The following is the first list of questions that I need answered. I want to take the "computer" out of my toolkit. I want to run a small property management business, with properties that I already own, and do EVERYTHING on a truly portable device (like a cell phone or a PDA).
Any and all comments are welcome that add to the stated goal.
My goal is to eliminate every single unnecessary step to doing business. For example, when someone responds to my Craigslist ad I want their info merged into applications and lease agreements.
An old saying is that you either have time or money. I don't want to spend either. I want to find/develop ways to free me (and by extension US) from the tedium of our profession. Nothing should be more than 3 clicks from our need to know, and everything should be tightly integrated from a tenants point of view.
I want to be able to not fill in a single bit of info about anything after a property has been listed online and someone has expresed an interest from the ad. By the time I meet someone I want to be able to do a background check (which charges them automatically) and qualify them in person.
I wrote these questions after reading about some of the online management software.
Here are the questions:
Does your software:
Make it easy and simple to operate my small property management business
completely from a PDA or cell phone? I need EVERYTHING to be done with
a truly portable device.
Does it matter what kind of portable device I use? For example, could I use an
Apple Newton or Messagepad?
Do you program the appearance of your software specifically for small screens?
Can a tenant sign a lease from my touch screen PDA or cell phone? Can I have a
printed copy of the lease mailed to the tenant as well as an electronic copy
emailed (or possibly texted)?
Do you provide credit/criminal checks and if so how much is it? How is it paid
for? Are the results of the check reported in an easy to read and understand
format? Do you summarize the data? What do you do with the background check
information that benefits me?
Do you integrate with Craiglist? Do you save ads for when I need to repost an ad?
Do you provide online storage for pictures? Do you offer 3d tours of properties?
Do you integrate with Google Maps or Yahoo Maps?
I have less than 100 units, how much is your service?
I intend to ALWAYS use online property management software wirelessly,
do you encrypt all communications?
Can a prospective tenant pay a deposit from and advertisement on Craigslist so as
to "hold" an apartment?
What online payment service do you use?
Do you use single or double entry accounting? My business is small enough so that I
don't need double enty accounting.
Do you support texting? Tenants? Vendors? Are texts handled within the database so
that when a tenant sends me a text it is automatically added as part of their file?
Is email better than texting? Why? I don't want to "sign on" to receive information,
how does that affect email versus text?
Do you offer email accounts?
I want my tenants and prospective tenants to contact me via my online presence.
I don't want my tenants to know that you are the provider of any forms or
services that I use. Is that possible or a problem?
Can I use my own forms? Like leases or condition reports?
