Property management software for less than 5 single family homes

Investor · San Diego · Member since 2023 · 19 posts · 11 votes

Hi Friends, Can you please suggest a property management software to us for less than 5 single family homes (billing, work orders, etc)? Buildium and appfolio seem to not be the fit based on our small size.

1 Reply

81 views

Most Popular Reply

Anthony Torri

Real Estate Agent · Fairfield County, CT · Member since 2020 · 43 posts · 30 votes

I have used Stessa for years and been happy. Once I got my 4th triplex I thought it would be better to switch to Buildium since that's what higher level investors say they use, but I regretted it.

Buildium is way more complex, requires a lot of input, and costs way more. Honestly, 5 single families should be easy to manage. Stessa would be perfect. It is only $20 a month and has a lot of features. The only one it does not have that I wish it did was a way for tenants to send messages and repair request. Realistically though that isn't necessary for 5 units. You likely know them and they can just text or call with the issue and you can call your vendors to fix it.

The best part is the automatic categorization of income and expenses once you link your bank accounts to it. You can collect rent on their as well. Hope this helps.

Instagram: @creative_property_solutionsllc

2 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

11 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

Nathan Murith
Investor · San Rafael · Member since 2020 · 376 posts · 274 votes
3y
Quote from @Jon Ful:

Hi Friends, Can you please suggest a property management software to us for less than 5 single family homes (billing, work orders, etc)? Buildium and appfolio seem to not be the fit based on our small size.

Disclaimer: we use property management so this is solely going off of what I have researched and discussed with others. I know Rentredi and Avail.co are talked about a lot and some of the preferred ones for small portfolios.
We have also looked at potentially using hemlane, which is a great solution somewhere between self-management and having a property manager.
This site also has a bunch of other resources and options for you to consider and look at: https://everyreitool.com/categ...
1 Reply
Arthur R. van der VantBusiness Member
Property Manager · Chicago, IL · Member since 2023 · 23 posts · 22 votes
3y
@JonFul Check out Yardi Breeze, they do not have a minimum number of units: https://www.yardibreeze.com/
312-607-4646
1 Reply
Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
3y
@Jon Ful
It really doesn't matter what software you pick as long as it has the features you want.

Two biggest challenges with ALL software:

1) None are perfect, so deal with the tradeoffs

2) Most users rarely put in enough time to really understand how to utilize the software.
[email protected]248-209-6824
Logical Property Management4.9451 Reviews
Website View Page
1 Reply
Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
Moderator
Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Jon Ful:

Hi Friends, Can you please suggest a property management software to us for less than 5 single family homes (billing, work orders, etc)? Buildium and appfolio seem to not be the fit based on our small size.

Software is a common question on BiggerPockets. Here are some things to consider:
1. Most investors don't need software until they have 5-10 rentals. All you need is a single place to track tenant information, payment history, maintenance, and a few other things. You can easily do this on a spreadsheet and it will take less time to track than it would to find and learn a new software. If the software is not simplifying your life or making you more accurate, you shouldn't use it.
2. Software does have extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports. But do you really need that for your one rental?
3. There's no perfect software out there. Every system you try will have flaws or you'll salivate over a feature that shows up in other software.
Some common names you'll see thrown around a lot: Stessa, Apartments.com, RentRedi, TenantCloud, Innago, RentManager, Avail, Rentec Direct, Doorloop, etc.

I recommend you search for each of those apps online and see what they offer, how much they charge, etc. Make a simple spreadsheet or written list with the features of each and see which ones appeal to you most. Try to narrow it down to your top 3-4. Once you have a short list, get an account with each one and run them through the wringer to see how they really function. Do one task at a time in each app so you can compare apples to apples.
- Load a property with pictures and details.
- Market that property.
- See what your marketing looks like from the public's perspective.
- Submit a fake application to see how easy the process is.
- Run a credit/screening report on yourself.
- Enter a maintenance request, assign a vendor, attach a fake invoice.
- Enter charges to the tenant's ledger.
- Enter recurring charges and automatic late fees.
- Sign documents electronically.
- Run owner reports.
After testing a few apps, one of them should stand out for you. Choose that one and use it. No system is perfect, so don't waste your time chasing after the next shiny object. You should only have to change when your current software has a flaw or lacking feature that is causing you to spend too much work on a work-around. Then you can consider researching and finding something that meets your needs better.
The DIY Landlord Book4.7248 Reviews
Website View Page
1 Reply
Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
3y
@Jon Ful upgrade your BP membership to Pro and use RentRedi for free.
[email protected]248-209-6824
Logical Property Management4.9451 Reviews
Website View Page
1 Reply
Tim J.
Investor · Vermont and New York · Member since 2023 · 308 posts · 309 votes
3y
I would skip RentRedi - tried it - I would use excel over that software
I use stessa - but it has no maintenance request features - which is the big glaring hole for that product.
1 Reply
Anthony Torri
Real Estate Agent · Fairfield County, CT · Member since 2020 · 43 posts · 30 votes
3y
I have used Stessa for years and been happy. Once I got my 4th triplex I thought it would be better to switch to Buildium since that's what higher level investors say they use, but I regretted it.
Buildium is way more complex, requires a lot of input, and costs way more. Honestly, 5 single families should be easy to manage. Stessa would be perfect. It is only $20 a month and has a lot of features. The only one it does not have that I wish it did was a way for tenants to send messages and repair request. Realistically though that isn't necessary for 5 units. You likely know them and they can just text or call with the issue and you can call your vendors to fix it.
The best part is the automatic categorization of income and expenses once you link your bank accounts to it. You can collect rent on their as well. Hope this helps.

Instagram: @creative_property_solutionsllc
2 Reply
Jon Ful
OP
Investor · San Diego · Member since 2023 · 19 posts · 11 votes
3y
Quote from @Drew Sygit:

@Jon Ful upgrade your BP membership to Pro and use RentRedi for free.

It's interesting Bigger Pockets doesn't advertise a Bigger Pockets Pro account coming with a free RentRedi account. That's definitely noteworthy thanks!
0 Reply
Tim J.
Investor · Vermont and New York · Member since 2023 · 308 posts · 309 votes
3y
Quote from @Jon Ful:

Quote from @Drew Sygit:

@Jon Ful upgrade your BP membership to Pro and use RentRedi for free.

It's interesting Bigger Pockets doesn't advertise a Bigger Pockets Pro account coming with a free RentRedi account. That's definitely noteworthy thanks!

It might be because RentRedi is horrible software
1 Reply
Tommy Parker
Property Manager · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2022 · 269 posts · 135 votes
3y
Use Innago! It's free for landlords and has all the features I need.
0 Reply
Account Closed
Member since 2021 · 40 posts · 27 votes
3y

@Jon Ful here is a BP blog with some options:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/...
I am looking at Azibo now, which I don't think is on the list. I would not recommend Yardi or Appfolio for 5 doors, those programs are designed for 50 or more doors so you would be paying for features you wouldn't need. Good luck!
1 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.