All of the answers you need
Why should my association have a website?
First, effective communication is important to keep the community and future residents up-to-date on the latest neighborhood information, newsletters and official documents. A website is a great tool to disseminate this information to other people. Plus, this information is at their fingertips 24/7.
Do you advertise on our website?
No. We do not. Any sponsors you have who wish to advertise on your website is 100% income to your association. We will however place a link back to HOA Sites at the bottom of your website.
What makes HOA Sites better than the competition?
We don’t mass produce website templates. Our web designers assemble your website’s unique design and layout for you. We design clean and appealing websites with information residents, realtors and prospective residents need and will use. We’ll easily tweak our website design based on your desires. Our Personal Project Managers offer suggestions and their expertise when building your web pages. Plus, you get full support for your website by a real person from our team, available by phone or email.
What types of support do you provide?
You get support Monday – Thursday 8:00am – 5:00pm EST and Friday 8:00am – 4:00pm EST, excluding holidays. Some after hours support is provided as well. View our exceptional real-time statistics . Helpful Tips are also located throughout the Admin Panel to give you quick tips on best practices and to help you administer your website.
Do I really get a Personal Project Manager for my website?
Absolutely! Your assigned Personal Project Manager will offer their expertise and experience to help you make decisions regarding the look of your website and how our membership management software works. They will also make sure you understand how to use your website, walk you through anything you need help with and answer your questions.
Can we send out bulk invoices or only one by one?
Yes! You can send bulk invoices to the entire community with just a few clicks. You can also use our filters feature to create groups for invoicing purposes. Our goal with invoicing is to make it as simple as possible.
Can people still pay by check?
Yes, people can still pay by check as well as online.
How long does it take to process online payments?
Online payments are processed automatically through our payment provider’s website. These payments are also immediately recorded in the administrative side of your website without the need for administrator involvement.
Do homeowners have a portal to see their account history?
Yes, through the members-only portal, homeowners can see their account history.
How are invoices created?
The website automatically creates an invoice when a member registers or renews their membership. An administrator can also manually add an invoice and create bulk invoices for all or selected members.
How are online payments handled?
When a payment is made online, the payment is automatically matched to the member’s open invoices. With our automation, there’s no need to deal with posting online payments. A payment that was made online can also be refunded to the member’s credit card, which automatically records the accounting entry.
How are expenses recorded?
You can keep track of your organization’s spending by creating custom expense accounts. Each account is a category to help organize each type of expense. These expense accounts appear on financial reports so that you can get a better picture of your organization’s financial position and historical spending trends. Whether you pay with a check or credit card, the expense entry captures this information and an automatic accounting entry is made to the appropriate account’s balance.
Do we need to have accounting knowledge?
No. There’s no need to be an accountant. We have created a solution that does the accounting for you. Accounting entries are automatically created based on day-to-day transactions entered on the website. These transactions feed important financial reports that help you analyze your financial health. Manual accounting entries can also be created to move money between accounts.
How does the accounting feature on our website help members?
Members enjoy the convenience of viewing their invoices and payments they have made through your website. Members can also easily make payments online and directly through your website. Even better, these transactions automatically create accounting entries and update your financial reports. No more external links and separate logins to third party payment providers. No more dealing with interfaces and exporting data as you try to keep systems in sync. We specifically developed features that allow us to automate your tasks that matter most.
What kind of reports can we produce?
You can produce all commonly used financial reports such as general ledger detail, balance sheet, income statement and accounts receivable aging.
Will I be able to see and account for unapplied credit memos?
Yes. Your Income Statement automatically adjusts to reflect applied and unapplied credit memos.
Can we give read-only access to certain owners and board members?
Yes. The Administrator can run the report, make it a locked PDF format and then share with whomever needs to see it.
Can we share the reports with the entire HOA?
Yes, you can share reports with your entire HOA.
Can HOA Sites tools help us track cash flow?
Yes. You can use our tools to check that your cash balance matches your transactions and bank statements.
Can I choose the accounting period I want to reconcile?
Yes, you can choose any period you want to reconcile for any general ledger account.
How does your reconciliation tool help me balance my accounts?
Only transactions that are unreconciled will be displayed. This helps you mark correct transactions until your account is balanced.
How does this tool help avoid accounting errors?
Because a reconciled transaction is a confirmation that a transaction is correct, reconciled transactions are locked to prevent changes that would impact an account balance. This ensures the prior months’ books are not accidentally changed after they are finalized
What if it’s taking a long time to sort out a transaction?
