My client is a landlord and developer. While he is very skilled as a dealmaker and house-flipper, his property management is obsolete. He runs much of the business in the same way as he started about 40 years ago. We still collect paper checks by hand, and my client still takes both service and marketing phone calls on his personal phone. We operate 96 units.

I am working to automate and systematize much of the process that goes into the business. I'm working through each role in his staff to consolidate, computerize, and create processes. I want to ensure quick service, complete records, easy communication.

I would like to bring his business down to 2 employees each with very specific instructions for each task. I want each of their common tasks defined on paper to ease training and make the employee replaceable. I want to move to an computer filing system, credit and bank payments, and company phones. I'm implementing a new key sorting system, procedures for contacting tenants and contractors, and a new office space. I'm going to try a few new things like solar power and furnished room-by-room rentals.

I'll try and keep up with the progress here as both a demonstration of what's possible, but also a request for help. Many of the processes I am bringing to the table have already been optimized- I don't realize I've reinvented the wheel until I get on a sales call and am told that there's already a product for that.

If you notice anything that could be done better, please let me know! This is my first time working with a property management company. I'll post my story, but I'm very open to advice and criticism of what I'm doing.