Vantaca and Maegan Woytek are proud to present this week's news you need to know happening across the industry! We plan to bring you all the critical news, regulatory shifts, market shifts and operational insights that are impacting your business every week, so you can stay ahead of it.

What you need to know for this week's episode:

1. Condo and HOA fees are rising sharply (26% since 2019), driven by insurance, labor, and materials, putting growing pressure on boards and making transparent communication essential for management companies.
2. A major fraud case in Florida, where a bookkeeper allegedly stole HOA funds for personal use.
3. Georgia’s SB 406 is advancing with bipartisan support, introducing stricter rules on fines, liens, and financial transparency.

Subscribe to Guilty by Association for ongoing industry updates and more conversations from Vantaca.

Adam Fitch built one of the most-watched HOA content brands on the internet — 220 million views, 200,000 followers, and an audience made up of the exact residents and property professionals that community managers serve every day.

In this episode, Maegan Woytek sits down with the creator of The HOA.i to talk about why HOA frustration travels so far online, what residents are actually reacting to, and whether transparency and better technology could change the story entirely. If you work in community association management, this is the outside perspective your industry needs to hear.

Chapter Breakdown:

• 00:00 - Intro and Background on Adam
• 01:36 - HOA Content and How it Resonates
• 03:22 - Swallows in Adam's HOA?
• 04:54 - Homeowners and Boards Unite
• 07:11 - Response Across Platforms
• 08:56 - Wanting to Feel Heard in your HOA
• 10:57 - What Do You Hope Your Audience Takes From This?

Follow Mr. Fitch and The HOA.i:

• Instagram: @thehoa.i
• TikTok: @thehoa.i
• Facebook: The HOA.i

Vantaca and Maegan Woytek are proud to present this week's news you need to know happening across the industry! We plan to bring you all the critical news, regulatory shifts, market shifts and operational insights that are impacting your business every week, so you can stay ahead of it.

What you need to know for this week's episode:

1. Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac update: New Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rules ease some insurance requirements but raise the minimum reserve funding to 15% by 2027—making early planning critical to preserve conventional financing eligibility and protect community property values.
2. Georgia SB 406: Georgia Senate Bill 406 would sharply restrict associations’ ability to collect assessments and enforce liens and foreclosures, posing serious financial risk to communities if it becomes law.
3. ACAM CEO Mindshare Retreat: Management company CEOs can register now for the ACAM CEO Mindshare Retreat, July 22–24 at the Ritz‑Carlton Chicago, with early‑bird pricing available through April 30: https://www.acam-ceo.org/retreat.html

Vantaca and Maegan Woytek are proud to present this week's news you need to know happening across the industry! We plan to bring you all the critical news, regulatory shifts, market shifts and operational insights that are impacting your business every week, so you can stay ahead of it.

What you need to know for this week's episode:

1. A new national survey reveals a surprising mix of strength and strain inside HOA boardrooms and the data points to what actually moves the needle on engagement.
2. Fresh analysis shows HOA fees climbing across the country, with a few markets standing out in ways that could reshape the conversation around housing affordability.
3. A major new report outlines a fast‑approaching future where AI handles the work before anyone even logs in.

Vantaca and Maegan Woytek are proud to present this week's news you need to know happening across the industry! We plan to bring you all the critical news, regulatory shifts, market shifts and operational insights that are impacting your business every week, so you can stay ahead of it.

What you need to know for this week's episode:

A bill moving fast through Indiana’s legislature. House Bill 1152 would prohibit HOAs, their agents, and management companies from charging any service fee not already written into the governing documents.

New survey of 1,000 HOA homeowners. A new survey found that 64% say their HOA causes daily stress, and 37% regret buying into one altogether.

Homeowner Tip: if you live in an HOA, you actually have more than one rulebook.

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And if you missed it, we dropped a new podcast this week focused on the companies that are growing with intention from the ones just maintaining, and how to better market your business for future growth. You won't want to miss it!

