Upgrading a Leading HOA Management Platform for 2M+ Homes

The Client

A US-based SMB and a leading cloud-based community association management solution provider. Established in 2005, the company provides all-in-one software for homeowner associations and communities for everything from architectural designs to managing work orders, violations, and more. It is used by over 600 property management companies and associations in support of over 10,000 communities and 2 million homes across the United States.

Originating as a web-based platform, the company has expanded its availability to mobile users. It helps users automate many common duties required inherent with community management, helping them to save time and make routine tasks an effortless experience. To appreciate the dynamics of community management solutions, the size of the Homeowner Associations market in the United States alone is estimated at $36.7 billion, as of July 2022.

Objectives

The evolution of programming languages and technologies have necessitated many changes for the platform since it was initially written in 2008. While their internal development team kept pace with these changes for close to a decade, several critical components became obsolete or stopped being supported like ASP.NET WebForms.

In response to these developments, the company sought a reliable long-term technology partner with experienced engineers able to scale to their growing needs. Their lead senior architect connected with us based on our client testimonials commending the skills of our engineers and the quality of their work. Their objectives are grouped according to the following areas of focus persisting and emerging over six years of development.

01

Platform Modernization

The initial focus required an upgrade of their .NET Framework 4.6 and a rewrite of all of its components using ASP.NET WebForms for their web-based platform. Their subsequent expansion in offering a mobile version, conjunct with new technologies prompted additional upgrades for better cross-platform support and better performance with their steadily expanding feature set.
02

New Feature Development

As an all-in-one solution, the client is continuously rolling out new features for Homeowner Associations and the residents of their communities.
03

Mobile App Development and Support

Make the web portal available on mobile (Android and iOS) using Xamarin and React Native.
04

Quality Assurance and Automated Testing

Continued growth of both their user base and feature set led to the need for a dedicated QA team for faster resolution of defects.

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Solution and Outcome

In our first meetings with the client’s team, they expressed a need for engineers with deep experience with sophisticated web-based platforms. Our team needed to rapidly integrate with their existing development team and have the flexibility to support shifting priorities to support a rapidly growing user base. We matched them with a fit-for-purpose team of talented engineers from our international award-winning academy with the skills needed to upgrade their technical stack.

JavaScript

Angular

ASP .NET

React Native

Successful collaboration on the immediate modernization effort paved the way for a relationship that has developed over six years. Over this period, not only was the scope of effort expanded to the development of new features but additional upgrades to keep up with technology cycles. Our engineers helped our client achieve their desired outcomes through the following efforts:

Stage 1
In the earliest phase of modernizing the platform, our engineers completely rewrote their ASP.NET WebForms with a combination of ASP.NET WebAPI and AngularJS. This also entailed an upgrade from .NET Framework 4.6 to 4.8. In the second phase, we’ve converted their platform to use .NET 6 and have started to move their applications to Angular 14, which will be released in June 2022.
Stage 2
Preliminary to the development of new features, our team added Webpack and Typescript to support the use of Single Page Applications. This enabled a more convenient User Interface to offset frequent reloads. New features added by our team included:
- Authorization and accounting systems along with integrations with various third-party APIs like AvidXchange and Smartbooks.
- A Resident Portal to facilitate work orders and the resolution of violations of the terms of their Homeowner Association agreements.
- Online payment support for financial institutions serving different homeowner associations.
- Ongoing feature development for their future release schedule.
Stage 3
Duplicating the functionality of the existing platform for mobile was a complex task due to the scale and the intricacies of the application. Still, our team navigated this process smoothly and the mobile app is growing steadily along with the platform. Association managers can use it to manage work orders, check task statuses, approve changes, and more.
Stage 4
Between the substantial growth of the user base over six years and dramatic feature expansion, their dedicated QA effort was expanded from 1 to 3 QA specialists. In addition to an ongoing effort to improve QA and testing processes, we transitioned from Sahi Pro to Cypress, for faster detection and resolution of defects.

A Platform that Homeowner Association Managers Love

Capterra, an online marketplace, and intermediary between buyers and technology vendors, has over 150 reviews with an average overall rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. This is supported by a rating of 4.7 in over two dozen reviews on Google. The following extracts come from reviews on both services:

“The product is straightforward to use and significantly more convenient than monitoring through tangible documents. I appreciate its remote availability. Team participants can effortlessly examine ARC submissions online, eliminating the need for physical presence at gatherings.”
“Having spent 20 years in the real estate sector, I presently manage a community of 1,600 homes under a Property Owners Association. It is difficult to fully express the immense value their platform adds to both your business operations and overall quality of life.”
“The applications for Compliance & ARC are easy to use. Their mobile edition enables property administrators to swiftly document and transmit violations with a simple follow-up process. The ARC program significantly reduces processing durations, freeing up personnel to concentrate on additional tasks. Committee members have shared favorable opinions about the system.”

The mobile application has proven to be a great selling point for new customers and yet another reason for existing customers to stay.
We greatly value and take pride in the relationship we’ve developed with their team since 2016. It reflects our commitment to being trustworthy, long-term technology partners. The ultimate expression of how well software works comes via feedback from the people who use it. This is fundamental to every client’s growth.

About Binary Studio

Binary Studio is a boutique software development company, regularly praised for its unique blend of engineering excellence and product ownership that enables its clients to build robust and scalable software products.
With our development team made up of top 0.5% international tech talent, we build web and mobile platforms using Node.js, .NET, React Native, Flutter, and integrating AI and ML. We also offer full-cycle QA and project management services to ensure the efficient delivery.
Our clients see us as a trusted partner dedicated to turning visions into great products. This is proven by 200+ delivered projects, more than two decades of business excellence, and stellar customer reviews.

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