In 2026, real estate fundamentals have left many property managers, owners and investors in a difficult spot. Between market concerns, inflation and uncertain economic conditions, nothing is easy or obvious moving forward. However, there are ways to prepare your real estate tech stack and have your business running as lean and efficiently as possible.
Key points
- Find the right property management software for your business
- Be strategic about timing
- Attend an industry conference
- Incorporate AI tools into your workflow
- Join a property management association
- Earn a new certification
- Conduct a review of your SOPs
1. Find the right property management software for your business
When building a real estate tech stack, look for a software platform that accomplishes three goals right off the bat: it should be hosted in the cloud, mobile friendly and designed as an all-in-one platform that eliminates the need for other point solutions.
Should you switch to cloud-based software?
Cloud-based software decreases the IT overhead and maintenance required in any real estate tech stack.. It also ensures you have the latest technology and security measures. As you know, security is a major factor when considering day-to-day interactions with sensitive property, financial and tenant data.
Would you benefit from a mobile-friendly platform?
With advances in cloud hosting and businesses relying more than ever on technology, it’s imperative that users can access data whenever they need to. Many people are on the road, walking around a property with a smartphone or working remotely. The expectation is that they can take their property management software along with them and work on any device.
Would an all-in-one solution benefit your staff & renters?
It doesn’t get simpler than being able to work with one system of record as opposed to using multiple programs, spreadsheets and other manual tracking methods. Data integrity can suffer with multiple systems. It can be difficult and inefficient to maintain and train on separate systems, especially if you’re experiencing ongoing staffing shortages or turnover.
All-in-one tech eliminates the need to purchase separate, non-interfacing solutions and cuts down on parallel data entry. You’ll also spend less time on repetitive tasks, such as:
- Owner & tenant communications
- Monthly tenant billing
- Application processing & tenant screening
- Owner reports
- 1099 e-filing
2. Be strategic about timing
Every season is busy season, but it’s wise to aim for a software change during the least labor-intensive time of the year for your business. Every situation is different, but as a general practice, we recommend starting discussions 60 to 90 days before you’d like to begin operating in a new property management system.
If you plan to expand your property portfolio, start the software transition before any new acquisition happens so you can start on day one with your new system. That allows tasks like registering tenants to a new portal to happen without disruption.
Last, consider your go-live date. The first of the month may sound ideal, but that’s typically peak move-in and rent collection time. For that reason, it’s usually easier to go live during the second week of the month.
Be sure to take time to educate your staff on the new system. Implementations don’t have to be scary. They can actually be fun and exciting. Users who embrace the change and are eager to lean into the benefits of new software tend to be the most successful.
Two common challenges when switching software
Tenant-facing changes. To ensure a smooth transition, give renters plenty of advance notice. Provide multiple notices and deadlines with instructions to help them sign up and be ready to make payments for the first month on the new system.
Stress around the first few weeks. A little stress is natural and probably unavoidable in the first few weeks. The key is to divide and conquer. Identify and specify who is helping with which tasks. For example, accountants should be responsible for bringing over financials, but a member of the leasing team should be the one entering tenant information. Set reasonable deadlines for tasks leading up to your go-live date.
3. Attend an industry conference
In 2025, Yardi held the first annual REfresh Live, our first in-person user conference for Breeze and Breeze Premier clients in the U.S. and Canada. The event took place in sunny San Diego alongside YASC, Yardi’s flagship user conference for Yardi Voyager clients.
In October 2026, we hope you join us again for two days of learning, networking and excitement!
Looking for an extra perk? REfresh Live attendees are welcome to attend the YASC General Session and world-famous Yardi Party. Stay tuned for more news about REfresh Live 2026.
4. Incorporate AI tools into your workflow
AI is at the forefront of modern property management software. Today, there are many tools at your disposal for your real estate tech stack. If you haven’t seen them, we encourage you to check them out. Every one of these tools has the potential to make your business run more safely and efficiently.
AI accounting: Yardi Smart AP offers AI-enabled optical character recognition (OCR). It scans invoices and inputs them directly into Breeze Premier for your review. It’s a massive timesaver and a simple way to improve accuracy. This tool is free for Breeze Premier clients.
AI chat: RentCafe Chat IQ, available for Breeze Premier clients, is an AI-driven chatbot that offers prospects and residents immediate, intelligent and accurate responses to any inquiry about your property. This tool can save your staff hours by automating responses to basic questions and involving your team when necessary.
Resident screening software: ScreeningWorks Pro fully integrates with Breeze and Breeze Premier to deliver fast, accurate, comprehensive screening reports. A suite of AI-powered solutions is also available. ScreeningWorks Pro ID Verify uses both artificial intelligence and computer vision to authenticate renter identities. Additionally, ScreeningWorks Pro Income Verification uses AI, open banking and other tools to validate employment history, banking information and paystubs.
Fraud detection: ScreeningWorks Pro Document Authentication offers AI-enabled fraud detection that automatically scans renter documents to identify potential discrepancies with 99.8% accuracy. When used alongside ScreeningWorks Pro, it is possible to reduce instances of renter fraud by 35% within the first few months. Many fraudsters will be stopped simply because they know you’ll be able to catch them in the act.
5. Join a property management association
An association membership can elevate your understanding of how the property management industry works and what it takes to succeed as a professional. If your membership has lapsed or you’ve put off joining due to a lack of time or other conflicts, it might be time for another look.
Not sure where to start? Check out this brief explainer of the top 10 property management associations.
6. Earn a new certification
One of the best ways to show off your expertise and dedication to your craft is through the property management certification programs offered by industry associations. Whether it’s a CPM, RMP, MPM or other designation, there’s at least one that will make sense for you. Certified property managers reduce legal risks, make for more competitive hires and become higher earners than uncertified peers. In many cases, certification is a legal requirement, but that’s just the beginning. If you really want to go above and beyond, take another look at what’s out there.
7. Conduct a review of your SOPs
Are your standard operating procedures (SOPs) out of date? It might be time to review what you have and update them to reflect the technology and workflows you use in 2026. A good SOP streamlines training, makes you more efficient and keeps everyone on the same page. They also save you from having to re-explain the same processes over and over!
Check out this free standard operating procedure template for property managers.
Adopting a real estate tech stack doesn’t have to be hard
Last year, one of our company goals was to ensure smoother transitions for new clients. In 2026, these procedures are fully implemented and more efficient than ever.
One of our first steps is to pair new clients with a product onboarding expert. We understand that each client’s business is unique, and their data and business processes reflect that. We take the time to understand each client’s goals and deadlines, so we can get a better idea of where to prioritize everyone’s time and efforts.
Our team will guide you through the required steps. We help educate your team on prerequisites and dependencies for using other features. The goal is to make everyone on your team power users of the program.
After the setup portion is complete, we offer email and phone support and unlimited live chat support built right into the program. Plus, our clients have an individual client success expert they can reach out to who will gather as much information as possible upfront, pull the right resources and act quickly toward a resolution.
If you’re actively shopping for new software, we put together a guide to choosing new software that you should see before you make a final decision.
