Have HOA Management questions? 

We are interviewed by perhaps 75 boards a year who are interested in our services. Not surprisingly, they share similar concerns and ask similar questions. We are providing these “FAQs” to you so that you may have better clarity of our company. This list is not comprehensive, but here are the questions we respond to at many interviews:

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What is your "story"?

Progressive Property Management, Inc. (residential property management), dba Partners Real Estate Group (real estate sales), dba Progressive Association Management (association management) is 100% owned by Scott P. Brady. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Comparative Literature (German, Latin & English), earned his MBA from Cal State Fullerton and obtained his broker’s license in 1997. He became a top producing real estate agent, joined the Coldwell Banker franchise in 2003, and experienced first-hand, the Great Recession. After crawling through that financial wreckage, he started Progressive Property Management in 2012 to not only survive any recession, but to thrive in any residential market.

From 0 doors under management in 2012, Progressive now manages over 1,000 residential properties (doors). In 2014, Progressive started allowing agents working for their sister company, Partners Real Estate Group, to manage properties. The goal is to add a minimum of 50 residential properties a year. In 2020, when the Covid lockdown occurred and there was the potential for a statewide “rent holiday” and a threat to residential management income, he started Progressive Association Management and now expects to add 30 to 40 associations a year or 2,000 to 3,000 owners. We currently manage about 125 associations and 7,000 owners.

How long have you been in business?

Like many residential management companies, we were receiving inquiries from associations asking us to manage their communities. Spurred by COVID, we started Progressive Association Management in 2020. We have found that communities that are 20 to 200 owners in size are being neglected by the industry. They are either too small for the large management companies, too big for the very small “mom and pop” companies, and there is just a shortage of mid-sized companies (managing 50 to 250 communities). Progressive had the opportunity to build a company and business model to provide a higher level of service to these communities at a fair, transparent price. We now manage over 125+ communities that are 12 to 700 owners in size, but our average community size is about 100 owners.
Where is your office?
Our main office is at 1290 N. Hancock St., Ste. 202 in Anaheim. That is where our 2 departments are located. You will find accounts receivable (collecting dues), accounts payable (paying all invoices), collections, financials, and management. We have three branch offices where Community Managers can congregate and prepare board packages, in Pasadena, Vista, and soon Oxnard. For the most part, our Community Managers work out of their homes and are “remote”. We require they live within 30 minutes of any community they manage, but their business office is usually at home.
What makes your business different?
There are many association management companies and most share the same business model: they have a salaried Community Manager, who makes $70,000 to $90,000 a year, and they require them to manage a minimum of two to three times that salary in base management fees. So, for a community of 100 paying $1,850 a month in the base management fee (using our pricing), with a Community Manager making $7,000 month, they would be required to manage 8 to 11 communities, perform 16 to 22 on-site walks and meeting, answer to 40 to 50 board members and another 800 to 1,100 owners. They are assigned an almost impossible task.

At Progressive, we pay our managers 50% of the base management fee and limit them to 5 communities or 500 owners, whichever comes first. Since they are licensed real estate agents, they are not salaried, but rather earn a commission. Most are not full-time working out of a cubicle in one of our offices, but work part-time from their home. By limiting the number of communities and owners they manage and paying them more, we expect them to provide a higher level of customer service. Also, if it is a fit, and you are satisfied with their service and they enjoy managing your community, they may be your manager for years because they will not be moved up to more profitable community or be promote to Senior Community Manager, because there is no such career path at Progressive.

