  • Reserves & planning

    What Reserve Studies Reveal Before an HOA Loan Closes

    What a reserve study shows a lender before an HOA loan closes: why its cost estimates age, how funded percentage differs from component condition, and what a board should do before it applies.

    Larry Kirschner ·

  • Loans vs assessments

    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 ·

  • Choosing a lender

    How to Choose the Right HOA Financing for Your Community

    A practical framework for how to choose HOA financing covering loan scope, structure, source, and service. Includes the common mistakes boards make under deadline pressure and an FAQ for first-time borrowers.

    Larry 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