Advanced Reserve Study Tools For Timeshare Resorts – An Interview with Gary Porter

By Shep Altshuler, Publisher

Managing reserve studies requires precision, technological adaptability, and the right set of tools to ensure that properties maintain financial stability and structural integrity. In a recent interview with Timesharing Today, Gary Porter, CEO of Facilities Advisors International, shared insights on how the latest tools are improving the reserve study process.

Advanced Measurement Tools

"One of the key differentiators in our approach is that we use measurement tools that no one else is using," Porter explains. "These tools allow us to not only improve the accuracy of our reserve studies but also streamline the overall process."

A primary tool in this effort is Hover, a software solution that uses photographs or plans to generate precise 3D models of buildings. "Hover allows us to capture detailed measurements of a structure's siding, roofing, windows, and more," Porter says. "This is crucial when property managers or contractors need exact measurements for bidding and repair work."

The process is straightforward. A series of photos or building plans are uploaded into Hover's system, which then generates a 3D model complete with precise measurements. "We've used this on hundreds of projects over the last four years," Porter notes. "The 3D rendering ensures accuracy, whether we're estimating roofing costs or planning for exterior repairs."

LIDAR for Interiors

For interior assessments, Facilities Advisors International employs LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. "Legacy timeshare resorts often lack building plans or accurate interior layouts," Porter explains. "LIDAR allows us to create precise models of the inside of a unit simply by scanning the space."

Using video capture, LIDAR technology maps out dimensions, corners, and surfaces in real time. "With this, we can measure everything from unit interiors to common spaces like lobbies and restaurants," Porter adds. "Clients see an immediate benefit, as they finally have accurate interior layouts to work from."

LIDAR is a component of Hover, designed specifically for interior mapping. "It integrates seamlessly with our exterior models, providing a full-scale digital blueprint of a property," Porter says.

Cost-Saving Benefits

With rising material and labor costs, precision in reserve studies is more important than ever. "We've found that these tools not only improve accuracy but also provide long-term cost savings," Porter says. "Once we capture the measurements, they are preserved indefinitely, preventing redundant efforts and unnecessary spending."

In the rare instance where a contractor underestimates costs, Facilities Advisors International can rely on their precise data to correct discrepancies. "We gain a significant advantage in negotiations and planning because we already have the verified measurements," Porter explains.

New Tool: Moasure

Another tool in the reserve study arsenal is Moasure, which specializes in highly detailed measurements using advanced sensing technology. "Moasure functions like a smart measuring tape," Porter explains. "It allows us to map out the exact dimensions of fences, water features, and other property elements with remarkable accuracy."

By walking the perimeter of an area with the Moasure device, measurements are recorded in real time. "We can pinpoint the exact location of a feature and overlay that information onto our digital property maps," Porter says. "For example, if a resort has a unique pool layout, Moasure ensures that its volume and dimensions are accurately documented."

Planimeter for Pavement

When it comes to parking lots and paved areas, Facilities Advisors International relies on Planimeter. "This tool is essential for measuring large, irregularly shaped surfaces," Porter explains. "It works on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, making it easy to use on-site."

By walking the perimeter of a parking lot, Planimeter calculates the total area, providing accurate data for future resurfacing or maintenance planning. "Having this data in advance prevents costly miscalculations when it's time to repave," Porter adds.

Artificial Intelligence Integration

With AI-driven solutions becoming increasingly prevalent, Porter acknowledges their potential but also their limitations. "Hover and Moasure both integrate AI for automated calculations, which speeds up the process and enhances accuracy," he says. "However, we still rely on our own expertise and extensive database to verify results. AI is a tool, but human oversight remains essential."

Facilities Advisors International has experimented with AI-driven enhancements, such as automated object removal in exterior assessments. "While AI could, in theory, remove obstacles like trees from property scans, we prefer to work with unaltered data to ensure accuracy," Porter explains.

Planning Takeaways

1. Enhanced Accuracy – Tools like Hover, LIDAR, Moasure, and Planimeter provide highly precise measurements, eliminating guesswork in reserve studies.
2. Long-Term Savings – Accurate measurements preserve historical data, preventing redundant efforts and reducing future costs.
3. Efficiency Gains – Digital modeling streamlines the reserve study process, cutting down on manual labor and increasing speed.
4. Integrated Solutions – Combining exterior and interior measurement tools provides a complete picture of a property’s needs.
5. AI as a Supplement – While AI enhances calculations, human expertise remains critical for verification and decision-making.

