Reserve Study Builder
DIY reserve planning · $99 one-time
Who it's forHOA and condo board members and treasurers, especially at smaller associations that manage themselves.
Find out if your HOA has saved enough for big repairs
Roofs, roads, paint and pools all wear out. List what your HOA will have to replace, enter how much is in savings, and see whether the money will be there when it's needed.
- See trouble coming. The year your savings would run out if nothing changes, using your own numbers.
- Know what to charge. How much each owner should pay in per month to keep up.
- Explain it to owners. A clear report and spreadsheet to share with owners and the next board.
- One-time payment
- PDF & Excel
- Secure checkout by Stripe
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What you'll need to replace
| Roof — asphalt shingle | $180,000 | 2031 |
| Exterior paint | $64,000 | 2028 |
| Asphalt overlay | $95,000 | 2034 |
| Pool resurfacing | $22,000 | 2029 |
Is this for you?
Who it's made for
Made for
- Self-managed HOAs and condos building next year's budget
- Boards that have never had a reserve study, or whose last one is out of date
- Treasurers who need to explain a dues increase with numbers
- Boards planning between professional studies
Not for
- Florida condo buildings three stories or higher: state law requires a structural reserve study (SIRS) by a licensed or certified professional
- Associations that must hire a professional because of state law or a mortgage lender
- Anyone who needs the property inspected: you enter your own estimates
What it does for you
A savings plan your owners can understand
See the year your savings would run short if you keep paying in what you pay now.
Everything you'll need to replace in one list, with what it costs and the year it's due.
How well funded you are (your 'percent funded'), worked out the way reserve professionals do it.
Three savings plans side by side, with what each owner pays per month.
A clean PDF for owners and the next board, plus an Excel file you can update every year.
How it works
Three steps, one afternoon
List what you'll need to replace
Roof, paint, paving, pool, boilers. Enter what each would cost today, how long it lasts and how many years it has left.
Enter your savings
How much is in reserves now, how much you put in each year, and the inflation and interest rates to use.
Pick a savings plan
Compare three ways to fund your reserves, see 30 years ahead, and download the report.
What you get
What's in your reserve plan
FAQ
Questions about the Reserve Study Builder
Is this a professional reserve study?
No. It's a planning tool the board fills in with its own estimates. It's built for small, self-managed associations that need a real reserve plan between professional studies, or that have never had one. Some states and lenders require a study prepared by a qualified professional, so check what applies to your association.
Will it satisfy my state or my lender?
No. It's a planning tool, and it isn't designed to meet any state or lender requirement. In Florida, condominium buildings three habitable stories or higher need a structural integrity reserve study performed or verified by a licensed engineer, a licensed architect, a CAI Reserve Specialist or an APRA Professional Reserve Analyst. Fannie Mae accepts a reserve study in place of its budget reserve test only if an independent third party with reserve-study expertise prepared it. California requires a reasonably competent and diligent visual inspection of major components at least every three years once their replacement value is at least half the budget (excluding reserves); this tool doesn't inspect anything. The tool lists the rules for your state when you pick it.
What does it calculate?
When each item needs replacing and what it will cost by then, how much you should have saved by now (each item's cost times its age divided by how long it lasts), your percent funded, a year-by-year forecast, and how much to put in for each savings plan.
What are the funding plans?
Baseline funding keeps the reserve balance from ever going below zero. It needs the lowest contribution but carries the most risk: a cost overrun or early failure can leave the fund short. Threshold funding keeps it above a minimum you choose. Full funding also gets you to 100% funded by the end of the 30 years. You can also see what happens on your current contribution.
Where do the costs and useful lives come from?
Costs come from you: recent bids, invoices, your last study or a contractor's estimate. The tool doesn't make up prices. For common components it suggests a typical useful life from Fannie Mae's multifamily table (pool equipment and irrigation from Florida Housing's 2024 table), which you can change. Update them whenever you get a new bid or replace something, and the whole plan recalculates.
Is it a subscription?
No. It's $99 once. Your plans stay saved in your account, so you can update them every budget season.
Can I share it with owners?
Yes. Download the PDF report for owners or the next board, or the Excel file for your treasurer.
Already bought it? Sign in. Just want a quick estimate? Try the free reserve fund calculator.
Have your reserve plan ready for budget season
$99, once. Your components, your balance, three funding plans and a report owners can read.
The Reserve Study Builder is a do-it-yourself planning tool. Plans made with it are not reserve studies prepared or verified by a credentialed reserve professional, and they don't meet Florida's SIRS requirement, states that require a professional preparer, or Fannie Mae's reserve-study criteria. Check what applies to your association.