Budget season does not have to be overwhelming. With HOAi, Community Association Managers can go from a blank Excel sheet to a draft budget in minutes. The key is understanding how the prompting flow works and how to add advanced instructions.
How Budgeting with HOAi Starts
The process begins with a single click:
"Project a budget for next year based on this year’s performance"
After this, HOAi does not immediately produce a draft. Instead, it will ask you a series of clarifying questions such as:
Are there any planned management fee increases?
Do you expect any changes in utility rates (electric, water, sewer)?
Are there anticipated increases in service contracts (landscaping, trash, insurance, etc.)?
Are there any major capital projects or reserve expenditures planned?
Were assessments adequate this year, or do you anticipate a need for adjustment?
You can either:
Simply let HOAi proceed with the assistant's best judgement by prompting with 'proceed' or
Answer these once they are asked and let HOAi build the draft after collecting your input. The goal here is to give you the opportunity to provide additional context to the assistant before the budget is built. You can choose to answer all questions, some or add relevant context that was not a direct question. (for example: 3% increase in management fees, keep utilities flat, and add $25,000 for tree removal.")
Once HOAi has your instructions, it generates the draft projection.
Why Prompts Matter
HOAi is built to reflect real-world board decisions. Clear prompts let you:
Account for vendor escalations, insurance hikes, and board directives automatically
Exclude unusual one-time events like lawsuits
Cut down hours of manual adjustments before board review
Core Workflow
Every budget follows the same flow:
Start the projection – Click “Project a budget for next year based on this year’s performance.”
Provide instructions – Either respond to HOAi’s clarifying questions or give all adjustments in your first prompt.
Receive the draft projection – HOAi generates a draft incorporating your directions.
Make tweaks in-workflow if needed – Continue your chat to enhance the budget even after it's generated.
Download the file - Once everything looks right, click "Download" in the top right corner of the budget and your Excel document is ready for review!
What HOAi Handles Automatically
Before you start prompting, it helps to know what you don’t need to ask HOAi to do.
HOAi always reviews association documents in the background, so there is no need to prompt it for:
Contracts (e.g., vendor agreements with built-in escalations)
Reserve studies (e.g., recommended contributions for capital projects)
Governing documents (e.g., assessment increase limits or voting requirements)
This information is already factored into the draft projection. Your prompts should focus on business decisions you want reflected in the budget, such as management fee changes, assessment directives, or one-time projects.
Prompts to Enhance Your HOAi Budget
1. Inflation and Cost Adjustments
These prompts are helpful for “steady state” associations where costs rise consistently each year.
"Increase all contracted services by 3%."
"Increase insurance expense by 7%."
"Keep utilities the same as last year’s projection."
Outcome:
A draft budget aligned with expected cost-of-living and vendor increases.
2. Board-Directed Instructions
When the board sets explicit rules, directives, or priorities for the budget.
"Set management fee at $16,452 fixed annually."
"Do not increase assessments this year."
Outcome:
The draft reflects both contractual obligations and the board’s directives.
3. Special or One-Time Projects
Used when unusual or one-time expenses need to be captured clearly.
"Add a one-time expense of $25,000 for tree removal."
"Budget reserve contributions at $50,000 as recommended by board."
"Exclude legal fees from last year’s lawsuit."
Outcome:
The draft highlights special projects without inflating ongoing expenses.
4. Performance-Based Prompts
For associations that want their budget tied closely to actual spending patterns.
"Base utilities on this year’s projection instead of last year’s budget."
"Budget all R&M expense lines at the average of the last 3 years actuals + 5%."
Outcome:
A budget that mirrors real financial performance rather than assumptions.
More Examples of Advanced Prompts
"Increase insurance by 10%."
"Keep utilities the same as last year’s projection."
"Add a one-time expense of $25,000 for tree removal."
"Set management fee at $16,452 fixed annually."
"Exclude legal fees from last year’s lawsuit."
"Do not increase assessments this year."
Prompt Bundles
You can also provide multiple adjustments at once. For example:
1. Standard Inflation Year
"Increase all contracted services by 3%.
Increase insurance expense by 7%.
Keep utilities the same as last year’s projection."
2. Board-Directed Adjustments
"Increase the Testy Testerson contract by 10%.
Set management fee at $16,452 fixed annually.
Do not increase assessments this year."
3. Special Project Year
"Add a one-time expense of $25,000 for tree removal.
Budget reserve contributions at $50,000 as recommended by board.
Exclude legal fees from last year’s lawsuit."
4. Performance-Based Budget
"Base utilities on this year’s projection instead of last year’s budget.
Budget all R&M expense lines at the average of the last 3 years actuals + 5%.
Provide a column showing 2024 and 2025 actuals for comparison."
Key Takeaways for CAMs
Start with the clickable prompt: "Project a budget for next year based on this year’s performance."
HOAi will ask clarifying questions before creating the draft (unless you include everything up front).
Add detail as needed, either step by step or all at once.
Use bundles for efficiency when handling multiple changes.
Final Thought
HOAi does the heavy lifting of research, projections, and calculations. Your role is simply to guide it with business-specific instructions. The clearer your prompts, the faster you’ll arrive at a board-ready draft.
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