Full podcast for you: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-referral-ceiling-the-new-growth-playbook/id1628147312?i=1000753055919

Or if you'd rather video: https://youtu.be/8odQFj86otw?si=GdxhMDi7-3YCYr2t

In this episode of Guilty by Association, host Maegan Woytek brings together two of the sharpest minds in the business — Vantaca CMO, Marina Devalia and Vantaca CRO, Will Cameron — to unpack why the old CAM business development playbook is hitting a ceiling and what growth-minded companies are doing differently.

They dig into the shift from relationship-first to reputation-first selling, and why boards are now doing their due diligence through LLM optimization and forum searching before your first meeting ever happens. They also tackle what boards are actually buying when they choose a management company (hint: it's not just your software), why technology is a capacity tool that protects human relationships rather than replaces them, and how to turn service excellence into something you can put in a proposal.

Whether you're leading a small shop trying to grow intentionally or a mid-market organization looking to stop leaving deals on the table, this episode gives you the framework to move from reactive to proactive.

Time Stamp Breakdown:

00:00 – 2:44 - Intro

2:44 – 6:24 - The Evolving Pressure in CAM

6:24 – 13:37 - Relationship vs Reputation

13:37 – 18:28 - What Are Boards Really Looking For

18:28 – 24:07 - Solving For A Capacity Problem

24:07 – 27:23- Building Your Competitive Advantage

27:23– 35:19 - Where and How You Can Start Today

Vantaca and Maegan Woytek are proud to present Guilty By Association's new segment that will deliver you the news you need to know happening across the industry! We plan to bring you all the critical news, regulatory shifts, market shifts and operational insights that are impacting your business every week, so you can stay ahead of it.

What you need to know for this week's episode:

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Georgia is going nuclear on HOA reform. Senate Bill 406 would double the foreclosure threshold to $4,000 and ban management companies from buying homes at foreclosure auctions. That's just one bill. Two others want to strip foreclosure power completely and let homeowners vote to dissolve their HOAs. This is the most aggressive reform push we've seen in any state.

Insurance is eating everyone's lunch right now. Premiums are up 24% since 2021, and 82% of homeowners are bracing for another increase this year. This isn't just a homeowner problem. It's an HOA problem. Associations in Florida and other climate-risk states are seeing insurance costs become a bigger line item than maintenance. And with everyone expecting climate damage in the next three years, reserve planning just got a whole lot more complicated.

And one more positive note: We're still growing. The Foundation for Community Association Research expects 4,000 new HOAs this year, bringing the total to 377,000 associations serving 80 million Americans.

In the Season 3 premiere of Guilty by Association, host Ben Currin (CEO of Vantaca) sits down for a transformative conversation with Zack Kass, the former Head of Go-to-Market (GTM) at OpenAI.

As the head of GTM during the launch of ChatGPT, who helped bridge the gap between OpenAI’s research and the global launch of ChatGPT, Zack provides a unique, techno-optimist perspective on the future of work and community. This episode explores the core thesis of Zack’s new book, The Next Renaissance (released Jan 13, 2026), and introduces the concept of "The Human Premium."

In this episode, we dive deep into:

1. The OpenAI Legacy: Inside the GTM strategy that brought AI to 100 million users and what it taught Zack about human nature.
2. The "Human Premium" Theory: Why the commoditization of digital intelligence through LLMs makes physical-world connection the most valuable asset of the next decade.
3. The End of Utility Software: How industries like community management are moving toward "Intelligent Ecosystems" that prioritize human leadership over administrative noise.
4. A New Renaissance: Why Zack believes AI is the catalyst for a return to thriving local communities and meaningful human connection.

Whether you are a tech leader, a community builder, or a professional navigating the shift from software to intelligence, this conversation provides the roadmap for thriving in the AI era.

About Zack Kass: Zack Kass is a global AI futurist and strategic advisor to the Fortune 100. During his tenure at OpenAI, he led the Go-to-Market team, shaping the commercial trajectory of the most significant technological shift in history. His book, The Next Renaissance, is available now.