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Anybody have thoughts on which is best of the big three for an 8,000 unit portfolio? I don't want to give our history as to cloud the discussion... So which is the best property management software in your eyes? MRI, Yardi, or RealPage?

(I don't mind suppliers sharing their thoughts, but I'm really looking for testimonials from other property management companies here.)

I have used both MRI and RealPage. I have only seen Yardi used in managing condominium associations, so I don't have much input there.
RealPage seems more user friendly and flexible than MRI. I went from MRI to RealPage and was able to pick it up much more quickly. Also, changes that were requested seemed to happen more quickly.
Hope that helps.

Just signed up with Yardi and were in the implementation process. Very pleased so far. RealPage is good but I think the Yardi user interface is much better and more user friendly.

Do not go with MRI. Rumor has it that they are making bandaid fixes in order to turn around and sell...again. They are the hardest software for 3rd party vendors to manipulate and many bugs that have not been fixed in years. We are at the beginning stages of converting to Yardi. We looked into Realpage as well but it didn't quite fit our needs. Yardi is the easiest software for 3rd party vendors to work with (this coming from the vendors we currently use).

By far...the Realpage product is far superior to Yardi. The ease of use, all-encompassing software is 21st century makes the on site experience so much more pleasant!

I know you listed the Big 3 in your topic, but have you considered checking out AMSI's Property Management Suite? I have worked in accounting/IT at my current property management company for 7 years and have been extremely impressed with the AMSI product. We have taken over management of properties on RealPage as well as Yardi and I still prefer the reports/customization that AMSI provides at both the property-level and for accounting purposes. AMSI may not have tons of fancy bells and whistles, but I think that for the ROI realized, they may be able to offer you a lot. Let me know if you have any other questions. My company has been with AMSI for over 20 years.


Stephen

Stephen,
I'd like to talk to you more about your experiences with AMSI. Can you send me a note with your contact info?

I just went through a portfolio-wide roll out of RealPage/OneSite for 2,000 units. Feel free to call me if you would like some feedback on how it went. 678-228-0952.

My preference is AMSI...the web based version. We have used it since 2002. I have used several packages and AMSI seems be one of the most versatile and the most "bang for the buck". I just attended a user conference in Florida where they had fantastic training sessions. They also listen to user feedback to make enhancements that are in our favor as a consumer. I've not had that experience with any other company. They have created local user groups that meet once a quarter. At these, they ask us what we would like to have training sessions on and they actually do what we ask at the following session. The support has been great. The software has been very easy for me to train my staff on. Happy to answer questions if you have any.
Jay

The management company I work for has used Yardi voyager for the past few years. We had some bugs at first but nothing serious on my end. I am not sure of the exact cost but I know it's one of the highest priced choices.

I know a few companies that are very happy using Appfolio. It looks like the best bang for the buck.

I have used Yardi, MRI, AMSI, Rentroll and RealPage/OneSite. I liked the dashboard & reports on Yardi. But the one I liked most was Onesite. Good reports, easy to navigate and find what I needed quickly.

What ever you go with, may I suggest that you have your on~site staff give you input. They will be using the program EVERYDAY!

Gerry gave the best advice, to have the people that will be using the program everyday to sit and work with whichever and then decide from there. From a customer service end, I like Realpage and I know first hand that they take their customer questions an issues serious.

There is also another site that you can check out called eSupplySystems. They not only manage the program, they have trainers, that are there to assist personnel as well. Up and coming and they save you money as well with a suite of vendors that give you better purchasing power. I have done contract work with them as well.

The big thing with most properties is getting them use to change as there is a normal resistance even when something may be better.

Hi Art!

Would love to here more about your experience with Real Page Roll-out. I left you a message. I can also be reached via email at [email protected].

Is the list of providers presented meant to be exhaustive? What are the best features of each? Has anyone done a competitive analysis? The important point is to see what works best for the property and the tenants and to not accept a cookie-cutter solution just because that is what is offered. Custom-designed white-labeled website, multiple sorting options for payments, ability by both tenats and managers to track maintenance both inside and outside units, ability for mamnagers toaccess data remotely are all features which are available.
I can be reached at 646-300-0805 to discuss.

