The Official AppFolio Blog

Wish you could have AppFolio’s property management software with you when you’re out of the office? Good news—there’s an app for that! AppFolio Property Manager is available on your iPhone. With the help of our property management app, your important contact and property information is at your fingertips wherever you go. We’ve also recently updated the App and now you can add and edit notes and workorders while you’re in the field.

Here are just a few real-world situations in which the AppFolio iPhone App can be very useful.

Improve Response Times
Let’s say you’re out in the field and realize you’re missing a key piece of information about a property, vendor, owner or tenant that you need in order to complete a task. Maybe you go to make an urgent call, only to realize that the only up-to-date contact record you have is on your computer back at the office. No worries. AppFolio for iPhone is synced with data you’ve stored online in AppFolio Property Manager, so you’ve always got the most up-to-date information just where you need it.

Property Inspection
One of your units has gone vacant, and it’s time for an inspection. In the past, you’d load yourself up with your laptop, notepad and camera, and just HOPE that you’d be able to get a decent wi-fi signal at the property. Now, all you need is your iPhone. Take inspection notes on your phone and attach them to a property record. If you run into a problem, your tenant, owner and vendor information is readily accessible through AppFolio’s property management app. You can create and edit workorders while you’re on the property and save a trip back to the office.

Faster Marketing
When the property is viewer-ready, you can easily take pictures with your iPhone and upload them directly to AppFolio Property Manager. From there, it’s just a few clicks before those photos are live on your vacancy postings, ready to draw in new applicants.

We’ve written before about how greening your properties can give you a competitive advantage over your competition. But did you know that greening your property management office can also boost your business? Property managers who have gone green and paperless find that it saves them both time and money. And when you combine a green office with environmentally friendly changes to the properties you manage, you can market yourself more effectively as an eco-friendly business. A green image can be a big benefit in today’s market.

Here are seven tips on greening your property management office.

1. Go paperless.
   One of the most important green changes you can make to your office is to go paperless. Reducing the amount of paperwork you handle saves you time and money, gets rent money in the bank faster, frees up office space and saves trees. These days, you can conduct almost all your business via the Internet, email and fax. And using web-based property management software makes going paperless even easier. Email owners and residents, collect rent online, enter work orders and store digital documents, all right from AppFolio.
2. Say no to junk mail.
   Junk mail accounts for a ridiculous number of dead trees, and everyone hates it anyway. So dig yourself out from under the avalanche of ads and bogus offers. Check out the FTC’s instructions on how to opt out of junk mail. A few extra minutes spent now calling or emailing the appropriate agencies can save you the time and trouble required to sort through and discard junk mail in the future.
3. Buy rechargeable batteries.
   Rechargeable batteries will cost you a little extra money at the register, but are well worth it in the long run. One rechargeable battery can replace hundreds of single-use batteries. You’ll also reduce the amount of toxic metal waste put into landfills. Rechargeable batteries contain the same harmful materials as regular batteries, but you’ll use fewer of them. And remember, whether you use rechargeable or standard batteries, recycle them properly rather than just tossing them in the trash.
4. Replace incandescent bulbs.
   Replacing incandescent bulbs in your office with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can save you money by reducing your electrical bills. And the less energy you use, the fewer of the Earth’s natural resources you’ll consume.
5. Hold meetings online.
   Consider conducting meetings over the Internet via Skype, Google+ Hangouts, GoToMeeting or another video chat service rather than having everyone drive to the office. Not only will you save people money on gas, you’ll preserve the world’s oil resources and cut down on air pollution from car exhaust.
6. Turn computers off.
   Computers use up a ton of energy, and leaving them on overnight is just wasteful. Make it a company policy for everyone to turn off their desktop computers before leaving work. And while you’re at it, make sure to turn off other major office equipment, such as printers, scanners and fax machines, when not in use.
7. Install a programmable thermostat.
   A programmable thermostat will quickly help you to cut down on your energy bills. Set it to a comfortable level during work hours and program it to reduce the temperature by a few degrees during the hours when no one’s in the building.

With the amount of time that people spend online these days, it’s very important to have a professional presence on the Internet. Potential clients and residents search for properties and property management services online, and your current owners and residents will appreciate the ability to connect with you via the web. On top of that, whether you have an online presence or not, your business likely has an online reputation. For good or bad, people are probably talking about your company online, and it’s important that you take part in that conversation.

