RealManage Unveils The Visibility Gap, Its 2026 Insights Report on Community Association Leadership

New benchmark of over 900 respondents across 38+ states finds gaps between digital adoption and real-time visibility as boards navigate budget, communication, and operational pressures

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RealManage, one of the country’s leading community association management companies, today released The Visibility Gap, its 2026 Insights Report based on survey responses of over 900 board members, developers, and committee members across 38+ states. The report examines how association boards and other community stakeholders are managing financial pressure, technology adoption, operational complexity, and resident expectations.

“Boards today have access to more information than ever, but access alone doesn’t always create clarity,” said Jose Costa, CEO of RealManage. “The findings point to the next opportunity for our industry: helping board leaders connect information across their communities so they can make decisions with greater confidence. We hope this research gives boards and industry leaders a useful benchmark for where we are today and where we need to go next.”

The report defines this Visibility Gap as the distance between having information available and having the clear, connected and actionable transparency needed to lead confidently. Its five emerging trends show where the gap is most visible:

• Digital Doesn’t Mean Visibility: 79% of respondents have a board portal, yet just 14% report visibility into projects, maintenance activity, or service requests as they happen.
• Budget Pressure Is Changing Community Operations: 55% seriously considered increasing dues or regular assessments due to budget pressure, while 59% delayed or deferred maintenance, repairs or capital projects because of budget, staffing or vendor constraints.
• Communication Has Become the New Trust Currency: 70% have a resident portal, yet communication remains a top-two board challenge.
• Community Operations Have Become One Connected System: 91% of boards identified a need for additional operational support.
• Confidence Doesn’t Guarantee Execution: Only 26% feel very prepared for the challenges their community will face over the next 12 months.

“Community associations don’t operate in silos, and boards can’t make their best decisions in silos either,” said Costa. “When leaders can see the connections across finances, projects, vendors, maintenance and resident communication, they have a much clearer picture of what their community needs and what to do next.”

To continue the conversation beyond the report, RealManage will release a five-part companion podcast series, with each episode centered on one of the five trends and featuring RealManage leaders and subject-matter experts. The first episode is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 22, with new episodes planned weekly through Nov. 19 available at realmanage.com/events/2026-insights-report/.

The Visibility Gap, RealManage’s 2026 Insights Report, is available for download now. For more information or to access the full report, visit realmanage.com/2026-insights-report/.

About RealManage

RealManage, one of the country's leading community association management companies, partners with boards, owners, and developers to simplify management, maximize property value and ROI, and enhance the lifestyle of every resident.

RealManage is home to the industry’s only end-to-end software platform purpose-built for managing community associations. With just a single login, community leaders and members gain full visibility and real-time access to operations, financial reporting, communications, and more. This best-in-class technology is driving day-to-day operational excellence and responsive service across more than 3,500 client communities, freeing board members to focus on executing their full vision for their community.

To learn more about how RealManage helps community associations run like businesses while acting like a neighbor, visit RealManage.com.