I have used the above three software and AMSI/Esite which we recently converted to. As far as user friendly for your site staff, RealPage/Onesite is the best. Esite, which was not listed, is also very user friendly. Yardi is a good program, but as far as training your staff it is not as user friendly. I do not recommend MRI at all. I am a seasoned manager with heavy experience in all of these programs, and after a year and a half I still had problems figuring out this system. I know you may be looking at things from an upper management standpoint of reporting and capabilities but if your staff is having a hard time understanding the system you will have continuous errors, mistakes, etc.

I have used both YARDI and AMSI. I have also been in a training position with both systems. They both have their pros and cons. I think you really need to find out what is important to your organization and what is not. I can't speak for YARDI but with AMSI we can not use it on a "tablet" just yet. You have to have internet explorer in order for it to work, due to microsoft silverlight. You can not use Google Chrome or others to access AMSI. Somthing to think about as well when you are deciding on software.

I agree, AMSI's eSite product is a great option. I have used several others over that years and find that AMSI is very user friendly and offers most features needed.

I think this would be a difficult question to answer, if you are not familiar with the different types of software, the different reports available, what your portfolio is consisted of, and what you might think is not needed could truly be an asset.

For example, Rent Manager is probable one of the most affordable programs for smaller assets with limited users, as the cost is a per user charge vs. per license. The program supplies pretty decent residential reports such as Rent Roll, Security Deposit, Deposit List, and Unit Availability, and their accounting are very similar to a quickbooks report. However, when it comes to affordable housing, their report has no controls in place to support any affordable housing programs, which means for LIHTC communities, all the reports will need to be done by hand, leaving more room for human error and qualification liability. Not to mentioned, if you have a project based community, you wouldn’t even be able to run the TRACS report, which means you would need a separate report just for that. So, while the program is affordable in cost, and can overall work well for conventional assets, it could be costly in compliance with affordable housing communities. This is where other programs like Yardi, Onesite, and AMSI come and start making sense.

Now, Yardi and Onesite might be one of the most growing and compatible systems in the industry. However, each of them has their strength and weakness. For example, Yardi was designed as true accounting software, so the reports it generates are amazing in the overall world of asset management and financial forecast. If you truly want to understand the financial operation of you r asset, Yardi’s reports would be ideal. However, if you are more interested on the day-by-day operation of the residential side, than Onesite is more than capable to do so, and their reporting are more in line in the resident aspect of the business.

So, to truly understand the cost of your software, you really have to understand what type of asset you have and what you are looking to track.

Hope this helps.

How does Yardi compare with One-Site on the accounting side- specifically for REIT accounting?

AMSI will be compatible to any browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE) as well as tablets by the end of summer. They also allow you to host your data, as well as a cloud option.

I have used Yardi, Rent Manger and Onesite.....I would pick ONESITE anyday!!!

OneSite

You should all look at Pilera.. it is up and coming and integrates with almost all other options..
www.Pilera.com

I don't know if this is the best place to post this, but with the long thread I thought I would have more success asking my questions here.

I am thinking of purchasing a tablet in hopes that it will make my job a little easier. Does anyone know if they can access Yardi from their ipad or samsung tablet? I'm on site so much I would love the ability to approve PO's and review reports without bringing out and plugging in my computer that you can't carry with you when you are walking a property or units.

Any insight is appreciated on this subject. I have not purchased a tablet yet, because I am looking for the one that will be the best fit for me and what I want it to do.

Yes, you can access on your iPad!

Since you're asking. Stay away from MRI. Very expensive, cumbersome, still not streamlined, have to work around all kinds of issues to adapt to general principals of accounting. Support is pricey and tough to get anyone on the phone. Many software glitches. Intuit cut them loose a few years ago.

Yardi- great software program- handles retail and conventional commercial property management. Easy to use, fluid reporting, and has the calculation of CPI and CAM nicely integrated.

Haven't used RealPage...

Good Afternoon,

Has any one used AppFolio ?

If so, what are your thoughts.

Can't comment on the others, but since Intuit let MRI go, the support is awful. The new management seems to have let most of the experienced support staff go and replaced them with kids just out of collage. Support renewals are onerous.