Porter emphasizes that the future of reserve studies lies in leveraging these advanced tools to maximize efficiency and cost-effectiveness. "By staying at the forefront of technology, we can provide clients with the best possible insights and planning strategies," he concludes.

About Facilities Advisors International

Facilities Advisors International is a leading reserve study and facility management service provider. With extensive expertise in the hospitality industry, the company offers tailored solutions to ensure compliance with statutory requirements and long-term financial sustainability for resorts and property associations.

For information, contact:

Gary Porter, CEO

Facilities Advisors International

Phone: 702-605-2394

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Visit: www.facilitiesadvisors.com 

The Intersection of Reserve Studies and Insurance

By Gary Porter, FMP, RS, RRC, CPA                                                                                               April 2026

Reserve studies are most commonly viewed as budgeting tools for property owners, associations, and commercial portfolios. However, when examined from a broader perspective, they offer significant value to insurance brokers, underwriters, carriers, and adjusters. In practical terms, a reserve study functions as a forward-looking risk report—one that can help the insurance industry move from reacting to losses toward predicting and preventing them.

Reserve Studies as a Risk Assessment Tool

A reserve study provides a detailed inventory of major building components—such as roofs, HVAC systems, plumbing, and structural elements—along with their age, condition, and remaining useful life. This information allows insurance professionals to better understand the current state of a property and anticipate future risk.

For underwriters, these insights help evaluate the likelihood of equipment failure or structural issues that could lead to claims. Brokers can use the same data to proactively address concerns before presenting a risk to the market, improving the quality of submissions. Carriers benefit from a clearer view of whether a property is being properly maintained or is at risk of deterioration.

Predicting Loss Potential and Pricing Risk

One of the strongest indicators of future claims is deferred maintenance. Reserve studies highlight whether funding levels are aligned with upcoming capital needs. Properties with underfunded reserves may delay necessary replacements, increasing the probability of loss. Conversely, well-funded reserves signal disciplined asset management and reduced risk volatility.

This information allows underwriters to make more informed decisions regarding risk selection, pricing, and coverage terms. It also enables meaningful differentiation between similar properties—for example, a building with a funded roof replacement plan presents a significantly better risk than one with an aging roof and no financial plan.

Supporting Loss Control and Resilience

Reserve studies can also serve as a roadmap for loss prevention. By aligning capital improvement schedules with risk engineering recommendations, insurers and property owners can address vulnerabilities before they result in claims. For example, if a system is scheduled for replacement but poses an elevated near-term risk, mitigation efforts can be accelerated.

In catastrophe-prone regions, reserve studies provide insight into whether components are being upgraded or simply replaced in kind. This creates opportunities to encourage more resilient construction—such as impact-resistant roofing or fire-resistant materials—during planned replacement cycles, reducing future catastrophe losses.

Informing Coverage and Financial Stability

Reserve studies can reveal gaps between asset values and insurance coverage, helping brokers recommend appropriate limits, deductibles, and endorsements such as ordinance and law or equipment breakdown coverage. They also provide insight into the financial health of an organization.

For habitational risks like HOAs and condominiums, strong reserve funding reflects sound governance and the ability to maintain the property without financial distress. Weak reserves, by contrast, may indicate delayed maintenance, increased claim frequency, and potential exposure across multiple lines, including property, liability, and directors and officers (D&O) coverage.

Enhancing Strategic Advisory

For brokers, reserve studies present an opportunity to move beyond transactional placement into a more strategic advisory role. By integrating insurance planning with capital expenditure cycles, brokers can help clients make informed decisions that improve both insurability and long-term cost control. Maintenance practices and upgrade decisions today have a direct impact on future premiums and coverage availability.

Value to Insurance Adjusters

Reserve studies are equally valuable in the claims process. While not designed for claims handling, they function as a pre-loss inventory with built-in valuation and lifecycle data. This allows adjusters to answer three fundamental questions more efficiently: What existed, what it was worth, and what condition it was in at the time of loss.

Adjusters can use reserve study data to establish pre-loss condition, helping distinguish between sudden damage and deterioration. Replacement cost estimates provide a reliable baseline for evaluating repair scopes and contractor bids, while documented useful life supports more accurate and defensible depreciation calculations—particularly for Actual Cash Value policies.

The detailed component inventory also helps verify the scope of loss, reducing the risk of overstatement or inclusion of unrelated items. In addition, reserve studies clarify whether repairs involve like-kind replacement or upgrades, which is critical in determining coverage.

Improving Claims Efficiency and Outcomes

Access to organized, third-party documentation streamlines the adjustment process. It reduces investigation time, limits disputes, and supports faster, more accurate claim resolution. Reserve studies also help identify deferred maintenance issues that may affect coverage determinations.