What are all your fees?
In addition to your base management fee, we charge three recurring fees and a one-time fee: a management software access fee ($1.15/per owner per month); an annual budget assistance fee ($5 per owner per year); recording meeting minutes ($75 per meeting); and a one-time set up fee of $10 per owner. We are also entitled to be reimbursed for hard costs incurred for your community (paper, printing, postage, etc.). We do not charge to coordinate vendors, communicate with your attorney or interact with your vendors as many other companies do. If an owner pays late, we do retain 50% of the late charge. In addition, if the board requests for us to mail out documents to the community, or if there are boxes requiring storage, we are reimbursed for our costs as follows:

Office Expense Reimbursement
Paper $.10
Printing $.10
Envelope (small) $.25
Copies (black & white) $.25
Copies (color) $.40
Envelope (large) $.50
Postage $.63 (or cost)
Per Box Storage $3.00
How do you calculate your base monthly management fee?
Our pricing is completely transparent and not pulled out of thin air. You can visit our website and go to our pricing page but it is based on two factors: how many owners are in your community and the total amount of your monthly dues. We charge a flat fee per owner which decreases as the number of owner increases due to economies of scale, and 3% of your total monthly dues higher dues means more common area covered by the association and more complex finances. Here is a table of those fees so you can calculate your base monthly fee yourself.
Why do you charge a software access fee of $1.15 per owner per month?
This the fee our management software company (Cinc) charges us. Unlike other software providers, who charge an additional fee for owners to pay online, there is no additional fee with Cinc. We chose this software because of how robust it is. Owners have their own portal where they can pay online, make maintenance requests and communicate with our company. The board may also allow free access to community documents in this portal. The board has a higher level of access and can review the monthly financials and bank statements and approve invoices.
What if we don't like our Community Manager?
Sometimes it is not a fit between the manager and the board. If that occurs, we expect you to reach out to our management team and we can find another manager to assume your account. We ask that you give your manager a few months to get acclimated to the board and community before making that request.
How can you provide better communication and customer service?
We understand that effective communication, between the board, the Community Manager and your owners and both the manager and our company is paramount to a successful business relationship. To achieve better communication, the board will have the cell phone number of their manager. We ask that you use this judiciously, during working hours, and prefer communication to go through one board director. Assuming the board follows this request, the manager should return calls or text messages almost immediately, but certainly within 24 hours. In our management agreement, we guarantee to return any owner’s email or call within 2 business days or we pay a financial penalty (we reduce our management fee by $100 for that month). We also have a local emergency number.
Do you have proper insurance?
Since we manage almost 1,000 properties and over 120 associations, we understand the importance of comprehensive and effective insurance. We carry the following policies:

  • General Liability – This covers any damage to person or property at a community, rental property or during the course of work.
  • Errors and Omissions – This covers an agent for real estate related activities includes residential property management, association management and real estate sales.
  • Cybertheft – Anyone who handles money is a target of unscrupulous criminals looking to steal funds. This can be business operating, trust or even reserve funds.
  • Workers Compensation – If an employee, manager or agent is injured on the job, their injury is covered by this state fund.
  • Fidelity Bond – We have a $1,000,000 Fidelity Bond to protect the funds we have on hand.
How do we start using your company?
First you must terminate the agreement with your current company. Review that contract carefully, some contracts allow termination with 30-day notice, others 60-day, but a few only allow you to cancel the contract during a specific 30-day window or the contract automatically renews for another year. Once that agreement is terminated, which can be done via email or written notice, you will execute our contract. Once that is complete, we will start the transition process. This includes reaching out to your current company, obtaining the “owner role”, picking up governing documents, changing banks and on boarding your owners. We can transition a community in 30 days, but 45 days is preferable.
What is your Vision, Mission, Purpose & Principles?

We are happy to share our Vision, Mission, Purpose and Principles. Every manager, team member and anyone else associated with our company is introduced to these concepts and held accountable to them.
Our Vision:
We set the standard of excellence in association and residential management services.
Our Mission:
We liberate real estate agents from income instability.
Our Purpose:
The more successful we are, the more good we can do.
Our Principles:
– We are in the business of constant change.
– If is too calm, we are not going fast enough.
– Results over process: don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
– Taking market share is a hand to hand battle.
– The customer is not always right, just usually. Find out first.
– Do what you said you were going to, when you said you would do it.
– We make money doing the things few else want to do.
– If we do all the above, we can’t be stopped.
– The customer is not always right, just usually. Find out first.