This issue is too complex to make a general statement. It depends whether you are doing affordable, market-rate, small or large portfolio etc. The one thing I do know, related to hiring, is this. It seems almost everyone in the industry (at least in the West and Midwest, where I've lived) has used Yardi at some point or used it in the job they're just coming from. Yardi is so prevalent--seemingly the dominant software in this category--you can cut the learning curve short by getting people who have already used it.

For a corporate trainer or regional property manager, the way to make Yardi the most useful is by creating customized training guides for your own staff. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it's not as bad as you think. The generic (and gigantic) Yardi manual does little to help and is complex. To see examples of how I did it, you can go to my LinkedIn profile or see it on Scribd . All is takes is a series of screenshots with indicators, and brief written instructions.

Chuck -

You touched on the complexity of finding the right software. Which accounting-focused software would you recommend for a small, multi-family management company? We have slightly less than 100 units. Thanks.

I've been in Property Management for about 7 years and used MRI, Onesite and Yardi. Yardi is by far the most user friendly for day to day use as well as reporting. Their implementation process makes everything so seamless as well amazing customer support for any issues. You should visit www.yardi.com and click on the products and services tabs. They have a vast array of additional modules that are awesome!

I am new to multifamily, but have been in the marketing world for 15 years. I am reviewing tech solutions at my new employer (10,000 units). They are currently using RealPage (OneSite) for their backend, but using Property Solutions for websites (Prospect Portal). This will soon change. I am considering making the business case for leaving RealPage (OneSite) and moving completely to Property Solutions Entrata Suite of services. Do any of you have experience with PSI enough to comment on my blindspots? In other words, If we leave OneSite, are there significant services that we will lose and cannot replace with Property Solutions suite of services?

Gary,

Be careful with the Entrata move. We hear the accounting is not close to being ready, and the BI is not complete, even though they will not tell you. Also heard a few of their investment companies are considering backing out.
Just want you to do research before you change. I am not with RealPage and not a fan, but there are better options out there.

Property Solutions is also being sued by Yardi.... I would tread carefully.

What are they being sued for?

Copyright infringement:

www.yardi.com/news/legal-news/yardi-laws...utions-international

We have Yardi and they are the worst!! Remember Customer Support is Very important. Yardi has none. They give you fixes that dont work. We are looking at MRI. Yardi is also very expensive.

i was also thinking about going with Property Solutions. what are you referring to with "and the BI is not complete"?

I recently saw this post and wanted to respond with my experiences. We have been working with Property Solutions since 2008. We started using their ResidentPay module and have implemented many other PSI products over the years to accompany our current PM software. When we reached the frustration point with our current PM software lack of flexibility, slow innovation and price, we decided to move to Entrata Core. We are excited about its functionality and single sign-on for my products. Entrata’s ability to integrate with my core vendors of choice is another benefit that wasn’t provided to us using my other PM software. Property Solutions is always open to feedback and enhancement requests that help grow their current product as well as adapt to my company's needs. If you would like, I am happy to talk with you offline about my experience with Property Solution.

I was wondering how your search was going and if you had a chance to see MRI's new Version X release??

I have used Yardi, Real Page/One Site, Bostonpost and MRI. I have more experience in Yardi and One Site. I really like the reports services in One Site, and the different ways to find things are a lot easier and it is so much for user friendly. Yardi would be my next choice very simple and basic, however not as user friendly and if ledgers get messed, everyone (managers, owners, judges) see the mistakes. Bostonpost is the least user friendly and requires more steps to complete a task. The more I use Bostonpost I am finding different ways to use and find things, but still seems like there are more steps to completing a simple task. Same way with MRI software.

Hi Angela,

I am doing some market research and would love to get your thoughts on each of these vendors. Would you be willing to chat for a few minutes? Would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks!

I'm interested to know about user experiences regarding specific feature sets of the various property management apps apps regarding tools for communications with residents. I think that most of them have the ability to send emails and a few of them have the ability to send text messages.