For large or complex properties, such as associations or campus-style developments, reserve studies provide a comprehensive component-level database. This allows adjusters to quickly assess the extent of damage across multiple systems and structures.

Conclusion

When viewed beyond their traditional budgeting role, reserve studies offer meaningful value across the insurance lifecycle—from underwriting and risk selection to loss control and claims adjustment. By leveraging this information effectively, insurance professionals can improve risk assessment, support better decision-making, and ultimately reduce loss frequency and severity.

Gary Porter is a reserve professional with expertise in maintenance, finance, and valuation. He holds CAI’s (experienced based) RS credential and the knowledge-based RRC (Registered reserve Consultant) credential issued by the Budgeting Professionals Credentialing Board.  He is a also CPA and has served as an expert witness on valuation matters more than 50 times, including court-appointed engagements. He also previously worked as a public adjuster handling earthquake claims.  Porter is the author of 7 books and more than 400 articles on financial aspects of community associations.  He has been published or quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, The Practical Accountant, Common Ground, The Ledger quarterly, Timesharing Today, Hawaii Building Trades, and The Florida Community Association Journal.

The Mid-Year Reckoning — Why Post-Winter Maintenance Discipline Defines Timeshare Governance

By;  Shep Altshuler – Publisher, Timesharing Today                                                                                           March 2026

As mid-year approaches, timeshare communities enter a period that defines the financial and physical condition of their properties for the season ahead. What appears to be a routine point on the calendar is, in reality, a reckoning — one in which the cumulative impact of winter exposure has fully presented itself and the window for correction is narrowing. The work involves identifying risk, correcting deficiencies, and reinforcing a maintenance standard that protects people, preserves asset value, and sustains owner confidence.

Gary Porter, CEO of Facilities Advisors, brings four decades of field experience to this period. His approach is consistent. “I always look for safety issues first,” he says. “If a maintenance issue goes wrong, it often becomes a safety issue.” That lens — maintenance and safety as inseparable — is the foundation on which sound governance is built.

Small Issues, Large Consequences

The most immediate risks are often the least dramatic — and therefore the most frequently overlooked. A loose second-floor shutter above a pedestrian walkway, a gutter pulled from the roofline, an uneven sidewalk slab — each is a preventable hazard with direct liability exposure. Porter recalls encountering all three during a single reserve study visit and directing staff to act before he left. “Fix that before I leave,” he told them. “I don’t want to see that still there.” Delay converts a low-cost repair into a high-cost liability.

Trip-and-fall incidents, the most common source of injury in resort environments, are almost always tied to conditions a timely inspection would have caught. On one large New Jersey property, Porter identified more than 30 such hazards in a single visit while the facilities manager acknowledged over 50 were already known. Rotted landscape timbers leave exposed metal spikes that are easy to miss and dangerous to encounter. Porter found one in Colorado five feet from a playground’s edge. “I could just imagine some child falling on this,” he recalls. He had it driven into the ground before leaving.

What Winter Left Behind

Winter damage does not present uniformly, but its reach is universal. In Vermont, ice accumulation pulled gutters and downspouts from a roofline over a single season. In Colorado, 95-mile-per-hour winds stripped the membrane from a properly anchored flat roof without warning. In warmer climates, felt underlayment beneath tile roofing degrades silently over years, undetected until water has already entered. Regardless of geography, seasonal exposure accelerates wear, and mid-year is when that wear becomes visible and addressable.

Roof inspections must go beyond surface observation. Ponding water, compromised scuppers, deteriorated flashing, and debris-blocked drains are all active failure points. During one Orlando property visit, Porter spotted nearly three inches of standing water on a clubhouse roof — visible only from an adjacent building’s third floor. A design defect had positioned the drain too high, and weeds had taken root in the accumulated debris. The condition had gone entirely unaddressed because it was invisible from ground level.

The Building Envelope — First Line of Defense

“Water is the enemy of buildings,” Porter states. “It gets in and you’ve got a problem.” On balconies, that problem can develop out of sight for years. At one California condominium property, owners laid indoor-outdoor carpet over cracked deck surfaces to conceal the damage. It trapped moisture against the substrate and accelerated the deterioration it was meant to hide. By the time the intrusion surfaced, it had migrated beneath the bedroom flooring and into the living room ceiling, requiring full demolition across both rooms. “It would have cost a few hundred dollars per year to keep that water out,” Porter notes. “Instead they were spending almost $20,000 per balcony.”

