How JW Property Services uses AppFolio to make work less manual and more meaningful
JW Property Services
Established: 2006\ Location: New Orleans, Louisiana\ Portfolio: Multifamily and single-family\ Previous Solutions: Excel, QuickBooksJW Property Services is a family owned and operated property management business in New Orleans. It manages over 330 units consisting of small multifamily apartment complexes and single-family homes throughout the New Orleans-Metairie metro area. In conversation with Josh Wilson, Founder and Chief Operating Officer, we learned more about his experience in switching to AppFolio and how he has been able to grow his business without the need to expand headcount.
Units managed
330+
Reduction in manual work
75%
Reduction in time spent
on accounts payable
50%
Reduction in time spent
on communication
60%
“Our processes and systems are light-years ahead of where we were before AppFolio.”
Turning knowledge into power
“I started investing shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. I got my feet wet and then, lo and behold, the market crashed in 2007. That was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. I earned my stripes going through that. I've taken a lot of those learnings and carried them forward with me in my career and also applied them to how I operate and manage my business today.”
Prior to switching to AppFolio, Josh and his team used Excel to manage their rental properties and QuickBooks to handle their accounting operations. However, as they took on more and more units, Josh knew they needed a software solution that could keep up with their evolving needs. Josh explains:
“For the first few years, we were using Excel spreadsheets. We were young and hungry and didn’t take any vacations; we just kept our heads down. As we started scaling and getting to 20+ units, it was like, ‘Okay, this is now a full-fledged business.’ That's when we knew we had to find software that was built for property management.”
Using limited systems to manage their business-critical processes caused problems and resulted in more busywork for Josh and his team. After switching to AppFolio, they noticed a difference almost immediately as they were able to increase accuracy and save time by automating tasks.
“Rent collection was cumbersome, and there were a lot of manual errors. We used to pick up and deposit paper checks. We had to go back and reconcile and fix everything at the end of every single month. In transitioning to AppFolio, we eliminated a lot of human error because most of the processes were automated. It was a huge relief for us. Plus, we were able to take vacations and actually go and enjoy life.”
One of the reasons Josh decided to switch to AppFolio was because it was so easy to use. That feeling of ease continued through the data migration and onboarding process for his team. Josh explains:
“We ended up going with AppFolio because the user experience was so easy. It was very user-friendly, and it still is today. We didn’t have a lot of data back then, but AppFolio made the process of switching software seamless. We just had a starting balance, and ‘Bam!’ We were off to the races. It was pretty painless.”
Delivering personalized service with technology
“When you're with a big box company, you're not going to get the personalized service that you’d get with us. If our residents have a question, they get a response generally the same day. And we pride ourselves on that. We have great software, which makes customer service a lot easier.”
Beyond providing great service, the communication tools within AppFolio have saved the JW Property Services team time and increased transparency. Josh explains:
“We do a lot of communication through AppFolio’s SMS text feature. And that's been a huge time-saver. Being able to have all of our communications documented in one place also makes everything more seamless. Our residents also love the online portal, and they can even submit a notice to renew their lease on there, which is great. It makes us so much more efficient because we don’t have to go back and forth making phone calls.”
From accounting to maintenance, AppFolio has simplified and automated the majority of processes at JW Property Services, giving the team more time to focus on higher-value tasks. Josh goes into more detail:
“We've automated our accounts receivable. We’ve automated our accounts payable. All of our bills go through one systematized email through AppFolio, which is great. All of our vendors know where to send invoices that go to one email. It's very streamlined. Maintenance requests are automated in the background. We don’t have to manually pull everything in, which is a major time-saver.”
Thanks to the efficiency of automation, JW Property Services has been able to keep its headcount down and maximize NOI as it grows. Josh shares:
“We operate pretty lean and we're able to do that because of AppFolio. A lot of things are automated, so we don't need people to actually do these manual tasks anymore. As a result, we've been able to grow without expanding our headcount.”
While many property management businesses had to scramble to keep things running due to the pandemic, Josh and his team were able to continue serving their customers, showing units, and completing workflows with relatively little disruption. Josh explains:
“When COVID-19 happened, we weren't as shocked as I think some other management companies were because we actually already had the technology in place. People were like, ‘How are we going to show our units?’ But we were using a lot of contactless features like self-guided showings, automated lock boxes, and online payments for years, so it really wasn't that big of a wrench for us. We didn't miss a beat. We were leasing properties left and right.”
Growth fueled by a lasting partnership
“We wanted to be in control of our revenue, so that's why we started investing in ourselves and buying properties and managing them ourselves. Now we have a full-fledged management company for our own portfolio, which is phenomenal… We’ve been with AppFolio now for 13+ years. They've listened to my recommendations and enhancements, and they've actually taken and implemented some of them. It's just nice being able to have that lifeline on the inside. AppFolio is a key part of how I manage and operate my properties.”
In addition to providing the support the JW Property Services team needs, AppFolio also helps them stay at the forefront of the industry with continual product enhancements and cutting-edge innovations. Josh explains:
“Technology is ever-evolving. If you want to stay on top of your game, you have to go with it — and we're just rolling with it and embracing it. We want to try new things and stay ahead of the game. AppFolio is always leading us in that direction. Sometimes they're launching things before we’re thinking about them."
Space for more mentorship
JW Property Services’ self-owned and managed property management business model has led to great success. With AppFolio, Josh has more time to devote to teaching others how to achieve the same success.
“As I have grown as an investor and as manager, I've picked up all this knowledge and experience I want to share. I’ve started traveling to different cities to coach others on how they can invest in real estate.
“There’s no way I would be able to do this without AppFolio.”
Founder and COO, JW Property Services
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