You can save the reconciliation process at any point after you begin and then resume at a later date.
Can we mass communicate with residents and homeowners?
Yes! You can send mass emails and text messages through your HOA website to the entire community and/or to groups of people.
Can we have custom email addresses on our domain name?
Yes. We offer email addresses on your domain name. This builds credibility with your residents because they see the email is coming directly from your association.
What kind of mass communication does HOA Sites offer?
Our features make communication a breeze. Administrators can send mass email and text messages to members of the website. Our message board feature also allows members to subscribe. This enables an automatic email notification when a new post is added to the subscribed category.
How much does it cost to send text messages and emails?
Text messages are $25 per year, plus $15 for each block of 1000 messages. Email is based on purchasing a block of 5 email accounts for $120 per year.
Is there a limit on how many emails and texts we can send?
There is no limit on the number of email or text messages that can be sent at one time. Recipients must have a US based phone number for text messages.
Can we schedule email and text messages to be sent automatically in the future?
Yes. Email and text messages can be scheduled to be sent immediately or at a future date and time. Messages that have not yet been sent can also be canceled.
Can we see if the homeowners open an email?
You can add a tracking capability to an email to determine when the recipient first opens the message. However, this is dependent upon the recipient’s email software/provider allowing the message to be tracked.
Can we send a message out to a group of people (not the entire community)?
Yes. You can segment your audience and send messages only to selected residents as you choose.
What types of support do you provide?
We assign you one of our Personal Project Managers throughout your website building process. You can also reach us Monday through Thursday 8:00am – 5:00pm EST and Friday 8:00am – 4:00pm EST, excluding holidays. Some after hours support is provided as well. View real-time statistics on the responsiveness of our support. Helpful Tips are also located throughout the Admin Panel to give you quick tips on best practices and to help you administer your website.
Do I need to know anything about websites to do this?
No. Our user-friendly Admin Panel is designed to be a self-service portal for non-technical people. You’ll be able to edit your text, upload documents and control your website’s functionality through our familiar interface. If you’re comfortable using programs such as email software you will find the Admin Panel very easy to use. You’ll simply add your text in a box, click save and it’s live on your website. No HTML or technical knowledge needed.
Can I see a demo?
Yes. Visit our demo page.
Do you advertise on our website?
No. We do not force any advertisements onto your website. We will however place a link back to HOA Sites at the bottom of your website. Any sponsors you have who wish to advertise on your website is 100% income to your association.
Where will our website be located and will it be secure?
We selected one of North America’s greatest data centers, Rackspace, to house our network of high-powered servers. They use best practices to provide the secure and stable environment required to meet our needs.
How many features does HOA Sites offer?
We offer 66 features that can be included on your HOA website.
How does having an HOA website help us reach quorum?
Because online voting is more convenient for members, it increases both engagement and participation. This helps HOAs reach quorum quicker than traditional manual voting.
How can we track maintenance requests through our website?
Maintenance staff can view maintenance request tickets, plus post replies and send email notifications.
Are previous maintenance requests stored, so there is a history?
Maintenance requests are stored indefinitely.
How can we save money and time using an HOA website to manage our community?
You can organize and save member documents like policies, minutes and rules and regulations on your HOA website in the members-only section, so there’s no need to print documents and mail them out repeatedly; saving communities thousands of dollars in time and mailing costs.
Why would homeowners want to book their own amenities?
Homeowners enjoy the convenience of booking amenities and paying fees without contacting community managers. Plus, the website allows homeowners to see real-time availability of each amenity.
Can we post surveys?
Yes. Online surveys give you the opportunity to ask for your members’ opinions on topics you choose. You can post multiple surveys and members can view real-time results after they have voted. Closed surveys can be left online for viewing only. Members may also leave a comment with their vote to further share their thoughts. This also includes the ability to restrict one vote per survey.
Can residents create their own profiles?
Yes. The registration process allows visitors to fill out a form with their personal details and submit the information through the website. Their details are then stored in the administrative side of the website. New members can either be automatically approved or require an administrator’s approval.
What if a member does not want to be included in the member directory?
Being a part of the member directory is optional for members.
Can posting homes for sale and rent on our community website help?
Yes, it’s a great way to advertise not only the home, but your HOA community too. So, it increases prospect interest.