What Property Specialists, Inc. does

Property Specialists, Inc. (PSI) is a privately held, family-owned community association management firm headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, founded in 1975 by Tracy Hill and operated since 2014 under CEO Cathy Ryan. The firm manages residential community associations (HOAs, condominium associations including mid- and high-rise buildings, planned unit developments, master associations, and developer-led new construction communities) across Northern Illinois — principally the Chicagoland area and Chicago Collar Counties — with selected activity in Wisconsin. PSI delivers three core service tiers: Full Management (comprehensive financial, maintenance, board, and homeowner services), Financials Only (standalone accounting and budget services), and New Construction Management (governing document review, initial budgeting, and developer-to-homeowner transition support). Revenue is generated from recurring management fees scaled to community size and service scope, supplemented by per-transaction closing document fees via CondoCerts and a $150 annual VIVE vendor certification fee.

The operating platform is built on the Vantaca management software with separate homeowner and board member portals providing real-time access to financial records, maintenance requests, and payment processing (ACH, e-check, credit card, auto-draft). PSI layers three partnership-driven tools on top: VIVE for vendor credentialing and insurance tracking, CondoCerts for resale disclosure and closing document delivery to lenders and title companies, and a 24/7 emergency answering service dispatching community association managers. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, using a Request a Proposal intake process, CAI (Community Associations Institute) involvement, a client and service provider referral program, and content marketing through the PSInsider blog. The firm holds the AAMC designation (CAI's highest honor for management companies), an A+ BBB rating, and is led by an executive team (Cathy Ryan as CEO, Brittany Kojzarek as President & COO, Ashley Ryan as CFO, Sarah Tasic as EVP of New Construction) most of whom carry CMCA, AMS, and PCAM professional designations.

Name

Property Specialists, Inc.

Legal name

Property Specialists, Inc.

Website

https://psimanagement.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Property Specialists, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned community association management firm founded in 1975, serving HOAs, condominium associations, planned unit developments, and developer-led new construction communities throughout Northern Illinois (Chicagoland, Collar Counties, and select Wisconsin markets).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Association Management

NAICS

Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Residential Property Managers (531311), Other Activities Related to Real Estate (531390)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

HOA / Condominium Association Management (BPAJAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association Compliance, Governance & Board Support Services (BPAJAHAN), Association Maintenance, Vendor & Capital Project Management (BPAJAHAM), New Development / Declarant Transition Management (BPAJAHAK)

Keywords

• Community association management
• HOA management services
• Condominium association management
• Property management services
• Association financial management

Headquarters

HQ city

Elgin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Full Management Services: Comprehensive community association management including financial services, maintenance coordination, board support, and administrative services. Billed as recurring management fees based on community size and services required.
2. Financials Only Services: Focused accounting and financial management services for associations that handle day-to-day operations independently. Includes budget preparation, invoice processing, assessment collection, and monthly financial preparation.
3. New Construction Management: Specialized management services for developer-controlled communities, including governing document review, initial pro-rata budget preparation, bid specification preparation, and transition to homeowner control.
4. VIVE Vendor Certification: Vendor credentialing and monitoring service with a nominal annual fee of $150 per vendor firm.
5. Closing Document Services: Resale disclosure and demand document preparation through CondoCerts platform. Fees charged per transaction for document delivery to lenders, title companies, and real estate agents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Property Specialists, Inc. provides full-service community association management for HOAs, condominium associations, planned unit developments, master associations, and new construction/developer-led communities in Northern Illinois. Core service tiers include Full Management (financial, maintenance, board, and homeowner support), Financials Only (accounting, budgets, assessments, monthly financials), and New Construction Management (governing document review, pro-rata budgeting, developer transition). Operations are supported by Vantaca management software, online portals, VIVE vendor credentialing, and CondoCerts closing document delivery.

