PM software

[Richard F.]

REI asked, so here goes...

I have used primarily Yardi over the years, with several companies, it seems to be a market leader for midsized companies. This is code-driven, meaning you do data entry by first inputting the property code, or vendor code, or tenant code, or... all numeric, and to me, counter-intuitive. The input format is rigid, the reports are rigid, all in the name of being bulletproof from an accounting standpoint. Obviously this is important, but I find it very cumbersome.

At one time I worked with a company that transitioned from Yardi to Spectra for Windows. Now this program was very promising, as it was based on MS Access, which would allow for a great deal of easy customization and further manipulation of data from external programs (Word, Excel, etc). This is not reasonably duplicated from Yardi.

Fundamentally, there are two types of data in property management...financial and non-financial. You NEED quick easy input methods, and easy access to the data once its there. Yes, the financial data is mission critical and must be secure, auditable, and accurate, but the non-financial data is more important to daily operations. There is so much repetitive document creation, the opportunity for errors is huge. By fully utilizing a relational database, you can virtually eliminate those errors, and gain better insight to all aspects of operations.

Personally, I have abandoned MS completely, and believe that Open Source is the small businessman's Best Friend, but that's another topic all together.