4 Reasons Why Your SFR Property Management Business Needs Mobile-Friendly Software
Key Takeaways
Mobile-Friendly Software Leads to Increased Transparency: Provides real-time data access for teams and instant reporting for owners to build trust.
Streamlined Tech Stack = Greater Efficiency: Enables remote workflows, onsite work order creation, and automation to reduce manual tasks.
Mobile Options = More Flexibility: Offers on-demand mobile tools for digital leasing, remote viewings, and self-service payments.
Fully Mobile Software Is More Scalable: Increases team bandwidth and simplifies onboarding to manage larger portfolios more easily.
Having mobile-friendly software is table stakes for today’s property manager, regardless of whether your company focuses on single-family home rentals (SFR) or manages a mixed portfolio including boutique multifamily (MFR) properties.
The Challenge of Traditional Property Management
Relying on paper-based processes and extensive in-person interactions can lead to wasted resources and take time away from focusing on customer experience or business growth.
SFR Challenge: The physical distance between homes makes showing units, addressing maintenance, and meeting with residents/owners very time-consuming.
Mixed Portfolio/MFR Challenge: Managing different property types and dispersed MFR properties requires significant investment in time, resources, and technology to juggle multiple demands.
The Solution: Mobile tools make it easier to manage your property management company from anywhere, meet residents' needs, and deliver a better customer experience.
Why Your SFR Property Management Company Needs Mobile-Friendly Technology
The ever-shifting real estate market and the need to stay competitive require efficiency. Your property management software should be saving, not wasting, valuable time.
Here are four key benefits of adopting a fully mobile system:
1. Mobile-Friendly Software Leads to Increased Transparency
Transitioning to a completely mobile, single system of record instantly increases transparency across your teams.
Internal Access: Easier to track maintenance repairs, move-ins/move-outs, and lease renewals from anywhere.
Better Decisions: Real-time data access helps you monitor property performance and make better-informed decisions.
Owner Trust: Owners can view reports and communicate with your team quickly, building trust and satisfaction. This increased credibility can lead to more future owners through referrals.
Quote: Jacqui Luberto, ONE Family Property Services (managing 235+ SFRs): "The ability to provide different reports for different owners is so important…we’ve reduced many issues for everyone. And when we reduce issues, we increase happiness.”
2. Streamlined Tech Stack Solutions Provide Greater Efficiency
Mobile systems allow property managers to carry out workflows from the field or at home, accelerating work.
Mobility: Managers can facilitate repairs, answer questions, and perform other tasks without being in the office or on location. This is especially valuable when properties are spread across a large area.
Onsite Workflow: A property manager can create a work order immediately upon noticing an issue onsite, rather than calling the office or making a note to follow up later.
Automation: Built-in automated features free up team members from manual data entry and phone calls, allowing the business to fill vacancies faster and maximize revenue.
Case Study: Jenny Stephens, Nebraska Lifestyles Property Management (managing 900+ units), filled vacancies faster by premarketing future listings using a vacancy posting tool: "With the click of a button, everything is published everywhere. It allows us to premarket effectively and efficiently ahead of time."
3. Mobile Options Mean More Flexibility for SFR Renters
Today's renters expect on-demand, mobile experiences for everything, including interacting with their property management company.
| Feature | Prospect Benefit | Resident Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Leasing Tools | Easily find information, floorplans, and photos, and schedule showings (guided, self-guided, or virtual). | Not required to visit the office for renewals, rent payments, or questions. |
| Remote Viewing | Makes it possible for out-of-state prospects to easily view units, increasing the qualified prospect pool. | N/A |
| Self-Service App | N/A | Request maintenance, conduct mobile inspections, renew leases, and pay rent from their phones. |
Critical Need: Since over 55% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, offering these experiences on smartphones and tablets is critical.
Outcome: Eliminates frustration, provides a great customer experience, and ultimately boosts resident retention.
Example: Tami Simeona, Two Seas Property Management, on work orders: "Sending a work order out now with AppFolio takes me five minutes." (Previously, the manual process could take hours, if not days).
4. Fully Mobile Software Is More Scalable for Your Property Management Business
Mobile-friendly software increases your team's bandwidth and ability to complete tasks from anywhere, making it easier to manage more units.
Growth Attraction: Mobile tools are desirable to prospective renters and future owners, helping your organization attract more business and scale your portfolio.
Seamless Onboarding: Having all necessary tools under one platform simplifies acquisition and growth.
Case Study: Michael Mintz, MD Squared, successfully transitioned employees from an older system during an acquisition: "We trained them on AppFolio, and literally, within a few weeks, everyone was up and running and understood how to use AppFolio, and they loved it."
The Results Speak for Themselves
A fully mobile property management software, like AppFolio, streamlines processes and delivers a top-notch resident and owner experience.
Survey Data: 88% of highly satisfied AppFolio customers surveyed simplified their technology stack and eliminated redundant tools.*
Competitor Advantage: Automating processes can give a business a significant advantage over competitors.
Quote: Joseph Colaluca, Strive Realty: "Automating this process within AppFolio has definitely given us a leg up on some of our competitors.”
*April 2021 TechValidate survey of 500+ satisfied AppFolio customers