Why do you charge a fee to take the meeting minutes?
Some of our communities task the Secretary of the board with the duty of recording the minutes and this frees us of this responsibility. Since the minutes are such an important document for the association, many communities prefer us to handle this job, and we charge $75 to record the minutes and have them approved by the board for each meeting. This fee is kept entirely by the Community Manager.
Why do you charge an annual fee of $5 per owner for budget assistance?
Some of our communities have a Financial Committee or a board member with the skill set to create a proposed budget for the association, and we would then not charge this fee. If a board prefers us to create an annual budget, we look at what the community planned to spend, what they actually spent, compare that to the Reserve Study which estimates what the community will spend in the future and create both a budget and recommended dues increase (if any). The board has the ultimate authority to decide on the amount of the monthly dues and this is just a recommendation.
What is included in the base management fee?
Our contract is 19 pages long and you can find a sample contract on our website (www.Progressive-AM.com). But here is an attachment in that contract that spells out our responsibilities:

  • Owner online payment of monthly assessments
  • Monthly billing and collection of dues
  • Reminder statements to homeowners who do not pay on time
  • Collection of late fees (split 50/50 with association)
  • Monthly accounting services
    • Balance Sheets
    • Monthly Profit & Loss
    • Year to Date Profit & Loss
    • Collection Status
    • Bank Reconciliation
    • Bank Statements
    • Register Report
  • Attendance of a meeting with board monthly
  • Attend one annual meeting with board
  • Schedule, notice and coordinate Board and general membership meetings
  • Monthly visitation and walk through of premises with designated board member
  • Payment to all vendors with prior approval from board
  • Due diligence of all vendors
  • Review of all vendor work
  • Communication with board on all matters
  • Any payments to vendors, in any amount to be communicated to board members
  • Provide escrow holders information and documents as requested in writing with fees charged to the escrow holder for services rendered
  • Assist with securing other professionals as needed
    • Reserve Study
    • Income Taxes
    • Legal Expertise
    • Debt Collection
  • Compliance with all local and state laws
  • Report annual budget to association
  • Conduct annual election for association
Will you increase our management fee in a year?
Not necessarily, but we do look at two factors in making that decision: the rate of the inflation and if the time spent by our Community Manager on your association was reasonable and within our expected KPI (key process indicator). If inflation is 3% or higher, and our costs are increasing, we must pass this cost on to our clients to remain profitable and in business. With regards to our KPI, we expect our communities to require a reasonable amount of time of their Community Manager and we have calculated that amount to be 13 minutes per owner per month. For a community with 70 owners, that equals approximately 15 hours (70 owner x 13 minutes per owner = 910 total minutes /60minutes = 15 hours). This is an estimate and not exact, but if that same community is consuming every month 20 hours of that manager’s time, we need to increase our fee to compensate that manager appropriately. We will communicate to the board clearly if this is the case prior to the renewal period.
How long is your contract? Can we cancel it?
Your initial contract is one year in length. We cannot change the monthly management fee during that period. We are so confident in our business model and the service we will provide to you, that you can cancel our contract at any time for any reason with a 30-day notice. We also have the right to cancel the contract, but we must provide 60-day notice to you.
Are your Community Manager trained and certified?
We require every manager to obtain their Certified Community Association Manager (CCAM) certification from the California Association of Community Managers (CACM). Our managers are also all licensed California real estate agents. In addition, we provide in-house training, ongoing education and mentor programs.
Do we get to choose our Community Manager?
No. Once you sign our agreement and we begin the transition process we will reach out to Community Managers who qualify to manage your association (they live within 30 minutes and manage fewer than 5 communities or 500 owners) and provide information on your community and needs. After we have identified that person, we will set up a meeting for a walk through of your community so they can begin the process of understanding your community and getting familiar with your governing documents.
If your Community Managers are Independent Contractors, do they work for other companies?
No. A licensed real estate agent can only hang their license with one brokerage. All our Community Managers hang their license with Progressive Property Management, Inc., Department of Real Estate #01958885. There is a carve out in California law (AB5) that allows certain occupations to be considered Independent Contractors and be exempt as an employee. Real estate agents who are engaged in real estate related activities are included in this group. Our managers prefer the lifestyle of an Independent Contractor but enjoy the stable monthly income afforded by managing communities.
Can we still use our vendors?
We are not here to replace vendors with whom you are satisfied. We don’t own a maintenance company and have no financial interest in any vendor you choose. If you are not satisfied with a current vendor or have a job that requires a vendor you have never used before, we are happy to get 3 vendors bids for you. Since we manage so many properties and associations, vendors are eager to get our business and provide both a competitive quote while providing quality work.
Can we see a sample contract?
You may visit our website (www.Progressive-AM.com) and you will find a sample contract there. If you wish to move forward with us, we will customize a contract for you for your approval, and if they board decides to hire us, we can send that contract over for signature via Docusign.
Will you do “financials only”?
No. Some in the industry will charge less than their full-service management fee and provide “financials only”. This includes monthly financials, accounts payable, accounts receivable and collections: the board is responsible for everything else. Here is what we have found: we end up providing full service management at a “financials only” reduced fee. We feel we have a fiduciary and legal responsibility to keep our boards in compliance with all the Davis-Stirling statutes and provided limited services would not accomplish that.

