How Online Rent Payments Benefit Property Managers & Residents

Appfolio Websites • November 24, 2020

Online rent payments aren’t just convenient, they’re also mutually beneficial for your residents and your business. If you’re still collecting paper rent checks and manually entering bank data, then now is the time to implement a paperless system. Here are ten ways that online rent payments benefit both you and your residents:

#1 Saves Time & Money

As a property manager, you might be wasting lots of time and money every month manually collecting rent, preparing deposit slips, and making trips to the bank to deposit funds. Once a check clears, you spend more time manually posting receipts, and updating resident records.

You can save a lot of time and reduce operating expenses by letting your residents pay their rent online. For instance, with a cloud-based payment solution, residents can instantly pay their rent via eCheck, debit card, credit card, or cash or money order at 7-11 or CVS, where the funds are directly handled entirely online.

Since implementing an online payment system, Bryan Hanes and his team at Hanes Properties have been able to streamline their workflows and drive efficiency, “Our property managers have quickly and easily grasped AppFolio and love all of the online rental payment options. This saves management a ton of paperwork and cuts rent week workload by at least 50% compared to the days when online rental payments were not available.”

#2 Eliminates Error-Prone, Manual Auditing & Editing

Accounting errors can be costly. Online rent payment services prevent the most common accounting errors property managers face daily with paper-based record keeping systems. Digital payments eliminate double posting, as well as failing to post a payment. Online payment processing also prevents data entry errors such as transposing numbers (entering 43 instead of 34) and improperly coding transactions, which can create inaccuracies in the balance sheet and other financial statements when category totals are transferred. A paperless system minimizes common errors—saving your organization time, money, and frustration, while boosting overall productivity and efficiency.

#3 Protects Resident Privacy & Identity

A well-designed property management system has security baked into every step of the customer engagement process, including online payment portals. With a payment portal that protects both in-transit and data at rest, residents can pay rent online without worrying about identity theft, and property managers can have confidence that their data is shielded from unauthorized views.

#4 Allows You to Make More Informed Decisions

Accurate records are essential for operating a successful business. Digital transactions are 100% accurate and provide an efficient path for sharing rent payment histories with credit bureaus and need-to-know external partners. Back office data also allows your teams to identify trends, such as late payment frequency, non-rent assessments and payment type preferences that may change over time.

Having real-time analytics built within your technology platform enables you and your team to make better business decisions. It also encourages owners to accept monthly disbursements and pay assessments online, so your team can have a clearer, more complete snapshot of your organization’s financial health.

#5 Streamlines Communication & Transparency

Paying rent online via a fully integrated system allows residents to access payment history, review fees, and assessments, and modify payment choices 24/7. From the business side, integration enables you to streamline communication with automated communication features, such as text and email alerts when rent is due, and one-time add-ons payable through the portal, regardless of the portfolio mix you manage.

#6 Promotes Accountability

When rent payments are made by mail, drop box, or in-person, it’s harder to keep track of who has paid and when payments were submitted. As a result, it’s more difficult to hold residents accountable and protect your business. With an online rental payment system, you have a digital paper trail where you can instantly check to verify if and when a payment was made, simplifying the dispute resolution process.

#7 Gives Residents More Flexibility

The more ways to pay you provide, the more likely residents will adopt online payments faster, and the better chance you have of getting your rent payments on-time. An online payment system that offers multiple options, such as eCheck (ACH), credit cards, debit cards, electronic cash/money orders, and bank drafts can provide residents with the flexibility and support they need.

Along with offering multiple ways to pay, you can also offer flexible payment plans. For instance, with AppFolio you can set up a payment plan to convert existing charges into a series of payments, providing relief for your residents, while maintaining visibility into the amounts and timing of repayments under the agreement.

#8 Boosts Efficiency with Automated Payments

Your residents are used to carrying out most of their monthly tasks—such as paying their credit card bills—quickly and efficiently online, and their rent is no exception. In addition, many are probably already accustomed to using automatic bill pay systems that enable them to pay all of their bills without having to manually enter the same information each month.