Here are three simple ways that you can establish and improve your property management business’s online reputation.

Maintain A Professional Website
A company website with a professional look and feel is an important part of putting your best foot forward online. It is your business’s digital face, the place where people will look for your official presence. Building a property management website is a first step in establishing yourself on the Internet. Your website should provide people with all the important information they need about your business. A website gives you a place to post your contact information, list vacancies, connect with owners and residents and display positive reviews of your company. We work hard to make publishing and maintaining a property management website easy.

Provide Excellent Service
Excellent service is of course the key to offline as well as online reputation management. When you treat your owners and residents well, you reap the benefits in word-of-mouth marketing, and you attract better quality residents. Thankfully, the Internet makes it easy to provide better service to everyone. When residents, owners and vendors can do everything from sending you an email to paying rent online, you can respond quickly. And, of course property management software can make all this even easier.

Monitor And Respond To Feedback
Everyone appreciates a company that responds well to positive as well as negative feedback. In the digital age, it’s important to monitor mentions of your company online and respond accordingly. Run regular searches for your company name and find out what people are saying. An easy way to do this is to use Google Alerts – www.google.com/alerts. When you see a positive comment, be sure to thank the writer. You might even ask them if you can feature their review on your website. When you see a negative comment, apologize to the writer (even if you don’t think you were in the wrong) and fix the problem. Try to keep your replies short and simple, and use it as an opportunity to improve your business.

We’ve worked with Charity Hisle from Socially Engaged Marketing to create this great, free eBook on how to manage your online reputation.

We all know that curb appeal can help fill vacancies faster. If your property doesn’t appeal to a viewer at first glance, there’s a good chance they will pass it by without looking into it any further. Not only will a more attractive property gain you more inquiries about your vacancies, but it will also enable you to find better quality residents who will be willing to pay more in rent in order to live in a beautiful home.

But how do you improve the curb appeal of the properties you manage? Often you are so familiar with your buildings that it’s actually rather difficult to see their flaws. When this is the case, it’s important to be able to take a step back and make a real effort to view your properties from the perspective of an outsider. What would the average stranger passing by on the street see that you’ve overlooked?

Take a Step Back
To accomplish this, it can be helpful first to take a literal step back. Walk across the street and view your property from a distance so that you can see its surroundings at the same time. Are there many dead trees surrounding the structure? Is the front porch sagging, or could it use a new coat of paint? Is the fence in good repair, and does the lawn look cared for? What single problem could you fix that would make a significant difference to the eyes of a potential resident?

Now Come Closer
Next, walk back over to the property and look a little more closely at the building itself, as well as the elements immediately surrounding it. If someone passes by on the street and is struck by your property, you don’t want them coming closer only to be turned off by smaller details. Are the windows, doors and siding clean? Has the porch been swept? Are the steps broken? Is the gravel from the walkway straying all over the lawn? Are there old tools or pieces of trash scattered in the yard? Many of these minor problems can be remedied quickly and inexpensively, so it makes no sense to lose potential residents over them.

Pick a Few Easy Wins
Once you’ve identified some areas that need work, decide what you’d like to address immediately. Check out this article from PropertyManager.com with 5 Easy Ways to Improve Curb Appeal. Ask yourself, what changes will give me the most visual impact for my time and money? Also consider, what changes will make a lasting impact that renters will appreciate. And naturally, once you’ve finalized on the changes, enter them as work orders using your AppFolio property management software!

It seems like everyone is on Facebook these days. THE social network now has more than 800 million active users, and according to Facebook, more than half of those users log in on any given day. You can bet that both property owners and residents are part of that crowd, so it only makes sense that your property management business should have a presence there as well. But how can you make your company Facebook page stand out?

Optimize
First, you need to make sure that users will find your business. Thankfully, there are some simple ways you can make your page more visible in search results within Facebook. First, pick your page name and URL carefully. Choose a name that users will easily identify with your brand and that they will also remember. Next, fill out the “About” and “Overview” boxes in the info tab using important keywords to describe your business. Make sure that your location is included as part of the keyword phrases (for instance, “Chicago property management).” Finally, make sure to install Facebook’s Open Graph Protocol to improve your ranking in Facebook search results.