Specifically, I'm wondering the extent to which they have integrated text messaging and if they support:

• The ability to use your property telephone number vs short codes (the 5 or 6 digit numbers most often used for push marketing) vs assigned or shared 10 digit numbers vs email to text.
• The ability to have two-way communication vs one-way push or limited response.

Depending on which release of MRI Software you are using will determine how easily it is to accomplish your daily tasks. More than likely you were accessing one of our older interfaces. If you haven't seen the latest version of MRI go to the web site www.mrisoftware.com for a brief glimpse and sign up to schedule a more in-depth presentation.

Art Lieb, I would very much like to discuss the benefits of RealPage and ease of use. Please give me a call at your convenience 770-448-7047 x351

Yardi is by far the best and most user friendly. Just started using AMSI and the manual's have so many typo's it looks like they were edited by a second grader. The program is not user friendly and I am terrified about learning from a company that can barley get thru one page of their training manual without misspelled words or using the wrong version of a word.

I found yardi to be the least user friendly. I use Appfolio now and find it much easier to use.

One more that should be included is Housters, which has a web site ( housters.com ) and Android/iOS mobile apps that are all cloud-synced. It has the basics you'd expect like tracking tenants' unpaid rent, managing to-do lists, accounting, and reporting, but also has some other goodies like tenants being able to make online rent payments to you through Housters and contractors being able to login to Housters and update your to-do list tasks that you assign to them.


Editor Note: The author of this post is actually the owner or employee of Housters. They left out that information, and we thought it was important to include so that people did not get the mistaken impression it was an unbiased recommendation. As the original poster on this thread said vendors are allowed to chime in, we are approving this message with our note.

Thank you Brent for your monitoring! That's what helps make this discussion board valuable.

YARDI without any doubt. So easy to use and friendly. Clear reporting, easy move ins and move outs, bank deposits, easy to read reporting. The best property management software out there. Even though it is pricy it is worth every penny.

We manage 1000+ rental units..would you recommend Yardi Voyager, Rent Manager, Property Boss, Property Ware or Buildium.

Hi,

I understand you are looking for testimonials however since you mentioned our product specifically, I thought I would say hello, introduce myself and offer to answer any questions you might have. My name is Abbie Huffman and I am the Business Development Manager for Rent Manager® software. Is there a specific need you are looking to meet with your property management and accounting solution?

I am happy to answer any of your questions and hope to connect with you soon.

Thanks!

My company is working with Yardi - Voyager, and so far its seems more complicated than we had hoped for. Getting this all set up has been such a hassle. Does anyone know why we have to input flags into the system.

:laugh: Yardi is the worst. No customer service at all.... never fix any problems. We have had them for over 10 years. It is a big expense to move to something else. We have looked at many others

Been with MRI for a while. We like the ability to customize. Pretty timely when we request bigger customizations. They have this forum where customers share their customizations which I thought was pretty cool.

I'm new here so forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn but I have worked in the programming end of software development. If you can narrow down EXACTLY what you want the software to do and EXACTLY what you want the output to look like, someone (maybe even me) would write the code pretty cheap. If you have custom software written you don't have to settle for what commercial software companies think you want. Just a suggestion.

I'm looking at the key differences between OneSite, Yardi, MRI, QB for a client with about 100 units. So far, Yardi is winning in all except the tenant screening. Any words of advice? Don't want to pay for two software providers. Also, if you're doing other things (besides managing), which software have you found to be most useful?

Thanks!

Hello,
Can you tell me the pricing on the Investment Management part? We are looking to buy desktop version and host it ourselves. Do they have the investor portal completed as well? Thank you.

I used to tell everyone that Yardi is fantastic. "Expensive but worth it" I would say. They just released an update that has crippled our business. Nothing works, we can't print checks, enter leases, etc. Reports that we used every day are now completely reconfigured in a way that doesn't work for us at all. It's really bad. Lots of time and $$ lost. As mentioned in previous posts, their customer service is terrible. You log a support case on their website and it just sits there for days without response. There is nobody to call, no point person with knowledge of the software that can talk you through anything. Just reps scattered around the world that review the support cases that are logged by clients. Half the time, they tell us that the issue has been resolved and the case is "closed". Then we realize they fixed nothing at all and have to go through the process all over again until we get a rep that can actually fix the problem. It's really really bad.

