Buildium raising prices again?

Question

I can't see it mentioned anywhere on the main website of bulidium or anywhere else, but I just created a buildium trial account because I'm thinking of signing up and there is a banner in the trial area that says something along the lines of

"pricing alert! buildiums minimum pricing will increase to $60/mo on Jan 18 2016.  Join today to lock in the current price of $40 for up to 40 units"

so it seems like it's about to go up for new customers in about a week??  So if you were thinking of signing up, might want to think fast.

They make it sound as if the price for current users won't go up...gonna try to confirm that with support.  If anyone knows who is a current customer or has heard about the increase, please chime in.

I only have a couple of units but can see the value of a system like buildium, but man... they just increased prices like a year ago to some strong uproar, but that was across the board i think, maybe now they're increasing, but grandfathering current customers in?

Buildium seems like a very nice solution, but i'm kinda scared to sign up now for fear they'll just keep on increasing and I'll be hooked into it...

Jason Hartley · Answer

Hi Will,

Just my experience, but in over 4 years they haven't increased my price.  While the same can't be said for Buildium based on the comments I've seen on here and others.  I have no idea if Rentec will increase rates in the future, but my gut feeling is that they won't.  My gut's been wrong before, but not often. :)

As far as features, I think they both are developing new stuff all the time.  In some areas Rentec is ahead, others Buildium is ahead.  I know I've been using electronic signatures for leases and other documents that's built into rentec for years now, and that's a feature I read on a news feed that Buildium just released this year.  I'm sure buildium has some stuff Rentec doesn't, but as far as I know, nothing that I need today.

Bob R. · Answer

@Jason Hartley

I haven't seen anything recently, I posted this a while back when I was using the trial period for testing out buildium, I ended up using rentec.  I agree with you though, I think they are on the fast track to be in the same space as appfolio for much larger PM's.  I think it's unfortunate that they started at such a low price almost seeming to cater to mom and pop landlords with 10's of units, to quickly accelerate to price those people out.

Nathan Miller · Answer

Hey @Jason Hartley, thanks as always for the recommendations!  We truly value you and appreciate your, and others, feedback on these forums!

As to @Will F.'s question.  Will Rentec raise their prices?  Nobody can foresee the future indefinitely, but I can tell you that your pricing is stable for as far forward as I can see, and I have pretty good vision!  We run a tight ship and are a profitable company with no need to raise our prices to pay back loans, appease investors, VCs, or stockholders (as we have no outside influence affecting our pricing decisions).  Plus, while others may have dropped support for landlords to focus on property managers, we remain committed to the Rentec Pro product which is the one designed for landlords.  We built the product originally for landlords, and we will never abandon them.

As to feature-sets, I'm not going to self-promote on BP or say one solution is better than the other as that is for you to decide.  I'd just suggest to anybody looking to improve their efficiency and image with an industry specific software; go and try out the free trials of each software that fits your needs.  Call or chat with the company and see who feels the most comfortable to work with.  Decide for yourself because each software has it's strengths.  Once you choose one, it can be a chore to switch down the road, so take the time to make the right choice for your business up front.

That said, I'm here on BP and always available for questions.  PM me any time.

Jason Hartley · Answer

Just a thought.... I wonder if anybody from Rentec would chime in on that?  Rude of me to put them on the spot?  Naw, lol   @Nathan Miller

Will F. · Answer

@Bob R. @Jason Hartley

Hey guys thanks for your feedback.  But who's to say that Rentec, like Buildium, will not soon raise their prices as demand/ popularity for Rentec software increases?

Are the features for Rentec v Builidium truly comparable?

Thanks for advice

Jason Hartley · Answer

@Bob R. - I couldn't agree more.  I use rentec too for my main biz.  I'll send you a connect request and if we ever have any challenges we might be able to help eachother out. :)

Jason Hartley · Answer

@Bob R. - I'm curious if you got any notices recently.  My uncle uses them and just notified me that the pricing may be going up yet again.  He was asking what I used and how much I paid, then forwarded me their pricing page that just recently updated.  I bet $200/month will be their minimum before long.  They seem to really be pushing to compete price-wise with AF and a model to cater only to the larger property managers.

If I had as many units as him, I'd be only paying $15 with the software I use (Rentec Direct).  $15 vs $60 for the same feature-set..  hmm...

Shane H. · Answer

I believe ya - maybe it is for new customers.  I logged into my account and my rate is set to be the same for my annual renewal this July 2016 -

A 50% increase is pretty significant if thats what they plan on doing.

Bob R. · Answer

http://imgur.com/TmdzF1l

here's a screenshot of the message in buildium

Bob R. · Answer

It's definitely going up to $60/mo.  I can take a screenshot for anyone who doubts.

Their response doesn't even confirm that current month to month prices won't go up.  All I read from this is lock in the current price with annual payment to guarantee the lower rate until that year's up...

Their response:

sooo....

Buildium raising prices again?

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