Last modified on May 14th, 2024
By Brittany Benz
Efficient investment and property management operations are crucial for large investment firms with in-house property management teams. However, managing investments and property management on separate software platforms can present significant challenges. In this article, we will explore the difficulties faced by investment firms in this regard and discuss how switching to a unified approach on one powerful platform can lead to greater efficiency.
Challenges of Separate Software Platforms
Many investment management businesses rely on a combination of spreadsheets, emails, and disparate software systems. This requires tedious manual work and results in poor transparency and communication among teams, investors, and owners. When your operations require oversight of property management, it raises the stakes even higher. Not only do you want to satisfy investors with a clear line of sight on their properties’ performance, but you also want to empower your teams with efficiency-enhancing tools that allow them to focus on what matters most: satisfying residents, making properties shine, and maximizing net operating income.
Another challenge of using separate software platforms for investments and property management is the lack of integration and data synchronization. This often leads to duplicated efforts and manual data entry, resulting in wasted time and increased chances of errors. It’s also harder to see data in a single view, so it’s difficult to make decisions quickly and compile detailed reports for investors and property owners. Additionally, separate platforms hinder effective communication and collaboration between investment and property management teams, leading to inefficiencies and delays in workflows and decision-making. Toggling between different software systems to serve investors, owners, and renters can also lead to a diminished quality of service, impacting customer experience and retention.
Benefits of a Unified Approach
Adopting a unified approach with a platform built for both investment and property management can bring numerous benefits. It streamlines operations by eliminating the need for multiple software systems and consolidating data in one place, leading to improved efficiency and productivity across the organization. It enables you to automate the way your data flows from your system to your reports to your customers. It enhances communication and collaboration between investment and property management teams, fostering a more cohesive and synchronized workflow. It also leads to a better customer experience for investors and owners since you can provide them with more transparency and spend less time manually jumping between systems. With one powerful platform, your data is synced across every stage of your asset, ensuring error-free accounting, reporting, and information sharing. This builds trust with your investors, renters, and internal teams while reducing the risk of errors.
What to Look for in a Unified Solution
When searching for a unified system, look for a platform that services the entire lifecycle of your real estate asset. It should offers a comprehensive set of features, reducing manual entries, improving information security and accuracy, creating a single source of truth, and displacing your point solutions. It should have investment management capabilities, such as an investor portal and relationship and asset management tools. Look for property management capabilities, such as leasing, maintenance, and marketing tools, as well as asset management capabilities that visualize and normalize your property report data, allowing you to make fast, business-critical decisions. The platform should be able to integrate seamlessly with other property management, investment management, and point solutions when needed. Advanced security features, such as SOC 1 and SOC 2 certification, data encryption, and two-factor authentication, should also be considered to ensure the safety of investor capital. Lastly, it should include the latest AI-powered tools, such as an AI leasing assistant, that make work less manual and more meaningful.
Real-Life Success: How a Large Investment Firm Transformed Operations
To illustrate the benefits of a unified approach, let’s explore the success story of Paladin Realty Partners, LLC. Before adopting a powerful platform that integrated investment and property management, Paladin found it difficult to uncover insights, and many of their business-critical processes were manual and time-consuming. However, after implementing a unified platform, they experienced streamlined operations, real-time data access, and improved collaboration. They were able to distribute quarterly reports 10 times faster and upload K-1s 100 times faster. The scalability and customization of the platform, along with the automation provided by AI, allowed them to manage their processes more efficiently and generate interest in their upcoming deals.
Revolutionize Your Investment and Property Management Operations
Adopting a unified approach and leveraging a powerful platform such as AppFolio is crucial for large investment firms with an in-house property management team. By streamlining operations, consolidating data, and enhancing communication, you can achieve improved efficiency, real-time data access, and a better customer experience. Evaluate your current systems, select the right platform for your business needs, and invest in training and support to optimize operations and scale your portfolio effectively.