Still have a question? Contact us at Progressive Association Management, and we’ll talk about anything on your mind.

  • The manager for our property is Alyssa. She is very professional, always quick to return phone calls and emails, and is very proactive in getting needed quotes and repairs. She is a huge asset to Progressive.

    Lisa Bruchet Avatar Lisa Bruchet

    I had the privilege of working with Alyssa Kraus. She is incredibly responsive, detailed oriented, and knowledgeable. So grateful for all her help!

    Hannah Bruchet Avatar Hannah Bruchet

    Sam is by far the best i have worked with. She's always available and replies in a timely manner. Always a pleasure working with her. Thank you for all you do for us.

    Karina Sanchez Avatar Karina Sanchez

  • Sam is such a wonderful person. She helped me and she has great customer service!

    Minerva Castro Avatar Minerva Castro

    LOVE SAM!! she knew exactly what i needed help with and she explained everything so my husband and I could understand it. HIGHLY recommended to anyone who is thinking of moving to Orange.

    Lauren Ruiz Avatar Lauren Ruiz

    Highly recommend working with them. SAM is amazing and she helped me and my wife with everything we needed.

    Marco Ruiz Avatar Marco Ruiz

  • Sam helped me out last time and was very kind and patient with me. Extremely wonderful experience I definitely recommend asking for Sam!

    Elena Gutierrez Avatar Elena Gutierrez

    Sam is the greatest, ask for her every time

    Jose Hernandez Avatar Jose Hernandez

    This is the best company very professional I’m xtremely satisfied whit the costumer service Sam provide…thank you .

    ImAussie Avatar ImAussie

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We are the best Property Management Company in the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego..

Progressive Property Management Inc. has been involved in the local real estate and rental market for years. We understand the price points, the tenant pool, and the local vendors and contractors.

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Progressive Property Management Inc.

1290 N Hancock St, Ste 202, Anaheim, CA, 92807
202 S. Lake, Pasadena, CA, 91101
1-800-665-2149 | (714) 528-5522
info@progressive-am.com
CA DRE #01958885

Progressive Property Management Inc.
San Diego Office

138 Civic Center Drive, #201
Vista, CA 92084
1-800-665-2149 | (714) 528-5522
info@progressive-am.com
CA DRE #01958885