Dallas-Fort Worth HOA Reserve Study

Young HOAs in fast-growing suburbs

The growth is not a slogan. The City of Princeton in Collin County reported in May 2025 that U.S. Census Bureau estimates named it the fastest-growing city in the United States. Princeton is one of many: Celina, Prosper, Forney, Little Elm and Fort Worth’s northern edge are full of communities only a few years old.

A new HOA looks well funded because almost nothing has worn out yet. That is exactly when a first study is cheapest and most useful: the component list is short, ages are known, and a modest yearly contribution set now avoids a steep catch-up in fifteen years.

At developer handover, ask for a study

While the developer controls the board, reserves are often thin or set by rule of thumb. When owners take over, a full study is the board’s best record of what it inherited and in what state. Ask for it before the transition if you can, and keep the developer’s plats, warranties and contracts for the provider.

What North Texas does to common property

• Clay soils. The expansive clays across much of the Blackland Prairie shrink and swell with the weather, cracking masonry screening walls, pool decks, flatwork and retaining walls.
• Hail. Clubhouse roofs, pavilion roofs and pool furniture can be replaced on an insurance claim long before their planned year. Tell the provider, so the study does not plan to replace a roof that is two years old.
• Irrigation and landscaping. Entry and thoroughfare landscaping often has its own controllers, valves and backflow devices, all components with lives.

Dallas and Fort Worth condos

Uptown, Oak Lawn and downtown Fort Worth have older condo buildings where elevators, roofs and plumbing risers drive the numbers. If owners are selling with conventional or FHA loans, the board needs reserves that pass the lenders’ 10 percent test, or a current study that supports a lower figure.

For the statewide picture, read what the Texas Property Code says about reserves and what a study costs.