Compare
Three ways to get your community’s work done.
Hire each vendor yourself, hand the association to a management company, or take proposals on HOAcrew™, a VendoRFP platform.
The comparison
Seven questions, three answers
| What it comes down to | Hiring each vendor yourself | A property management company | On HOAcrew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who picks the vendor | You, one call at a time | Often from the manager’s list | You, from written proposals |
| Insurance checked | When you remember to ask | Usually, as part of the service | Before a vendor can propose |
| Proof a visit happened | — | Varies by company | A photo is required to record it |
| Where the invoices land | Six inboxes | Inside the management report | All of them, one place |
| Sales tax and card processing | However each vendor invoices | Often inside the bundle | Tax: its own line · card processing: only on a credit card payment |
| Books, meetings, covenants | — | Yes, that is the job | — |
| What the platform costs | Nothing, you do the work | A monthly management fee | Nothing, at any number of communities |
Management companies differ a lot, and plenty of them track vendor insurance closely.
When the list is short
Hiring each vendor yourselfOne landscaper, one contract, one board member who renews it each spring. You pay nothing for a platform. You also keep the certificate dates, the six inboxes, and the search when a vendor quits in July.Read the long comparisonWhen the board wants the job run
A property management companyAssessments, books, meetings, and covenant enforcement are a management company’s work, and they are not this product’s. Many run compliance and reporting on their vendors extremely well. You pay a management fee and hand over the work.Read the long comparisonWhen the board wants to choose
On HOAcrewVendors propose in writing, on identical terms. You pick one and sign with that vendor. Insurance is checked before a vendor can propose, and a photograph is required to record a visit.See how a board runs an RFPAcreage
Your acreage is drawn on a satellite map
Whichever route you pick, landscaping is priced by the acre, and your acreage is drawn from the parcel boundary.
Basis: netted
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap © Maxar- Common-area grounds (the estimate basis)
- Community boundary
- Gross outline
- 48.0 ac
- Homes, streets and pondsPrivate home lots (124) · Streets (19) · Ponds & parking (0)
- −12.2 ac
- Common-area grounds
- 35.8ac
A landscaping estimate starts from this number. The vendors that propose set the price.
This is a real community, and yours comes up the same way on a satellite map your team can reshape. Treat the acres as a not-to-exceed figure.