Concrete spalling on balconies and elevated walkways is one of the most consequential failure modes in resort properties. Once rebar is exposed to moisture, corrosion and expansion accelerate structural deterioration in costly, difficult-to-reverse ways. Florida, New Jersey, and California have each enacted structural inspection legislation in recent years — all reactive, all prompted by fatalities. Boards that treat legislative timelines as their inspection trigger are already behind the standard responsible governance requires.

Fire doors near elevators must be tested to confirm closure — not assumed functional because they are present. Porter traces a multi-floor fire in Honolulu that claimed multiple lives to doors that failed when needed. Exterior thresholds and hardware also warrant inspection for salt corrosion from winter deicing — damage that accumulates gradually and surfaces months after exposure.

Mechanical Systems — Proactive or Reactive

Mechanical and utility systems fail quietly until they don’t. HVAC equipment that ran hard through winter and then sat dormant must be tested before summer demand arrives — not after the first guest complaint. Dryer vents are a consistent blind spot. “You can’t depend on the members to do it,” Porter says. “No matter how much you tell them they should, they won’t.” Association-managed vent cleaning on a three-to-four-year cycle is low-cost and directly mitigates one of the leading causes of building fires.

Infrared scanning of electrical panels is among the most practical diagnostic investments available. In buildings more than 20 years old, thermal cycling of current through copper wiring can loosen fittings over time — invisible without imaging and potentially dangerous without correction. PEX plumbing, which has largely replaced copper over the past decade, is producing pinhole leaks at tight-radius stress points. “I’d never heard of it before,” Porter says of the failure pattern, “and all of a sudden it’s turning out to be a problem.” Field experience surfaces failure modes that no checklist has yet captured.

The True Cost of Deferred Maintenance

Deferred maintenance is not a budget strategy — it is a liability that compounds. Minor conditions become major repairs, and planned expenditures give way to emergency costs. “Every dollar you spend on proactive preventive maintenance will save you at least three dollars in long-term maintenance costs,” Porter states, citing research from his work with the International Facility Management Association. “Mostly it does that by extending the lifecycle of the physical components.” Boards that treat maintenance as a line-item expense rather than a capital investment consistently pay more for inferior outcomes.

Why Professional Expertise Is Non-Negotiable

Porter is candid about the limits of any single perspective, including his own. “Do I know everything about maintenance? Heck no — not by a long shot,” he says. “I turn to experts in every different field all the time.” What concerns him is the absence of that honesty — particularly when titles substitute for qualifications. On high-rise projects, he routinely encounters staff carrying the designation of building engineer with no engineering license behind it. “That to me is the scary part,” he notes.

“If you’re suffering from a heart condition, you don’t go to a primary care doctor — you go to a cardiologist.” Structural engineers, mechanical engineers, roofing consultants, and paving specialists bring diagnostic capability that no internal program can replicate. For major systems such as boilers, replacement requires engineering design, custom bidding, and cost modeling that only qualified professionals can provide. Boards that bypass that expertise are not saving money — they are deferring a reckoning.

A Defining Moment for Governance

Mid-year is not a calendar milestone — it is a measure of governance. The condition of a property at this point reflects every maintenance decision made in the preceding months, and the decisions made now will shape every outcome ahead. Boards and managers who approach this juncture with rigor and professional support will control their exposure. Those who do not will absorb costs that disciplined oversight would have prevented.

Porter’s closing thought is consistent across four decades. “An ounce of prevention will save a pound of pain.” Maintenance is not a task to be scheduled when conditions allow — it is a commitment executed with consistency, expertise, and the accountability that every owner in a timeshare community has a right to expect.

The is right time to act

Put a proactive maintenance plan in place before the demands of peak season arrive.

Contact:

Gary Porter, RS, FMP, CPA, RRC

CEO, Facilities Advisors International

President, International Capital Budgeting Institute

Past National President, Community Associations Institute (CAI)

www.FacilitiesAdvisors.com |

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

(877) 304-6700

Fire Damage Mitigation

By Gary Porter, FMP, RS, RRC, CPA                                                                                                             January 2026

IBHS, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety issued their final report in December 2025 on the California wildfires that occurred in January 2025.

While California’s unique climate patterns created conditions that favor wildfires—prolonged drought, dry fuels, high temperatures, and strong wind conditions, several factors contributed to the damage. 

During the first eight days of January 2025, these conditions resulted in dozens of wildfire ignitions in California. Two of these ignitions in Los Angeles County grew into the Palisades and Eaton Fires which spread into nearby densely built suburban communities and became the second and third most destructive fires in California’s history.