Can't recommend Yardi at all anymore. Look elsewhere.

We're sorry to hear about your negative experience with Yardi software and customer service. We would like to connect you with our technical support team. Please connect with us by email at [email protected] or by calling toll-free 1-800-866-1124 (and select option 1 for software support). We value client feedback and appreciate you sharing your experience. We look forward to assisting you.

PrimeHomes wrote: I'm looking at the key differences between OneSite, Yardi, MRI, QB for a client with about 100 units. So far, Yardi is winning in all except the tenant screening. Any words of advice? Don't want to pay for two software providers. Also, if you're doing other things (besides managing), which software have you found to be most useful?

Thanks!

Yardi does integrate with other screening providers even though they have their own. From my understanding even if the contract locks you into screening and other services, a lot of the times they don't enforce it if you are using Voyager and you can try out other screening providers because they would never dare to lose their relationship with you. If you want a more robust screening then feel free to contact me. I know talking to a sales rep can bring about biased and sometimes misleading information, but I work for TransUnion so we have the data and the credibility to back up what we say. After working here, I have learned that not all screening is the same and you'll perform better in the long run because you'll have more residents that pay on time and stay longer and you'll have a more efficient and effective screening process. While convenience and all in one solutions are great for the process, sometimes you'll want best of breed if you want your company to perform better in the long run.

As some additional information: we integrate with Yardi and a lot of the other large property management softwares like MRI, , Entrata, Buildium, RentScreener, etc. I work in TransUnion's business unit that specifically specializes in screening for the multi-family sector and we will provide you better coverage and we have extra resources to narrow down results or find additional results. As an example John Smith Jr. applies at your properties. We sift out the criminal and eviction records that are not your applicants by utilizing the credit report information and in addition to that we can find out that John is actually Jonathan and that the record is not John Smith Sr.

As a BIG extra that I feel many people can appreciate is that you get a dedicated account manager and account executive to handle your account so no need to call a generic customer service line that can give sub-par customer service. I'm actually one of those account executives who starts the conversations and will continue to be a point of contact before and after you become a member with us.

Since it has been 2 years since switching to Entrata Core. What is your opinion now on the software? And if you don't mind, which software did you switch from. We are currently on AMSI and looking at Entrata Core.

Go with Yardi, its a more flexible product and can better be custom adjusted around your needs.

If you do proceed with MRI, scrutinize the auto renew agreement in the contract. MRI is constantly in litigation with former customers over it.

Its rare that an MRI relationship ends without litigation for either party.

AGREE with you 110%!! Been in property management for 23 years and have used multiple types of software..YARDI is by far the BEST out there! It simplifies every aspect of a manager's daily work! Yardi tech support is the best in the business. If they do not have the answer on the spot they WILL have it by the end of the day. Real Page was the total opposite. The daily functions required twice as many steps and the reports were just so inferior if you could find one it did not have half of what you needed. Tech support 50% of the time could NOT resolve the issues and in some cases I was told there was no resolution??? A 15 minute task of inputting rents in Yardi would take 2 hours in Real Page.

I have never used MRI however Yardi is 110% more user friendly than Real Page and simplifies all of the day to day management tasks. Inputting rents is so streamlined it takes about 15 minutes for 40 residents vs Real Page that takes about 90 minutes for the same task. Reports in Yardi are titled in a very common sense way and include exactly what the manager needs as a snap shot for the month, etc. Real Page Reports are extremely difficult to FIND based on their titles, and once you do find one it does not include the comprehensive information needed as Yardi Reports. Yardi Re-certification process is again streamlined with built in pop up boxes that prevent minor mistakes. The entire lay out of Yardi is much less convoluted as with Real Page, which of course takes much more training and knowing little "tricks" of the software which do nothing but frustrate new users. Tech support for Yardi far surpasses that of Real Page, if they cannot give you an answer on the spot they WILL get back to you that day with some resolve. I have been told by Real Page tech support there IS NO resolution to some of the issues? My understanding is that the draw for big companies to Real Page are their reports? If that IS somehow the case Yardi I am quite sure could not only produce those reports but make them much easier to use and understand.