

Ask HN: Why are property managers slow at adopting software? - aml183


======
Mz
For years and years, I kept medical appointments for me and both my sons (and
probably the husband) in my head a year or more in advance. I never used a
calendar. I couldn't comprehend why anyone did. I still don't much use a
calendar, but mostly because my life doesn't have a lot of appointments. But I
don't have that kind of memory anymore and I at least understand why people
would if they have busy lives.

A lot of times, people wanting to make a Thing to sell, like software, aren't
really addressing a problem these people really have. If you thought I needed
a calendar when I was young, you were flat out wrong. I didn't need it. I kept
it all in my head. A calendar was not going to add value to my life. It was
just going to bleed me for time, energy, money, space in my crowded apartment.
It was all downside, no upside.

What value are you adding to these folks lives that will be worth the dollar
cost and time and effort of learning a new methodology? How does it positively
impact their bottom line?

I think a lot of software solutions are like calendars were once to me:
Something that will line the pockets of the person selling it if you bother to
buy it, but not necessarily adding anything of value to my life. What problem
are you solving? How are you communicating to these people about the solution
you are offering and what it can mean for them?

If you want property managers to adopt some kind of software you are
developing/selling, you might try answering some of those questions.

------
brudgers
Since these days most property managers rely on ordinary smartphones and
ordinary business software and ordinary websites, the implication is that most
of their pain points are ordinary pain points better addressed by ordinary
software than bespoke solutions...though they tend to use custom Excel
spreadsheets so it's not like they're adverse to something specific.

I suspect a lot of it has to do with the fact that most of what a property
manager does is in meat space. Maintenance, repair, residents, rent checks,
etc. are all rooted in the physical world...tenants and lawn crews aren't
remote and that's where the money flows in and out.

Good luck.

------
paulcole
Same reason as everyone. They've got a workflow that works for them, they
don't see the value, and it isn't worth the hassle to change the way they do
things.

------
angersock
Better question:

Why _should_ they adopt software?

~~~
tired_man
I agree.

If they already use a management package, the chances of them changing are
slim unless some other package is _significantly_ better, easier to run, and
costs next to nothing. Otherwise, why bother?

The ones who use paper probably don't really need to overhead of a computer to
run software to manage their properties.

