MK Property Management Finds More Time to Focus on Customers and Business Growth with AppFolio

A Bit of Backstory

Connie Miller and her partner started MK Property Management 15 years ago with just a few properties as an investment for future retirement. Over the years the business has grown and now they manage over 225 properties with a staff of just two full time employees. Connie has kept the company small so they can devote personalized attention to the properties and their owners – when an owner calls, he talks to Connie or Tami. Simplicity and personalized service are what differentiates MK Property Management from their competition.

Aren't All Web-Based Property Management Software Systems Pretty Much the Same?

When Connie was ready to move from manually managing their properties using Excel spreadsheets she started searching for web-based property management software. Her requirements were straightforward – she wanted the flexibility to work while she was out of the office, a system that was easy to use and dedicated support to get started properly. "We used Buildium property management software for about a year, but it was a tough year. We didn't have anyone we could call – almost all communication was done through email. It was very frustrating, " said Connie. Because she wasn't comfortable with Buildium's accounting infrastructure she was also keeping dual books. "It was double the amount of work!"

Switching to AppFolio Gets Positive Feedback from Owners

Switching to new property management software not only affects the property management staff, it also impacts the owners, so Connie needed to be sure the reports and Owner Packets were straightforward and easy to understand. "The owners were confused by the reports we had been sending previously so I wanted to be sure there was no confusion this time. I actually got several unsolicited emails from owners thanking me for the clear and easy to read new reports!"

Prior to using AppFolio Property Manager, Connie was spending time to post ads for her vacant properties to different online listing sites but she wasn't able to do it very regularly because it was just too time consuming. "It would take me at least ten minutes per property. Now it takes me less than one minute per property because I post directly from AppFolio – that definitely saves a lot of time."

Another key difference for Connie is the quality of service she receives from the AppFolio team. Connie never felt comfortable using Buildium and she attributes this to her implementation experience. She didn't receive enough personalized support to get her started and was never confident that the accounting was working properly. Connie's experience with AppFolio is very different, "If I can't find an answer from the help section all I have to do is pick up the phone and I always get a quick response. I was trained properly so I felt sure that we started on the right foot. The dedicated Client Services support just makes it so easy for us."

The Results: More Time To Grow The Business

During the week dedicated to paying owners, prior to using AppFolio Connie typically spent more than 50 hours just gathering the information on the income and expenses, writing checks and compiling reports. "Now with AppFolio the reports are easy to run. I can see that they're correct and email them immediately to owners. For example, this week is our deadline week and it took me only two days in the office – that's less than half the time I used to spend!"

Now that they are using AppFolio for accounting, marketing, and property management Connie has found more time to be out in the field looking at properties with new potential owners and networking in the community. "AppFolio has really given me so much more time to generate more business and keep our customers happy."