# Self-Managed HOA Board Starter Pack — Start Here

Welcome! This free pack gives volunteer board members of small self-managed HOAs and condo associations (roughly 5–250 units) a working set of tools: money tracking, budgeting, meetings, vendor decisions, and board transitions.

**Before anything else, read `DISCLAIMER.md`.** Everything here is educational, all sample data is fictional, and every template must be adapted to your governing documents and state law.

## Quick start (15 minutes)

1. Open **HOA_Dues_Tracker.xlsx** and replace the sample settings and unit list with your own.
2. Open **HOA_Annual_Budget_Workbook.xlsx** and skim the Instructions tab.
3. Print **Board_Meeting_Agenda_Template.docx** for your next meeting.

A simple color rule applies in every spreadsheet: **blue text = cells you edit**, **black text = formulas (leave them alone)**, **green text = values pulled from another tab**.

## What's in the pack

### Money
| File | What it does |
|---|---|
| **HOA_Dues_Tracker.xlsx** | Tracks who has paid dues. Enter your settings, units, and payments; the Dues_Status and Aging_Summary tabs calculate balances, late flags, and aging buckets automatically. |
| **HOA_Annual_Budget_Workbook.xlsx** | Builds your annual budget: dues income, operating expenses (with budget-vs-actual variance), reserve contributions, a summary with the per-unit monthly dues needed, and a 12-month cash-flow view. Sample models a fictional 24-unit condo. |

### Meetings
| File | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Board_Meeting_Agenda_Template.docx** | One-page fill-in agenda with a timing column — from call to order through open forum and adjournment. |
| **Board_Meeting_Minutes_Template.docx** | Matching minutes template with attendance/quorum block, a motion–vote–outcome table, and an action-item table. Record decisions, not discussion. |

### Decisions
| File | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Vendor_Comparison_Worksheet.xlsx** | Compare up to 4 bids side by side with weighted scoring (price, scope, insurance/licensing, references, responsiveness, terms). Sample vendors are fictional — replace them. |
| **Software_Selection_Scorecard.xlsx** | Same idea for choosing HOA software: weight what matters to *your* association, score up to 5 products after demos, and the totals rank themselves. |

### Transitions & organization
| File | What it does |
|---|---|
| **New_Board_Member_Checklist.docx** | A 30/60/90-day onboarding path: get the documents, understand the finances, then contribute. |
| **Treasurer_Transition_Checklist.docx** | Step-by-step handoff when the treasurer changes: bank signers, records, software credentials, and a basic controls review — with a sign-off block. |
| **Records_Inventory_Template.xlsx** | One place to list every association record, where it lives, who keeps it, and typical retention practice (verify against your state law). |
| **Annual_Board_Operations_Calendar.xlsx** | Month-by-month grid of recurring board tasks — budget season, insurance renewal, annual meeting, tax filing, inspections. Move the dots to match your year. |

## Tips for getting the most out of it

- **Save a clean copy** of the pack before editing, so you can always start a template over.
- **Delete the sample rows** (names like "A. Sample" and vendors like "Alpha Sample Co.") once your real data is in — they exist only to show how the formulas behave.
- **Don't retype formula cells.** If you add units or rows, copy an existing formula row so the calculations extend correctly.
- These files work in Excel, LibreOffice, and Google Sheets/Docs (minor formatting differences are normal).

Questions the templates can't answer — legal interpretation, tax filings, reserve adequacy — belong with your association's attorney, CPA, or reserve specialist.