AppFolio Property Manager vs. Avail vs. Knock

We have 6 apartment buildings that we manage. Every month we were having to drive to each location to collect rent checks. Since using appfolio, we only have a couple of renters that still send in a paper check, the rest pay online, so we are ensuring that our renters are paying on time. Once we have an applicant apply, the old way was to take their scanned application, review, and then pay to have a background check conducted. Now, with appfolio, we are able to have them apply, sign off on the background check, and pay their deposit all in one shot. It has allowed our property managers to focus on other property items rather than conducting background checks.

Incentivized

We are a very small real estate investing company, and Avail has been great for us. I love that it automates most of the things most landlords don't like to do and makes sure we don't forget to do anything.

Incentivized

During the busy season, it was a Knock was a big save. Even though the manager felt the strain from the workload, she was performing and processing applicants so quickly that our occupancy rose sharply for it. If you are already at 99%-100% occupancy, I suppose this would be a time that it isn't worth it. But that is so rare. We were always sure to have so many more applicants than vacant units using Knock.

Incentivized

• Prior to purchasing AppFolio Property Manager we used a texting app so we could mass text tenants. AppFolio allows us to text them by their unit along with their guarantors (if needed.) We use this feature daily. It is so convenient when we need to reach out residents quickly.
• The online payment system makes it easy for our commercial and residential tenants to make rental payments. The system has also lessened the work of out Account's manager since it's all in once place now and we do not have to enter payments into a separate system.
• Navigating AppFolio Property Manager is extremely easy. When we have new hire, it does take any time for them to become comfortable with the system. The main page dashboard makes it simple to get from point A to point B and beyond. The Search engine on AppFolio Property Manager is so efficient. You can search almost anything- phone number, first names, last names, addressed, license plate numbers to successfully find what you are needing.

Incentivized

• Rent collecting
• Distributing listing to multiple sites
• Tenant screening

Incentivized

• Automated reminders to keep your manager moving
• Easy score system to give quick info on are we "winning vs losing"

Incentivized

• Customer support is horrendous. It can take weeks to get a live person on the phone and once you get someone, they typically will need to escalate your issue.
• If you have multiple bank accounts at different banks, the bill-paying feature has trouble properly defaulting to the right bank account.
• Multiple bank accounts also have issues tying incorrectly to the Cash section of the balance sheet.

Incentivized

• UI can take a little while to get used to

Incentivized

• Template creation is not very intuitive or easy-to-find

Incentivized

The system is so intuitive and easy to use. There’s almost nothing in the system that can’t be undone if you make a mistake. Important things also have their own tabs. It’s also easy to use from the resident side which is helpful for in a world where everyone is not tech-savvy.

Incentivized

The few times that we have had training with AppFolio, they were SO helpful and quick to answer any questions we may have. Because of their promptness, it shows what a great product they have. If they were not able to figure something out, they would follow up with us within a few days or so, which is so important in a software program!

Incentivized

We've had to contact them twice with questions, and they have been extremely fast and helpful in their responses.

Incentivized

This was our old program and it was not user friendly and very inefficient to use. We was never able to answer a question for an owner or a tenant very easily and many times we had to ask for them to let us call them back while we research their question because it was so difficult to maneuver in the program.

Incentivized

• As far as positive impact, we are much more organized as a company as far as accounting, maintenance, and managing tenant issues. We are all on the same page and know where to find notes, emails, letters, information, etc... and can be more self-sufficient and self-directed. I think this is a major plus as far as business goes, as time is money. The more efficient you can be, the more time that is saved, the more money that's saved, period.
• I don't work in Accounting and I haven't had any discussions regarding negative impacts in regards to this program. However, we've been using this since 2013 and we're on our 6th year as a business and I've heard others in our organization saying how much AppFolio has improved over that short time and how it keeps getting more intuitive and better with time. At no point have our leaders considered getting rid of the program or implementing a different program.

Incentivized

• Rent collected on time
• Tenants found quickly and easily screened

Incentivized

• It was mainly the prospect flow. Doubled the managers capacity on the front-end of leasing.
• Keeps the rent roll "in the green"!

Incentivized