Associa CEO John Carona Joins Building Texas Show to Discuss HOA Management

Setting the record straight on homeowners associations

Much of the episode is aimed at an audience with strong opinions about HOAs. Carona's case for them is a financial one. "The most important thing homeowners associations do is they preserve the value for the owners themselves by adding some degree of conformity, some reasonable rules and regulations," he said, noting that property values in communities with mandatory homeowners associations have been shown repeatedly to grow at a faster rate than those outside them.

He also addressed the friction directly. Survey after survey, he said, shows that just north of 95% of residents living in community associations appreciate the experience. "Now, four to five percent out there feel otherwise. And it's our job as a management company to try to address the issues that those four to five percent bring up." Associa now surveys every board of directors it represents three times a year to catch problems early enough to act on them.

Technology, training, and a family culture

Asked what sets Associa apart, Carona pointed to two things: technology and the amount the company spends each year training its people. "We live in the Amazon age. People want more for less, and there's nothing wrong with that," he said. "That same technological application applies with community associations, and we have to be able to do a better job, a more timely job, and do it for lower dollars."

Associa operates 340 branch offices across the United States, ranging from ten to 150 employees, and serves 44 of the 50 states. That footprint, Carona said, gives employees a rare ability to move markets without leaving the company, one reason Associa still employs people with 25, 30, and even 40 years of tenure. Employees have voted the company a national best place to work for nine consecutive years, an achievement Carona singled out above all others: "Nothing makes me prouder than that."

Next stop: Europe

Associa recently acquired the number two operator in Spain, its first large international purchase, and expects to be the number one operator in that market by the close of December. Carona described it as the opening move in a three-to-five-year rollout across Europe, with the UK, France, and Italy on the list and inbound interest already arriving from Germany.

The vocabulary changes by country, as parts of Canada call them stratas, but the work does not. "Whatever they call them, the procedure and the type of service is more or less the same."

For homeowners buying into Texas's booming triangle, his closing advice was blunt: scrutinize transportation, scrutinize location, and scrutinize build quality, because Texas does not license builders. "From time to time, bad actors can come on the scene."

The full episode is available now wherever you get your podcasts.

About John J. Carona

John J. Carona is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Associa, the industry's leading provider of community management services. A former Texas State Senator and Texas State Representative, Carona combines more than five decades of entrepreneurial leadership and public service experience to advance innovation, operational excellence, and exceptional service for the communities Associa serves worldwide. Carona is a published author of three books, and a highly sought-after public speaker in government relations, public policy, HOAs, communities, and thought leader on issues affecting the community living experience.

About The Building Texas Show

The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, spotlights the founders, operators, and civic leaders shaping the fastest-growing state in the country. Each week the show goes inside Texas-built companies to unpack how they scaled, who they serve, and what their growth means for communities across the Triangle and beyond. New episodes release weekly on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This episode is available now wherever podcasts are heard.