Published on October 20th, 2025
By AppFolio

FUTURE 2025 is a wrap! And what an incredible week of insights, innovation, and connection. At this must-attend event, property management professionals from across the country came together to learn, get inspired, and shape what’s next in real estate. 

With 90+ inspiring speakers, 45+ sessions, two keynotes, and a legendary performance from The Black Crowes, this proved to be an unforgettable event that ushered in a new era of real estate and empowered businesses to transform performance like never before. 

From Shane Trigg, President and CEO of AppFolio, we learned that property management is stuck in a performance gap — believing that efficiency is the only way to better performance. But in an increasingly complex and competitive market, task efficiency is table stakes. Success today demands a shift to delivering real performance. 

While yesterday’s property management software focuses on moving tasks from paper to screens, a performance-driven platform delivers better outcomes for everyone — residents, owners, investors, and teams. That’s why we were thrilled to launch the AppFolio Performance Platform, the only platform for real performance (more on that below). 

So let’s dive in to the exciting sessions, insights, and innovations that are changing the game in real estate and empowering your business to perform more. 

Session Highlights and Takeaways

Opening Keynote: Driving Impact with Acclaimed Actor Edward Norton

The event kicked off with an insightful fireside chat with acclaimed actor and entrepreneur Edward Norton. Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Horner sat down with Edward to explore his impressive film record and significant contributions to tech innovation, real estate, and affordable housing development — including co-founding CrowdRise, EDO, Zeck, and more. This set the tone for an inspiring and energizing conference! 

How to Take a Month Off From Your Property Management Business Every Year

In this session, Peter Lohmann, co-founder and CEO of RL Property Management, explored the systems, mindset, and leadership structures that make true time off possible — plus what to do when things don’t go as planned. He shared real-world examples from leaders who’ve taken the leap and come back to businesses that didn’t survive, but actually thrived. 

His big piece of advice: if your business can’t run without you, it’s time to rethink how it’s built. That means adopting the tools and technologies (including agentic AI) that automate workflows and create self-sufficient teams, whether you manage 100 doors or 1,000. 

Make Your Data Work for You: Building Reports That Boost Performance

In this interactive session, attendees rolled up their sleeves and got hands-on practice for building data structures that deliver smarter insights. Along with Deb Newell, a nationally recognized consultant and former owner/operator, attendees learned how to select the KPIs that matter and construct the dashboards that provide visibility into operations like never before. 

Attendees came away with a clear action plan for creating custom reports, interpreting real-time data to spot pain points, and establishing a cadence that turns reporting into a reliable growth engine. 

The Power of AI: From Artificial to Authentic, and Actually Effective!

Justin Jones, multifamily expert and host of The AI XChange, along with Sean Forster, Industry Principal at AppFolio, led a captivated audience through actionable strategies that turn AI from artificial to impactful. With real-world examples in an interactive workshop environment, attendees discovered prompt strategies that protect their brand voice and generate renter-ready content for leasing, emails, social posts, and more. 

Key takeaways? Use AI as a flexible partner for creative exploration and coaching. AI isn’t coming to take your job — it’s here to work hand-in-hand with your teams to deliver positive outcomes for everyone. 

Leading Through the Noise: Real-World Change Management in the Age of AI and Endless Integrations

Today’s real estate leaders are under immense pressure to adopt new technology at lightning speed — so how do you keep up? In this session, Suzanne Hopson, Founder of Here2Elevate, offered strategies on how to cut through the noise, align teams, and move from reactive rollouts to intentional, strategic transformation. 

Attendees walked away with a proven Change Management Blueprint, learned how to evaluate initiatives before launch, and explored strategies for identifying where teams sit on the Change Curve — ultimately arriving at the clarity and structure needed to turn change into momentum.

Afternoon Keynote: Launching the AppFolio Performance Platform

On Tuesday afternoon, AppFolio leaders took to the mainstage to unveil the new discipline of Real Estate Performance Management and how the AppFolio Performance Platform helps property managers deliver winning outcomes for everyone. Attendees got a firsthand look at how Realm-X Performers automate routine tasks so teams can focus on higher-value work, and how Resident Onboarding Lift — co-created by AppFolio and Second Nature — delivers a more personalized onboarding experience and unlocks new revenue streams.

Scaling Smart: Lessons in Operations, Investing, and Long-Term Growth

This interactive panel-workshop blended two powerful perspectives: how to run a thriving property management operation today and how to identify investment opportunities that grow your portfolio tomorrow. Attendees heard from experienced operators and investors who’ve scaled businesses, weathered downturns, and structured deals with lasting impact. 

Key takeaways included: 

• Hire based on core values over just skillset. 
• Use transparency with your KPIs and incentive your desired outcomes with your teams.
• Focus on value-add suburban properties, vertically integrating your business, and using technology to manage your centralized and decentralized operations. 

