Achieve End-to-End Payment Automation With AvidXchange and AppFolio
For many real estate companies, handling accounts payable (AP) still looks a lot like it did a decade ago: stacks of paper invoices, manual data entry, piles of checks waiting to be mailed, and drawn-out approval processes. This may have worked when volumes were low and portfolios were small, but as operations scale, so do vendor bills, payment frequencies, and the complexity of approvals.
Manual AP isn’t just slow — it’s expensive, error-prone, and puts your business at significant financial risk. Thankfully, modern AP automation technology makes it easier than ever to digitize and streamline this critical function, delivering massive performance value without requiring a major accounting overhaul. Research presented by AvidXchange shows the growing popularity of ePayments, including digital wallets and mobile payment platforms, with 86% of finance departments adopting these methods.
In an industry where margins are tight and true performance drives profitability, automating AP workflows can unlock meaningful savings, stronger controls and visibility, and better vendor experiences. Keep reading to explore the benefits of AP automation in real estate and how AvidXchange Payment Automation — seamlessly integrated with AppFolio — delivers a complete, secure, and scalable experience.
The True Cost of Manual AP
When your business grows, so does the volume of invoices, approvals, and payments your team has to manage. Without automation, that growth often requires adding headcount just to keep up, which means pulling away your existing team from higher-value work such as forecasting, financial planning, and strategic analysis. Data from AvidXchange’s Trends Survey shows that 87% of finance leaders were tasked with new responsibilities in 2024, including data analytics and reporting (49%) and financial technology integration (47%).
AP automation changes the game by shifting the focus from doing work to managing outcomes. AvidXchange reports that 85% of AP professionals agree that access to tools and technology helps with their professional development. By giving your team the technology they need to be successful, they can move from pushing paper to focusing on tasks that help improve their work experience, keep them around longer, and allow them to grow.
For businesses still issuing paper checks, the cost savings of using AP automation can be surprisingly significant. AppFolio estimates that the combined cost of stamps, check stock, security envelopes, and printing can reach up to $1.67 per check, with an additional $2.45 per check in employee handling time. Multiply that across hundreds or thousands of payments, and the cost of expenses adds up quickly, ultimately affecting your bottom line.
By moving to digital payments and automated workflows, you eliminate those costs and reduce the risk of late fees and inaccuracies. Automating AP allows you to pay vendors on consistent timelines, helping to build stronger relationships and better partnerships.
Why Control and Visibility Matter
Cost savings and efficiency are important, but there’s another aspect of AP automation that’s equally important: risk management and insight. According to AvidXchange, 52% of finance departments cite security concerns, including fraud and phishing attempts, as their top concern. Additionally, more than three-quarters of the finance leaders surveyed said their finance departments had fallen victim to or been the target of attempted attacks.
Automation replaces fragmented, paper-based processes with structured, digital workflows. This improves oversight, reduces opportunities for fraud, and creates a clear audit trail for compliance and reporting. Approved invoices move through predefined routing, payments are tracked in real time, and every action is logged — meaning nothing slips through the cracks.
Electronic payments also avoids many of the risks that come with checks. There’s no sensitive banking information in an envelope or attempted mail theft. Funds move directly and securely from your account to the vendor via their preferred payment method. What’s more, paying suppliers faster through their preferred method strengthens relationships and reduces inbound payment inquiries.
Just as importantly, automation improves visibility. Automated systems capture and surface real-time data, allowing you to gain visibility you never had before. You can see where approvals are stuck, monitor pending payments, and better predict your cash flow. This kind of transparency isn’t just nice to have — it’s essential for intelligent decision-making in your growing organization.
How AvidXchange Streamlines AP Automation
Digitizing your AP process is one thing, but doing it without disrupting your existing systems and workflows is another. To help you modernize your AP without adding complexity, AppFolio has partnered with AvidXchange, a leading provider of Accounts Payable Automation software with over 25 years of experience. When paired with AppFolio’s Performance Platform, it delivers a seamless, end-to-end AP process — all without leaving AppFolio.
With AvidXchange Payment Automation, you can:
Initiate and approve payments right inside AppFolio. You’ll no longer have to export data or log into a separate tool, and invoices and payments flow naturally through your existing workflows.
Automate payment execution. Once approved, AvidXchange debits your account and issues vendor payments, saving time and eliminating manual check runs.
Simplify vendor payments at scale. With over 1.5 million vendors in-network, AvidXchange handles vendor outreach and ensures vendors are paid using the method they prefer, improving relationships and reducing follow-up calls.
Access real-time status tracking. Payment status and history are visible directly in AppFolio, including the ability to download proof of payment for your vendors, giving you complete visibility without extra effort.
Receive enhanced security. Tools like Positive Pay Monitoring and a dedicated fraud team help protect your cash flow from threats and unauthorized activity.
Eliminate transaction fees* for AppFolio Plus or Max customers. AppFolio customers on these plans enjoy zero transaction fees on vendor payments with AvidXchange through AppFolio, lowering cost barriers to adoption.
This integration isn’t just about eliminating paperwork. It’s about giving you and your team the visibility, control, and confidence to run finance operations more strategically.
*The AppFolio Plus or Max plans are required for zero transaction fees. Customers with an existing AvidXchange contract will need to contact AvidXchange directly to opt-in to receive no transaction fees.
AP Automation That Scales With You
Manual processes simply can’t keep up, and they expose your business to unnecessary costs, risk, and inefficiencies.
AP automation with AvidXchange and AppFolio helps you work smarter, not harder, by delivering meaningful time and cost savings, improving controls and visibility, strengthening vendor relationships, and supporting a modern finance team built for scale.
Ready to see AP automation in action? Sign up now for a free customized demo to see how AvidXchange Payment Automation integrates with AppFolio to transform your AP process.
Key Takeaways
Stop the Paper Chase: Manual AP processes — with paper invoices, checks, and drawn-out approvals — are slow and costly and expose your growing real estate business to significant financial risk and error.
Unlock Efficiency and Savings: AP automation with AvidXchange and AppFolio delivers massive performance value, eliminating costs (up to $4.12 per paper check), improving efficiency, and freeing your team for higher-value strategic work.
Enhance Security and Control: The integration mitigates major concerns such as check fraud and cyberattacks (52% of finance departments’ top concern) by replacing fragmented, paper-based processes with structured, real-time, and secure digital workflows.
Integrate With AppFolio Seamlessly: AvidXchange Payment Automation is seamlessly integrated with the AppFolio Performance Platform, allowing you to initiate, approve, and track payments without ever leaving AppFolio.
Enjoy Scalable Benefits: AppFolio Plus and Max customers benefit from zero transaction fees on vendor payments with AvidXchange through AppFolio, making the move to secure, electronic payments and automated workflows a clear path to scale.
Get a Demo: Sign up for a free customized demo today to discover how AvidXchange Payment Automation integrates with AppFolio to transform your AP process.