AI is changing insanely fast. It’s hard to know where to start and what to focus on. So we surveyed 280 property managers to find out what’s working today and where they are focusing next.
This report answers questions like:
- Where are other property managers finding real value from AI?
- How deeply is AI being used across teams?
- How many people are actually using vibe-coded apps and agents in the industry today and where?
- What’s the best place to start with AI in my company tomorrow?
The result is a 23 page report filled with findings on AI adoption, specific AI functions, vibe-coding and AI agents, and spend and impact.
The best part is all of the direct quotes from respondents, sharing exactly what is working for them.
“We fully automated the scheduling of periodic property inspections (scheduling, routing, comms, etc.). This was previously consuming 75-80% of a team members’ time.”
“Accounting – bringing various reports out of Buildium to find errors and map out where we are short income from owners, etc. HUGE time saver and a lot more accurate findings!”
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What we found
Property managers are still in the exploratory stage with AI, and there are some who are going all in and blazing a trail for the rest of the industry.
Some of the main highlights we found are:
- Most property managers (40%) are still relying on AI within their vendors
- Claude is outstripping ChatGPT
- ⅔ of property managers do not have an AI policy in place
- The biggest barriers to using AI are 1) not knowing where to start, and 2) not having time for it
- The most commonly used functions are leasing communication, data analysis, and maintenance triage
- Property managers are more interested in AI agents than in vibe-coding
- The median monthly cost for AI is only $175/month and scales with usage
What does all this mean for property managers?
Tools: Explore the power of different AI models and tools, but if time is a limitation, don’t get too caught up in trying the next thing. Get familiar with a tool, find ways to implement it, and make sure you are set up to migrate if another tool becomes more appealing in the future.
Where to start: AI is constantly changing, but there are tested use cases that the industry has been using for a while now. The best strategy is to choose something that is an actual bottleneck for your business today over just looking to implement AI for its own sake.
Implementation: AI is still a founder’s hobby at most companies. There is a ton of opportunity for property managers to build out AI policy and prioritize rolling AI out effectively to the company.
See the rest of the findings inside the report:
Crane is a community-driven, property manager led network designed to support and elevate property management professionals through collaboration, education, and strategic connections.
Founded by Wolfgang Croskey and Peter Lohmann, Crane is built on decades of industry expertise and a shared commitment to helping property managers grow, scale, and thrive. Their vision is to create a space where members can exchange knowledge, access exclusive resources and events, and build lasting relationships that drive success.
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