What Investors Want: A Conversation Around Property Operations

Along with Moses Kagan, President of Adaptive Realty, and Quincy Oswald, Sr. Product Manager at AppFolio, attendees explored why investors choose to outsource their operations, the key qualities they look for in a property manager, and how to keep partnerships productive, transparent, and profitable. Presenters emphasized the importance of building a brand to attract ‘warm’ prospective renters, the need for trust and transparency in proactive relationship-building, and the power of data to drive decision-making and operational alignment. 

Closing Keynote: Rewrite Your Story with Robin Arzón

The conference closed out with a powerful keynote speech from Robin Arzón, Vice President of Programming and Head Instructor at Peloton. Robin shared inspiring insights from her own personal story and how to turn hustle into high performance. Attendees left San Diego feeling energized and equipped to not only transform their businesses, but their lives. 

Drive Real Performance in Property Management: Unveiling AppFolio’s Latest Innovations 

As the technology leader in real estate, AppFolio is at the forefront of innovation. When yesterday’s property management software can no longer keep up with record-high costs, rising vacancies, and increasing application fraud, AppFolio steps in. Here are a few of the exciting innovations that we unveiled at FUTURE 2025, and how they are poised to transform the way businesses operate. 

The AppFolio Performance Platform: A New Game in Real Estate

Built on an AI-native architecture and connected through a unified experience, the AppFolio Performance Platform empowers teams, turns disconnected activities into one smooth workflow, and helps operators create value for everyone in the real estate ecosystem. 

Combining a System of Record that captures and stores your data, a System of Action that uses that data to automate repetitive tasks with agentic AI, and a System of Growth that unlocks new revenue opportunities with best-in-class resident services, our performance platform helps you shift away from traditional task-based management to focusing on the human-centric work that drives the outcomes your residents, teams, clients, and business really need. 

Experience Real Results with Realm-X Performers

The System of Action at the center of the AppFolio Performance Platform is powered by Realm-X Performers, advanced agentic AI capabilities designed to automate routine, repetitive workflows and free your teams for higher-value work. This technology doesn’t just digitize your tasks — it completes them for you. 

The Realm-X Leasing Performer accelerates the entire lead-to-lease lifecycle, engaging prospects instantly across channels, capturing details, scheduling tours, and advancing every lead with consistency. 

The Realm-X Maintenance Performer reimagines service intake and triage, communicating with residents in real time and multiple languages, analyzing photos, asking follow-up questions, and creating prioritized work orders so issues are resolved faster and more reliably.

The Realm-X Resident Messenger Performer transforms how property managers and residents connect throughout the rental journey, handling renewal communications and responses to questions about rent payments, lease terms, and more.

Since the launch of Realm-X, AppFolio users have reported: 

• Vacant units are being filled 5.2 days faster on average
• Renewal rates have increased by 20% and NOI by 2.8% on average
• A 1.2-day average reduction in the time it takes to turn a unit

Resident Onboarding: Creating Shared Value for All Stakeholders

As part of the Performance Platform’s System of Growth, AppFolio and Second Nature introduced Resident Onboarding Lift, a co-created offering for property managers to deliver a more personalized onboarding experience and unlock new revenue streams. Through this seamless integration with Second Nature’s technology, residents gain access to high-value services that provide the convenience they love while investors benefit from greater property protection.

See You Next Year at FUTURE 2026

FUTURE is where the real estate industry comes to connect, innovate, and inspire. With a stellar lineup of industry leaders, technology experts, and unforgettable experiences, this is the must-attend event for anyone in real estate who wants to help shape the future of the industry. And we’re already looking forward to next year.

Join us September 28th – 30th at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego to see what the next wave of innovation will be. You can join the waitlist today to get updates on speakers, sessions, insights, and more. We can’t wait to see you there!

Want to learn even more about Real Estate Performance Management, AppFolio’s newest product innovations, and key takeaways from FUTURE? Register for “The Best of FUTURE 2025: Highlights, Insights, and What’s Next in Real Estate,” an upcoming webinar on October 30, 2025 at 11 am PT.

Article Summary

Here are the key takeaways from this article: 

• Introducing Real Estate Performance Management (RPM): FUTURE 2025 emphasized a shift from task efficiency to delivering real performance through a performance-driven platform.
• AppFolio Performance Platform Launch: AppFolio unveiled its new platform, built on an AI-native architecture, designed to empower teams, streamline workflows, and create value across the real estate ecosystem.
• Realm-X Performers: New agentic AI capabilities (Realm-X Leasing, Maintenance, and Resident Messenger Performers) automate routine tasks to free up teams for higher-value work, leading to faster unit fills, increased renewal rates, and reduced unit turn times.
• Resident Onboarding Lift: A co-created offering with Second Nature, this innovation enhances the resident onboarding experience, unlocks new revenue streams, and provides greater property protection.
• Keynote Insights: Speakers like Edward Norton and Robin Arzón shared insights on driving impact, building self-sufficient businesses, and turning hustle into high performance.
• Data and AI for Performance: Sessions highlighted the importance of using data for smarter insights and leveraging AI as a flexible partner for creative exploration and effective content generation.
• Change Management: Strategies were provided for real estate leaders to navigate technology adoption, align teams, and turn change into momentum in an increasingly complex environment.