Greenbriar Townhouses, Inc.
A 160-unit housing cooperative in Albuquerque, NM — on Co-opManage since October 2024.
Running a 160-unit cooperative on spreadsheets
Like most volunteer-led cooperatives, Greenbriar's board was managing the community with spreadsheets, a shared inbox, and institutional memory. The reserve study existed as a static report rather than a living record. Work orders moved through email threads. New applicants and member changes were tracked in whatever document the secretary opened first. With seven directors and 160 townhouses spread across the property, important details routinely fell through the cracks.
A phased adoption, not a wholesale switch
Co-opManage was adopted module by module — a deliberate pace that matched what the board could absorb without disrupting day-to-day operations.
Foundation
The board started with the financial backbone of the cooperative.
- AssetsEvery common-area asset entered with useful life, condition, and projected replacement cost.
- Reserve StudiesThe reserve study moved from a once-a-year report to a continuously current funding picture.
Day-to-day operations
With the financial foundation in place, the board brought operations onto the platform.
- Work OrdersMaintenance requests tracked end-to-end with full documentation and accountability.
- InspectionsUnit and common-area inspections documented with checklists and inline photos, feeding straight into asset condition and work orders.
- ApplicantsApplicant intake and waitlist managed in one structured workflow.
- MembersThe full registry of 160 units, occupants, vehicles, and history consolidated into a single source of truth.
Governance & coordination
The remaining modules brought committee work, formal governance, and follow-through into the same system.
- WorkspacesCommittees collaborate in dedicated workspaces instead of scattered email threads.
- NotificationsTargeted updates reach residents and board members without reply-all chaos.
- Board DecisionsEvery motion and vote recorded structurally — audit trail and minutes write themselves.
- DocumentsBylaws, contracts, and insurance certificates organized with role-based access.
- Action ItemsFollow-through tasks linked to the decisions that created them, with clear ownership.
What's different now
- ✓Reserve fund position visible on demand — not just at audit time
- ✓A single, current record for every one of 160 units
- ✓Maintenance requests tracked end-to-end with full history
- ✓Inspection findings flow directly into asset condition and work orders — no more copying notes between systems
- ✓New board members ramp up against a real system instead of a binder
- ✓Every board decision searchable and traceable, with linked action items