Key takeaways
- Real estate software is a technology that can manage databases and contacts to help you please residents and engage with more prospects.
- The benefits of real estate software include increased responsiveness, smart technology integrations, and automation.
- Some of the best real estate platforms include Yardi, Propertybase, and MRI Software.
Property managers and real estate agents are always on the lookout for technology that can make marketing and property administration easier — but which real estate software provider will do the best job for you?
In this post, we explain what real estate software is and go over its benefits. Then, we list the five best real estate platforms and help you pick the one that fits your needs.
This post covers:
- What is real estate software?
- Benefits of real estate software
- What is the best software for real estate?
- Best real estate software integration
What is real estate software?
Real estate software is a centralized place where property managers and real estate agents can handle important communications, manage prospect and resident databases, and more.
Whether you’re focused on marketing or running a property — or you handle a little bit of both — real estate software has features that can help you. It’s a one-stop shop where you can handle several of your most important duties with the help of technology.
Features of rental property software include:
- Customer relationship management. At its core, property management is a job that means keeping customers happy — whether those customers are residents, investors, or prospects. Maintain relationships over a large scale with contact grouping and automated responses.
- Marketing tools. With the right software, you’ll be able to set up things like social media marketing campaigns and email blasts to maximize your reach.
- Property administration. Many real estate software platforms help make property administration easier with benefits like an easily updatable rent roll. They might also provide a place for residents to submit maintenance requests and for you to manage those requests.
Benefits of real estate software
The benefits of real estate CRM software include:
Increased responsiveness
Whether you’re using your real estate software to simplify communications with prospects or residents, you’ll be able to respond to them quicker and keep them happy.
Where prospects are involved, you’ll be able to keep track of important information and communications to increase the chances of making a successful sale. And with residents, you’ll be able to increase rates of resident retention by being an effective, responsive property manager.
Integrations with smart apartment technology
Property software can serve as a central hub for all of your property management needs. You might integrate with other administrative platforms, like Google Workspace or Yardi.
But another technology that’s also likely to impress residents is smart access hardware, like intercoms or smart locks. ButterflyMX is an access provider with enough functionality to serve every kind of property.
Watch how ButterflyMX works:
Automation
By now, you’ve learned that big parts of your workload consist of simple, repetitive, busy work — like manually filling in spreadsheets or sending individual communications to prospects or residents.
With the help of real estate software, you can cut down on tedious tasks and give yourself more time to focus on more rewarding work.
What is the best software for real estate?
Now, let’s compare some real estate software and see which option will best serve your property.
The best real estate software platforms include:
1. Yardi
No matter which aspect of your job you’d like to simplify, Yardi Systems has a software solution for you.
What is Yardi’s software used for? Its features include:
- Specialized software. You can choose between platforms specialized for separate areas of real estate, like multifamily, commercial real estate software, and senior living properties.
- Separate offerings based on property size. Beyond Yardi’s other specializations, you can also choose between Yardi Voyager and Yardi Breeze. Breeze is a lighter option that’s ideal for smaller properties.
- Proptech integrations. Yardi property management software seamlessly integrates with smart technology like ButterflyMX to make granting and revoking access permissions easier.
Read our Yardi Voyager review >>
2. MRI
Standing for Management Reports International, MRI has been providing software and tools to property managers for decades.
Real estate software by MRI has features like:
- Facility management. Easily handle common administrative tasks like work order requests or preventative maintenance.
- Works with other smart technology. MRI integrates with other smart locks and management platforms so that you can more easily share data and reduce the number of systems you have to update.
- Resident engagement. MRI gets special insight into what residents want by offering an early adopter program and receiving feedback from their Residential User Community.
3. BoomTown
If you’re looking for marketing-focused real estate software, you should consider Boomtown.
The BoomTown CRM’s features include:
- Lead management. Manage, nurture, and track your leads with an alert system and integrations with other platforms like BomBomb and Mojo Dialer.
- Email marketing. With BoomTown’s email marketing tools, you can use templates to create email campaigns and easily monitor their performance.
- Mobile app. BoomTown’s mobile app lets real estate agents easily communicate with prospects and set reminders.
4. Propertybase
Founded in 2004, Propertybase is a highly-rated real estate software platform.
Propertybase’s features include:
- Robust email marketing. Automate your emails while maintaining a personal touch with settings like automated follow-ups and recurring emails for anniversaries or holidays.
- Intuitive dashboards. Look at important data metrics like sales volume and projections at a glance — and get deeper insights and manage finances with Propertybase’s real estate accounting software.
- Multiple software offerings. The Propertybase CRM is meant for smaller organizations or individuals, while Propertybase’s Salesforce Edition is a better fit for larger companies.
5. RealPage
Founded in 1998, RealPage offers a comprehensive platform that helps property managers, owners, and investors streamline operations, enhance asset performance, and improve financial management. Most importantly, RealPage integrates with ButterflyMX.
Use RealPage for features like:
- Centralized property management. RealPage provides tools for managing various aspects of your property’s operations in one place. Manage leasing, maintenance, accounting, and more through RealPage’s centralized management platform.
- Advanced data analytics. Leverage data analytics that offers insights into market trends, property performance, and even resident behavior. This way, your property operations are more effective all around.
- Resident services. Enable residents to pay rent, submit maintenance requests, and engage with one another through RealPage’s resident services.
Best real estate software integration
The best real estate software integration is ButterflyMX.
You can count on ButterflyMX for features like:
- Multiple access options. In addition to our flagship Video Intercom, choose between our Keypad, Card Readers, Vehicle Readers, elevator controls, and more. Mix and match to serve residential and commercial properties alike.
- Powerful mobile app. With our smartphone app, residents can easily swipe to open. Staff can also easily make changes and edit permissions.
- Integrations with real estate software. On our end, we use integrations to ensure that any changes you make in your rent roll are seamlessly duplicated throughout your property — helping you save time and reducing security risks.
- Delivery Passes. ButterflyMX’s Delivery Pass is a virtual key that residents can send to their guests via text or SMS. Guests then enter a PIN number or scan a QR code to easily gain entry — and after the guest leaves, the key expires, further securing your property while increasing convenience.
