The GnomeOwner blog
Plain-English guides for self-managed HOA and condo boards — written by someone who runs one.
HOA Chart of Accounts: A Free Template for a Small, Self-Managed Association
A chart of accounts is the list of categories your HOA uses to record every dollar. A starter chart of about 25 accounts that matches your budget, with operating and reserve kept apart, and a free spreadsheet.
HOA Budget Template for a Small, Self-Managed Association (Free Spreadsheet)
What a small HOA budget contains, how to estimate each line from last year's bank statements, worked 10-unit and 40-unit examples, and a free spreadsheet with a separate reserve line.
HOA Insurance for a Volunteer Board: D&O, Fidelity and the Master Policy
The three policies a volunteer HOA board deals with, in plain words: master, D&O and crime or fidelity. What each covers, who requires it, and what to gather before you call an agent.
HOA Treasurer Report Template: What to Include Each Month (Free Spreadsheet)
The six sections of a monthly HOA treasurer report, how to build it from your bank statements, a sample layout, and a free spreadsheet template.
How to Run a Self-Managed HOA (Without a Manager)
A plain guide for volunteer boards: what a self-managed HOA has to do, who does what, how to run the money, what varies by state, what a manager costs, and a 12-month calendar.
QuickBooks for a Small HOA: When It Fits, When It Doesn't, and How to Set It Up
An honest guide for volunteer treasurers: when QuickBooks Online is the right tool for a small HOA, what it costs in October 2026, how to set it up for operating and reserve funds, and when HOA software or a spreadsheet is enough.
Self-Managed HOA Software: A Buyer's Guide
What actually makes software fit a volunteer board, what it costs at 10/25/100/300 units, and an honest look at where PayHOA, Buildium, and a spreadsheet are the right call instead.
When a Board Member Leaves With the Spreadsheet: Recovering Your HOA's Records
The ledger isn't actually gone. Where to find it, without the last treasurer's cooperation: your bank, the county recorder, your state's corporate filing, and the one Florida statute that already legislates this exact problem.
Two HOA Laws That Don't Exist — and What Actually Governs South Dakota and Wyoming
Multiple HOA websites cite a 'South Dakota Planned Community Act' and a 'Wyoming Planned Community Ownership Act.' Neither exists. Here's what the states' own statute text actually says, and how we checked all 50 states against it.
What an HOA Compliance Calendar Can Actually Do (and What It Cannot)
An HOA compliance calendar is a shared record of recurring and triggered board work. It can keep deadlines, sources where available, and handoffs visible. It cannot make a board legally compliant or replace a lawyer.
What Does an Ohio HOA Have to Do Every Year? A Planned-Community Checklist
For an Ohio planned community, the recurring statutory work includes an annual owner meeting and annual budget/reserve decision, plus ongoing records and insurance duties. This is the plain checklist, with Ohio's own code linked.
Handling a Delinquent Owner: the Process We'd Use, Not the Threat
A calm, six-step process for handling a delinquent owner that recovers more money and preserves the neighborhood relationship, not a legal escalation script.
What HOA Software Actually Costs (Once You Count Every Fee)
The subscription price on the homepage is rarely the number you pay. A line-by-line look at PayHOA, Buildium, and KindHOA's real costs against ours, sources included, admitting where they win.
Where Your HOA's Dues Actually Land (and Why We Never Touch Them)
A plain explanation of how our payment setup sends dues straight into your HOA's own account, never through ours, plus the real class-action case that shows why the distinction matters.
Georgia Just Gave Your HOA a Second Registration: What SB 406 Actually Requires (With the Statute's Own Words)
Starting January 1, 2027, most Georgia HOAs and condo associations will face a choice: file a new $100/year registration with the Secretary of State (on top of the $30 corporate registration you al…
So You're the New HOA Treasurer: the First 30 Days, Calmly.
You need exactly four things from the old treasurer: the bank access, the ledger (any format), last year's budget, and the governing documents. Everything else can wait a month.