About the Practice

A Contractor's Eye, On Your Side of the Table

This practice exists because HOA boards deserve one advisor in the room whose paycheck doesn't depend on what the board decides.

Who You're Working With

The consultant

Headshot slot — images/headshot-operator.jpg

Matthew Hardinger

Principal Consultant

Most people advising HOA boards have seen one side of the table. This practice was built on all three: decades in exteriors and construction, leadership inside the community-association industry, and current volunteer service on an HOA board — spending personal money under the same rules and pressures as every client.

That combination is the point. A board hiring this practice gets someone who can read a pay application like a contractor, read a boardroom like a manager, and read a special-assessment letter like the homeowner who has to pay it.

  • Board seat, Community Associations Institute (CAI)
  • Leadership role in community association management (CAM)
  • Active HOA board service, Twin Cities metro
  • Developer of the firm's own inspection report format

How We Stay Independent

The independence and ethics stance

Independence isn't a slogan here — it's a set of rules we hold ourselves to on every engagement:

  • Clean firewall. We don't build, don't sell construction work, and don't take referral fees or percentages from vendors. We cannot win a bid we administer.
  • Everything disclosed, in writing. If any financial relationship exists that touches your engagement — including white-label arrangements with management companies — your board gets it in writing before work begins.
  • Strictly inside the advisory lane on insurance. Pre-claim analysis and documentation only. We never negotiate claim value with a carrier for a fee — that work belongs to licensed public adjusters and attorneys, and we'll tell you when you need one.
  • We work with your attorney, not around them. We're not a law firm. Legal questions go to counsel; we make sure counsel gets clean facts and documents to work with.

The one-page Services Booklet

Everything this practice does, on a single page your whole board can read before the next meeting.

Download the Services Booklet (PDF)

Judge for yourself

The fastest way to know if this practice is what your board needs is a phone call. Bring your hardest question.