For 41 years, the Meadowglen HOA has been managed by one company, Management Specialists Incorporated (MSI). Management Specialists was actually started in a home office right here in Meadowglen by then-resident Bill Biesendorf, and Meadowglen was its first client. We have shared a long history with MSI, and for decades, they serviced our community well. Unfortunately, over the last six years, that service began to fail. During that time we have had three different community managers that all started with a high quality of service, but over time, the service levels, including customer service levels, dropped. Each time this happened, the board documented the failings, attempted to resolve the issues with the respective community managers, and requested support from Management Specialist leadership. Unfortunately, MSI leadership did not demonstrate a course of action that gave us the confidence that we could continue to move forward with them as our community management company. Over the course of the last six years, we found that we were losing faith in MSI’s commitment to the Meadowglen community. This fact encouraged the BOD to research and reach out to other management companies as potential prospects for Meadowglen.
In the past when the MSI contract renewed, the Board would do our due diligence by soliciting bids from other companies. On paper, it’s easy compare management companies’ services and fees; but this time the board chose to interview prospective companies to understand their management philosophies to make sure they would be a good fit for Meadowglen. We solicited bids from several management companies and interviewed three. We learned that other management companies have updated their business models to more team-oriented approaches and use technology to more efficiently communicate between the manager, Board, and homeowners.
The company that most impressed us through a combination of the management philosophy, technology, and personal interactions was Advanced HOA Management. Judy and Sky Smeltzer started Advanced HOA in 2012. Since then they have grown to manage over 300 properties in the Denver Metro area with a large range of sizes and types. In addition to being extremely responsive via email both before and after we met with him via Zoom, during our Zoom meeting we found Sky to be a straight shooter and a realist (aka he didn’t try to oversell us on their capabilities), but also passionate about his company and the communities it serves. He explained their management philosophy as very team oriented with a dedicated community manager who works directly with the Board (but is also available to homeowners), a client-services team that works directly with homeowners, and an inspection team (one dedicated specifically to each community). This is in contrast to MSI’s approach, where the community manager is responsible for all of these functions (an approach we believe has set our community managers up to fail). Additionally, the Advanced HOA website has much more functionality allowing for ARC request submission and tracking, easier access to documents, and even an app for the inspection team. The Board also reached out to current Advance HOA clients including community board members and community residents, and received high praise from all.
Finally, during these interviews with other companies, we learned that MSI is undertaking a “partnership” (read acquisition) with Associa, the nation’s largest HOA management company. MSI leadership did not disclose this to the Board even with our recent conversations regarding service failures. We were disappointed in MSI’s lack of transparency regarding an action that could greatly impact our community.
After its February meeting, the Board voted via email to end our contract with MSI and sign on with Advanced HOA. Both our newer and more experienced Board members recognized that MSI is no longer fulfilling their end of the contract and that it is time for a change. While this change may feel uncomfortable to some, especially our long-time residents, we hope that you can trust your Board’s rigorous process in making this decision and know that we did not enter into it lightly or impulsively. There may be some mild disruptions during the transition, but the new management company has a very thorough and well-tested transition plan to get us through it. We believe Meadowglen will quickly become comfortable with Advanced HOA’s style, services, responsiveness and technology portal. Our community has an opportunity to forge a new management relationship, get a new and stronger level of commitment from the management company, and receive the high quality of service that Meadowglen residents deserve.
What to Expect Going Forward
The new management company will officially take over management of Meadowglen May 1, 2021. Between now and then, MSI and Advanced HOA will work together to transfer our accounts and legal information. The Board will also provide the community with ample information regarding what to expect with regard to the transition to new management. The first communication you will receive from Advanced HOA will come in early April (3 weeks before the start date). At any time, if you have questions about the Board’s decision or feedback on the new management company, feel free to call or email me (Ari Feldman, arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com 303-900-2746) or any board member.