Product overview

Property Specialists, Inc. offers a modular community association management platform with three core service tiers: Full Management (comprehensive management including financials, maintenance, and board support), Financials Only (standalone accounting and budget services), and New Construction Management (specialized services for developer-led communities). The platform is powered by Vantaca management software and supplemented by add-on modules including the VIVE vendor certification service, online homeowner/board member portals, closing document services via CondoCerts, and online payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Management Comprehensive community association management services including financial management, maintenance coordination, board support, homeowner communication, and on-site inspections for HOAs, condominium associations, and PUDs in Northern Illinois.
• Financials Only Standalone accounting and financial services for self-managed associations, including budget preparation, invoice processing, assessment collection, monthly financial preparation, and closing document preparation.
• New Construction Management Association management services for developer-led and transitioning new construction communities, including governing document review, initial pro-rata budget preparation, bid specification preparation, developer board support, and transition to homeowner control.
• VIVE Vendor Verification Service Vendor certification and insurance tracking service that reviews contractor documents including insurance certificates, policy endorsements, licenses, and W-9s to minimize association risk and liability. Priced at $150 per vendor firm annually.
• Closing Documents Service (CondoCerts) Online delivery of association closing documents and resale disclosure data to lenders, title companies, escrow companies, and real estate agents via CondoCerts, replacing days- or weeks-long manual processes with same-day electronic delivery.
• Online Payment Services Multiple homeowner assessment payment options including ACH transfers, credit card payments, e-check, auto-draft scheduling, and online banking bill payment, with a $25 processing fee for in-person dropped-off payments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly unaudited financials delivered to Board of Directors prior to the 15th of each month
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VIVE (Vendor Information Verification Experts)coreTechnology or IntegrationPSI partners with VIVE to consolidate vendor licensing and insurance tracking. VIVE collects W-9s, trade licenses, and insurance documentation for vendors working with PSI-managed communities. The partnership helps minimize association liability exposure from contractor hiring.
• CondoCertscoreTechnology or IntegrationPSI utilizes CondoCerts as the standard for disseminating closing documents and data to the real estate community. Over 750,000 lenders, title companies, and real estate agents use the platform. Documents are delivered online in minutes rather than days or weeks.
• Community Associations Institute (CAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSI has long-standing involvement with CAI as a resource for homeowner volunteers and community association managers. CAI provides education programs, best practices, research, and tools for industry professionals. PSI covers employee CAI event attendance.
• Kovitz Shifrin Nesbit (KSN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSI maintains relationship with KSN for community association legal expertise including tax law, property tax appeals, and governing document interpretation. KSN provides educational content for PSI's blog.
• Lifeline Plumbing Heating and CoolingminorOthersVendor contributing educational content to PSI's blog about frozen pipes prevention and remediation for Chicagoland homeowners.
• BELFOR Property RestorationminorOthersProperty restoration partner providing emergency water and fire damage content for PSI's homeowner education blog.
• McBath ConstructionminorOthersConstruction partner providing energy-saving tips and services content for PSI's blog. PSI has worked with McBath on community projects.
• Giertsen CompanyminorOthersRestoration and exterior construction company providing expertise on ice damming prevention and repair for PSI's homeowner education content.
• BELFORminorOthersProperty restoration experts providing cold weather burst pipe prevention tips for PSI's blog in January 2024.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Vantaca: Cloud-based community association management software platform used by PSI as its core operating system. Comparable as a technology ecosystem participant serving the same HOA/condo management market; also serves many of PSI's direct competitors.
• CondoCerts: Closing document and resale disclosure platform used by PSI as a service to its managed communities. Comparable as an adjacent technology partner serving the same HOA/condo market; also serves PSI's competitors.
• Kingsley Surpass (Kingsley Associates): Research and benchmarking firm that scores community association management companies on behalf of HOA boards. Comparable as an ecosystem participant that influences the competitive dynamics and customer perception of firms like PSI.

Direct peers

• Community Management Associates: Mid-sized community association management firm serving HOAs and condominium associations with financial, administrative, and maintenance coordination services. Directly comparable service offering and customer base to PSI's Full Management practice.
• RealManage: Technology-enabled community association management company serving HOAs and condominiums across multiple U.S. regions. Comparable to PSI in core offering but differentiates through its proprietary software platform; represents both a peer and a potential competitive threat via technology.
• Cedar Management Group: Regional community association management company offering full-service HOA and condominium management. Comparable in service mix and customer base to PSI, with similar geographic specialization in select U.S. markets.
• Sentry Management: Regional community association management firm serving HOAs and condominiums with full-service financial, maintenance, and administrative management. Closely comparable in service mix (full management, financials, new construction) and target customer (community association boards) to PSI.

Broad incumbents

• FirstService Residential: One of the largest residential property and community association management firms in North America. Directly comparable as a full-service HOA/condo manager competing for the same boards PSI serves in Chicagoland, but operating nationally with proprietary technology and significantly greater scale.
• Associa: Largest community association management company in North America, serving HOAs, condos, and master-planned communities. Highly comparable in core offering (HOA/condo management), but operates at national scale with proprietary platforms and is an active acquirer of regional managers.
• HomeRiver Group: National residential property and HOA management platform combining local operating companies under a unified brand. Comparable in residential property management focus but operates at broader geographic and asset-type scale than PSI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/property-specialists-inc-107847502626335
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/property-specialists-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Property Specialists, Inc.