Kellie Martin
Established: 1957
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Why AppFolio: For Chamberlin & Associates, success isn’t just about managing properties — it’s about creating exceptional experiences for residents and owners alike. But growing the size of their portfolio from 400 to nearly 14,000 units has been no small feat. With AppFolio Property Manager as a true partner, Chamberlin has optimized their workflows, empowered teams, and delivered real-time insights to owners, all while maintaining their signature standard of excellence.
Multifamily, Single-Family,
Student, Commercial
14,000+
2016
Leading With Vision
Kellie Martin’s path to property management was truly by chance. With a background in hospitality, she spent a decade consulting for Chamberlin’s owners before stepping into her current role as Chief Operating Officer. Now, she oversees 7 key departments and 300 employees, ensuring smooth operations and upholding the Chamberlin standard.
Kellie describes the Chamberlin standard as being the best owner with the best buildings in the area. “Regardless of the location, the age of the building, or the size of the building, the grass will always be greener, the amenities are clean, the staff is friendly, and residents will always feel like they have a home to come to. Everything is consistent so that the resident experience is the best it can be.”
For Kellie, maintaining this standard requires constant innovation and problem-solving. But when their previous software became a roadblock, Chamberlin & Associates knew it was time to seek out a better solution and partnered with AppFolio Property Manager.
Never Lose Sight of The Basics
For 35 years, Chamberlin & Associates’ “secret sauce” has boiled down to one core principle: never lose sight of the basics. This principle guided them to choose AppFolio Property Manager as their sole technology provider to manage over 100 properties with 14,000+ units. Kellie shares: “What attracted us to AppFolio was their customer service and their vision for the future. Our owners want real-time information, and AppFolio allows us to pull that data quickly and efficiently.”
“Since adopting AppFolio in 2016 with 400 units, we’ve scaled to nearly 14,000 — growth we couldn’t have achieved without their technology and partnership.”
Beyond the software, Kellie saw a cultural alignment between Chamberlin & Associates and AppFolio. Kellie explains: “The culture between Chamberlin and AppFolio works really well because we're both focused on using technology in every area — whether it's for our residents, employees, or professional growth. AppFolio has been a huge help for us with their workflows and AI processes, leading us into the next generation of property management technology.”
Data-Driven, Always
in Control
Operating in multiple markets — from building classes and size to student housing, low-income, and market-rate — Chamberlin utilizes AppFolio Property Manager Plus for all their needs. “Partnering with AppFolio has made our onsite team’s jobs easier because it eliminates the need to do manual tasks so they can focus on the true value of resident retention and owner communication.”
As a third-party manager, it’s important for Chamberlin to provide their owners with accurate and transparent reporting. “With AppFolio, we’ve been able to create custom reports that pull key metrics like occupancy, delinquency, and financials into one comprehensive view,” explains Kellie. “This has not only made it easier to track property performance but has also helped us be more proactive in managing challenges before they arise.”
Having 100% of their data centralized in AppFolio Property Manager empowers Chamberlin to make more strategic decisions, improving both property performance and owner satisfaction.
Data-Driven Accounting SoftwareOptimized for Growth, Designed for Efficiency
In addition to the advanced features in AppFolio Property Manager, Chamberlin has a true partnership with the AppFolio team through their involvement in advisory boards, access to dedicated customer success managers, and opportunities to participate in beta testing. By leveraging these tools, Chamberlin has not only streamlined their operations but also gained a competitive advantage that sets them apart in the industry.
Kellie highlights key features that give them an advantage:
Leasing CRM
“The automation in AppFolio’s leasing CRM has been a game-changer. Our onsite staff gets reminders about overdue tasks, and we can track the number of times we've contacted a prospect before closing. This automation makes sure we’re following up properly and even re-engaging prospects when we have specials.”
“Keeping our leasing flow centralized is essential for managing a large volume at scale. In 2024, we processed 17,000 leases and renewals in AppFolio, keeping operations centralized and data accurate for a top-tier resident experience.”
Data Centralization
“Having all our data in one place has made decision-making so much easier. We can group our properties by class type, size, or location to make more strategic, data-driven decisions with ease.”
AppFolio Stack™ Integration
“The integration of AppFolio Stack™ partners has been seamless. We’ve found the process incredibly easy — just press a button and the integration happens. It’s simplified our operations and ensured we’re working with the best tools available.
AI That Works as Hard as You Do
Managing a diverse portfolio of properties while reporting to over 100 different owners can be a complex task, so the need for uniformity in reporting metrics across all property types is critical. That’s where AppFolio Realm-X has made a significant impact.
Realm-X is an embedded generative AI solution designed to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. For the Chamberlin team, Realm-X has allowed them to save time on routine tasks, giving them more space to focus on what matters most: building relationships with residents and owners.
“The team has really embraced the ease of Realm-X, especially compared to the old manual processes we had in place. They’ve been very impressed with how they can ask Realm-X questions and they receive quick responses. We can now send bulk texts, bulk emails, and even create and assign work orders with just a few clicks.”
Kellie also notes how she’s seen her team’s productivity increase by leveraging Realm-X:
AppFolio Realm-X Messages helps us communicate with residents more efficiently, saving at least 6 hours per month with suggested responses.
Additionally, our team finds AppFolio Realm-X Assistant super helpful. Whether it's creating and assigning work orders, creating charges, or sending out time-sensitive notices, they can prompt Realm-X Assistant and get help quickly.”
Your Key to Game-Changing Productivity For Chamberlin, the future is all about sustainable growth while maintaining the same high standards of service, consistency, and accuracy that their residents and owners rely on. “AppFolio is instrumental in our growth. It helps us scale while ensuring we have the processes in place to provide a complete, seamless experience for our owners,” says Kellie.
This level of support and innovation brings Kellie and her team peace of mind. “Having AppFolio as the experts in technology gives me peace of mind. AppFolio is the one area of my business I don’t worry about because I wake up knowing that AppFolio has collected rent, taken in work orders, managed reviews, and handled all the other background tasks that still happen.
“The fact that all those critical tasks go on without me having to manage it day and night gives me a lot of peace of mind.”
“I would encourage other property management companies to take a serious look at AppFolio for two key reasons: they are truly forward-thinking, constantly innovating to stay ahead of industry needs, and you can always connect with someone who understands the platform and is willing to listen, improve, and enhance your experience with AppFolio.”
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