Condo Q&A

How does your condo association measure and manage reserves?

Written by CondoAssociation.com | Mon, Jul 27, 2015 @ 10:45 AM
We are a Michigan condo association of 136 units in 2, 3, and 4 unit buildings. The development was started in 2007 and is presently about 90% sold (completed). The only state requirement is that reserves must equal 10% of your annual budget on a non-cumulative basis. Our initial reserve study has been completed and we are aware of hurtles we need to overcome to meet future replacement obligations. It’s a lot more than 10% on a non-cumulative basis. We would like some examples of how other condo associations effectively manage their reserve fund. Have you found safe investments other than money markets or CDs? Do you use 6 month, 1 year, or longer CDs? How much in each CD? What percent of the total reserve do you have invested? Has anyone developed an overall strategy or technique (system?) that works well for your association?