Can a property management software replace a property manager?

[Bhanu Kuna]

Hey everyone! Hope everyone's investments are doing well. 

Just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on property management software. Buildium to be exact.

1. Has it helped you scale effectively? If so how?

2. Has it helped you reduce costs? If so how?

3. How would you rate the tenant screening features? What do you like most about them compared to traditional methods?

4. Did it eliminate the need for traditional property management?

There's a lot of information on the website and YouTube but I also wanted to see if anyone could provide first hand reviews of the product.

[Ryan Swan]

1) It allows you to stay organized and track properties, tenants, leases, maintenance, and income/expenses on a per property basis. 

2) It saves time and makes things streamlined. No trips to the bank to cash rent checks, to paper tenant applications, no need to juggle multiple rental/accounting software. 

3) The basic version in Buildium is just Transunion SmartMove, the same DIY site that most landlords use and I think you get a discount through BP. There's a more advanced screening available, but you have to have a physical office and a site inspection before you can be approved to use it. 

4) How could software possibly eliminate the need for a property manager? Buildium can't go let perspective tenants into the property, nor coordinate emergency maintenance requests in the middle of the night. Buildium can be a great tool to help YOU manage your own properties without a property manager, which is how I've used it for the past 10 years. However, if you do use a dedicated PM, then there's absolutely no reason for you to pay for Buildium as well.