The Palisades and Eaton Fires highlight the persistent vulnerability of the built environment when wildfire ignitions occur in close proximity to densely built suburban communities with receptive fuels, low relative humidity, and wind.

IBHS conducted a post-event damage investigation from January 13 to January 19, 2025, with support from partners at CAL FIRE. Parcel and neighborhood factors were also captured through detailed parcel-level survey data collecting more than 60 data fields at each location.   Observations from this investigation identified the primary factors affecting structures in conflagration as (1) structure separation, (2) connective fuels, and (3) building materials:

Structure Separation: Maintaining adequate separation between buildings remains one of the most critical factors in determining whether a structure can withstand a wildfire. The investigation showed that each additional 10 ft of separation decreased the likelihood of damage by 7-13% up to 30 ft. Beyond 30 ft, the effect of additional separation leveled off.

For the first time, this study used the mean wind direction data available from local weather stations to examine the effect of wind direction on the exposure from an adjacent burning structure by structure separation distance. The findings demonstrated that there were differences in likelihood of damage based on wind direction and distance of separation between buildings.

Connective Fuels: Reducing combustible connective fuels between structures helps limit fire spread and ensures building materials serve as the last line of defense against ignition.  Nearly all structures investigated by IBHS had some combustible fuels within five feet of the building and many had combustible fuels within thirty feet of the building.  These combustible fuels greatly increased the chance of the building being damaged or destroyed.

The interesting observation was that In addition to vegetative fuels, there were commonly other materials and house-hold items that acted as connective fuels.   Examples included trash bins, combustible decks, hot tubs, and pergolas adjacent to openings or other vulnerable building features. These everyday items turn to fuel for the fire and increase the likelihood of damage.

While combustible fences are a well-known connective fuel allowing a fire to spread to the structure, observations in LA repeatedly found vegetation growing along noncombustible fences that negated the resilient value of the noncombustible fence material. The investigations repeatedly showed a pattern where wildfires probe each connective fuel, one after another, to find a vulnerability.  This means the only way to reduce vulnerabilities is that all pathways must be reduced or mitigated.

Building Materials: Most structures surveyed after the Eaton and Palisades Fires included at least one resilient building component. However, few incorporated a comprehensive resilient system allowing flames, radiant heat, and embers to exploit the remaining vulnerabilities—ultimately leading to damage and loss.

For example, noncombustible exterior wall cladding and Class A roof coverings were the most common resilient features observed. But these were often paired with vulnerable windows, doors, vents, and eaves which increased the vulnerability of the structure. When implemented as an integrated system, additional resilient features were observed to meaningfully reduce the likelihood of ignition.

Even under severe conflagration conditions, structures with four home-hardening characteristics had a 54% likelihood of experiencing no damage, regardless of separation distance. In contrast, structures with only one or two hardening characteristics had just a 36% probability of no damage.  One recurring vulnerability across nearly all surveyed structures was the absence of 1/8-inch mesh on vents, which increases the potential for ember intrusion.

Where structural density cannot be reduced in suburban environments, the building materials and connective fuels become even more important.  When resilience efforts focus on the system as a whole, the probability of avoiding damage rises. Extreme conditions can make it impossible to protect every building; yet a systems-based approach at both the parcel and neighborhood scale can still disrupt fire spread.

Condominium properties are inherently close together so paying attention to connective fuels and building materials become the focus of fire mitigation efforts.  What can condominium properties do to mitigate their fire risk? 

• Clean all debris from roofing, landscape areas and other common areas.
• Replace vent screens with 1/8” mesh.
• Check fire rating on windows and replace windows with higher fire rating if necessary
• Check fire rating on exterior doors and replace exterior doors with higher fire rating if necessary
• For high rise properties inspect fire doors to make sure they are operating properly
• When replacing roofing place an emphasis on fire rating of roofing material.

Gary Porter, FMP, RS, RRC, CPA is the CEO of Facilities Advisors International and has prepared reserve studies for associations since 1982. As a Facilities Management Professional (FMP) he has training in all phases of facilities management. As a valuation expert he has testified at trial more than 50 times.  As a CPA he also focuses on the numbers. Gary is the author of seven books on financial aspects of community associations totaling nearly 5,000 pages and is also the author of more than 400 articles.  He has been published or quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, The Practical Accountant, Common Ground, The Ledger Quarterly, Timesharing Today, Hawaii Building Trades, and The Florida Community Association Journal. Gary is a past president of CAI (1998) and was a founding member of the CAI California Channel Islands Chapter in 1979. 47 years as a CAI member. He resides in Las Vegas, NV. Facilities Advisors provides reserve study and maintenance planning services to associations nationwide.