How Much Does a Reserve Study Cost?

By: Robert M. Nordlund, P.E.

Well, that depends… Between different associations, there are five basic factors that determine the cost of a Reserve Study:


Size of the association (# of units)

Number and type of common area assets

Age of the association

Location (only significant for Full and With-Site-Visit Reserve Studies)

Time of Year (in-season or off-season)

With large assets, of different types, with more history to review and reconstruct, the difficulty factor begins to increase. In addition, travel time and expenses may be a significant factor for on-site type analyses. Finally, to control our workload during our the different times of the year, to ensure that quality Reports are produced on schedule, we are forced to raise our prices in the "busy" time (June - Nov) and are able to offer discounts and incentives in the "off-season" (Dec - May).

We hope you are aware that we offer four Levels of Service: Full, Update-With-Site-Visit, Update-No-Site-Visit, and our Do-It-Yourself Reserve Study Kit. The "Full" Reserve Study is our most expensive product, but usually only needs to be done once at each association. Update-With-Site-Visit and Update-No-Site-Visit type Reserve Studies are performed for proportionally lower fees due to the reduced amount of time required in those products. And finally, without the variables of travel, site visits, or Component List development, we are able to offer our Kit product for the low fixed price of $349 first time, and $299 for updates.

In addition to different Levels of Service, we offer three turnaround times: Economy, Standard, and Rush. Economy turnaround Report fees are 20% less than the Standard fee, and Rush jobs are done for a 50% premium. The same product is created in all three cases, the only difference is in how we internally manage our manpower.

With this array of choices, a Reserve Study proposal from Association Reserves will offer you a number of choices to fit both your needs and your budget.


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