December 5, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster

If you attended any of our November chapter meetings in the metro, you saw a great presentation from Shaun Zavadsky, VP at FirstService Residential, one of our sponsors. Shaun presented on the changing face of property management, aided by the evolution of smart technology solutions.

While the pace of change in technology can seem overwhelming and even a little frightening, many industries are being transformed right in front of our eyes to be more customer friendly and efficient for users of their services. Same goes for property management services, like FirstService Residential, which stand to generate major advantages for HOAs via new technologies.

In case you missed it or want added info on this evolution of smart tech, FirstService Residential has provided us with an interesting overview of their approach, below.

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 The Future of HOA Management: Balancing Human Touch with Smart Technology 

With technology and the internet within reach at any given time, the expectations for the immediacy with which you can get information, answers to your questions, or even products delivered to your homes have drastically changed. And how that information is delivered has changed, too. People want an app for everything. 

More than operations 

HOA management is more than just ensuring the day-to-day operations of a community are running smoothly. The ultimate success of an HOA is if it’s a desirable place to live. Meaning, a large part of HOA management includes ensuring residents are happy, and the board members that serve the community are feeling sufficiently supported as they make important decisions that will impact themselves and their neighbors. 

To do this successfully, it’s important for HOA management companies to have a strong presence in the communities they manage. They need to be responsive and provide customer service and community support with a human touch. As service expectations continue to change, that gets harder to do. 

So, what can be done? 

Understanding communication diversity 

When looking to add technology that can improve a resident’s experience and truly assist the people that help manage the community, you need to understand your audience. It’s commonly known that everyone has different learning and communication styles, and that needs to be better reflected in how boards and residents are serviced. 

HOA communities are filled with residents who come from all different walks of life. When seeking assistance with something or needing an answer to a question, you will have some people who prefer to pick up the phone and speak to another person. You will have others who are more comfortable seeking their answers, or requesting services in a digital space, whether by sending emails, filling out an online form, or sending a quick text message. 

As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life. Having multiple ways for residents to interact with their management company is a no-brainer that can make a world of difference for not only the residents but also the board members and managers. How this is done requires a sound strategy and user-friendly tools to succeed. 

Leveraging technology as an ally 

This is where technology comes in, because while smart technology will never replace a community association manager, it does have a place in HOA management. When used correctly, it can be a helpful tool in enhancing responsiveness and the resident experience and maximizing the bandwidth of the manager to focus on board lead directives and accomplishing important tasks that lead to the overall success of the community. 

For example, recognizing this service gap, we at FirstService Residential have introduced HODA, our Homeowner Digital Assistant. The most robust resident support tool in the industry developed by a property management company, specifically to serve the needs of our management teams and the residents who live in the communities we manage. HODA is available by text, webchat and Alexa, 24/7 and in any language, to answer questions about community rules, maintenance inquiries, help with homeowner’s accounts, and much more. 

Amplifying service 

Looking at the bigger picture, the HOA management industry should incorporate technology and AI to support managers and communities while improving how HOA management functions. 

HOA management will always be a people-first, service industry. And the combination of human touch and technology will further enhance customer care and resident experience.