Create Custom Tabs
Facebook allows you to create custom tabs for your business. First, design a custom landing tab that every first-time visitor sees when they access your page. Brand that tab and give users essential information about your business. Also include a call to action: ask them to “Like” your page, so that your status updates will begin appearing in their news feeds. Next, create another custom tab to display the properties you manage, each with its own beautiful photo. Finally, use custom tabs to offer unique promotions to your Facebook fans and encourage them to share information about your business with their friends.

Serve a Need
If you don’t make regular updates to your Facebook page, the fans you do gain will simply hit “Like” and then forget about you. However, if you post spammy updates, people will unsubscribe en masse. To keep your fans attention without annoying them, make sure that your posts are serving their needs. Follow the 80/20 rule. Only 20% of your posts should directly promote your business. The other 80% should provide information that is useful to your audience. As a property manager, you could provide fans with information about local community, tips on taking care of their living spaces or photos of the city or town you serve.

Download this eBook, Facebook for Property Managers, to learn more great tips and tricks.

Did you know that, in addition to protecting the environment, implementing eco-friendly practices at the properties you manage can benefit your business? Greener units are a great selling point and can help you to attract a better kind of resident. Implementing these practices can help residents cut down on water and energy expenses, making your apartments more attractive. Also, residents who are more eco-conscious are more likely to respect both their interior and exterior environment, inflicting less wear and tear on their living spaces.

Here are seven easy ways to get started on greening your properties for the new year.  Not only does it help you to attract eco-conscious residents, you will find some money saving opportunities as well.

1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
   ENERGY STAR-qualified CFLs produce the same amount of light as traditional bulbs with only about ¼ of the energy.
2. Repaint your units with low- or no-VOC paints.
   The EPA has found that levels of organic pollutants are two to five times higher within homes than without. These compounds can have serious health and environmental consequences. Using paints low in these compounds will improve the quality of life for your residents.
3. Install low-flow water fixtures and toilets.
   These fixtures produce a water flow that feels the same while using less water, saving both a natural resource and money. Many utilities and city governments offer incentives for installing low-flow fixtures, so make a few calls for added savings.
4. Install programmable thermostats.
   The automatic settings help your residents to more accurately regulate temperatures and save money and energy at the same time. Make sure to educate your tenants on their use.
5. Insulate your water heaters.
   A $20-$30 investment in an insulation blanket can translate into 9% savings on water heating. Older water heaters in particular need this attention.
6. Check furnace ducts for leaks.
   Sealing these leaks can account for as much as a 20% energy savings, plus will improve the air quality in your properties.
7. Use ENERGY STAR appliances.
   Encourage your owners to install ENERGY STAR appliances. ENERGY STAR-rated refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers use significantly less water and energy.

Maintaining a strong, positive online presence for your property management business grows in importance every day. The amount of time people spend on the Internet, and the number of tasks they accomplish there, increases constantly. We go online to socialize, play, shop and learn – your potential clients and residents are online, and they are using the Internet to find businesses like yours.

In our educational presentations to property managers we always talk about the importance of your company blog. HubSpot reports that businesses that blog get 55% more traffic than those that don’t. Here are just three ways that a blog can help you in your online property management marketing efforts.

Improve Search Visibility
Potential clients and residents need to be able to find you online. There are many property managers out there competing for the same business, and it’s very easy for your property management website to get buried in search engine results. More and more, the key to ranking well in search results is to provide frequent, fresh, quality content. A blog is an easy way to post new content to your site on a regular basis.

Paint a Positive Image
Let’s face it. No matter how fantastic your business is, eventually it will draw some negative reviews. In fact, the more successful and visible you become, the more likely you are to receive criticism in online places like Yelp. A blog is a great place to talk about the great things your company does, respond to concerns and generally give your online image a boost.

Become a Hub for Information
People love websites that provide them with what they need. Your property management website should provide potential clients and tenants with the information they need about your business and the properties you manage as well as industry trends, local information and a feel for your community.. It can also provide a platform for sharing other types of useful information that will draw traffic to your business. When you know the needs of your client base and speak to those needs on your blog, you can become an important hub for information and draw more visitors to your site.