Consider implementing a digital solution that offers automatic rent payments. By enrolling, your residents will not only save time, but your team members can have the reassurance that rents will be paid on-time and in full. Don’t forget to educate your residents about the advantages of paying their rent online and setting up recurring payments. In addition, you should encourage prospects to submit the initial application fee online to promote early online payment adoption.

#9 Improves Resident Satisfaction

According to a recent renter preferences survey by AppFolio, 86% of respondents said it was important for them to be able to pay rent using a mobile device, and 26.75% said they would not rent, or would move out if their property manager did not offer mobile or online tools. That being said, by offering mobile tools, such as online rent payments you can increase resident satisfaction, boost resident retention, and attract more prospects.

#10 Increases Online Portal Adoption

With online rent payments you can also increase the likelihood your residents will use other features within your online portal—such as online maintenance requests and lease renewals—further streamlining processes and increasing satisfaction. The more features your residents adopt, the more time your team will save, and the greater the return you’ll see on your technology investment.

For most renters, the ability to pay rent online is not only preferred, but expected. By providing your residents with modern ways to pay, you’ll be able to enhance your customer experience, boost efficiency, eliminate errors, save money, and give your team more time to focus on growing your business.

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Buying a Home? Here's What You Should Know About Home Insurance Costs.

By KCM • August 24, 2026

Buying a Home? Here's What You Should Know About Home Insurance Costs. If buying a home is on your radar, you've probably been keeping an eye on mortgage rates and home prices . But don’t forget about homeowners insurance. Homeowners insurance has always been part of owning a home. But over the past few years, it's become a larger expense for many homeowners – something that's especially frustrating when affordability already feels tight. The good news? While premiums are still rising, the latest data shows those increases are beginning to slow. Here's what buyers should know. Home Insurance Costs Have Gone Up You've probably heard stories from friends or family about their premiums going up. And that’s not really a surprise when you consider data from the Pew Research Center shows 71% of homeowners say their insurance costs have gone up over the past few years. While no one likes rising costs, knowing what to expect can help you plan ahead. Your first insurance payment is typically included in your closing costs, but after that it'll become part of your monthly housing expenses. Getting an insurance quote early can help you build a more realistic budget and avoid surprises later. Premiums Are Rising, But Not as Fast as They Were Most of the headlines focus on how home insurance is getting more expensive. And that's true. But here’s the part that’s easy to miss. Insurance premiums are still rising. But they're not rising as fast as they were. According to the latest report from Rate Insurance, 2025 saw the first slowdown in annual premium increases since 2019 (see graph below): That doesn't mean premiums are getting cheaper. It simply means the rapid increases of the past several years may finally be starting to ease – a small but welcome step in the right direction. But what you’ll pay in one part of the country can look very different from what someone pays somewhere else. Where You Buy Can Make a Big Difference Insurance costs vary because some parts of the country experience more claims than others. That's why it's important to look at what's happening locally. Your premium will depend on things like where you're buying, the home itself, and the coverage you choose. Forbes data can give a rough idea of your state’s typical premiums. Check out the map below – the darker the blue, the higher the costs tend to be in that state: Ways To Lower Your Costs While you can't control every cost that comes with buying a home, you can control how prepared you are. If you’re crunching the numbers and trying to find ways to save, Insurify and NerdWallet offer these tips that can help you get the best insurance price possible: Shop Around – Compare quotes from multiple companies. Bundle Policies – Combine home and auto to see if a bundle price is cheaper. Ask If There Are Discounts – Don’t miss out on savings you may qualify for. Highlight Upgrades – Features like a new roof or storm windows can cut costs. Improve Your Credit – A stronger credit score can mean better premiums. One of the smartest things you can do is get an insurance quote before you make an offer. That way, you'll know what your monthly housing costs are likely to be before you commit. An insurance professional can walk you through your options and help you find coverage that fits both your needs and your budget. Bottom Line Homeowners insurance has become a bigger part of the homebuying conversation. But it doesn't have to become a bigger source of stress. The key is knowing what to expect before you buy. Get an insurance quote early, factor it into your budget, and lean on trusted local professionals to help you make the most informed decision possible.

Here’s Where To Start if You’re Selling and Buying at the Same Time

By KCM • August 20, 2026

Here’s Where To Start if You’re Selling and Buying at the Same Time If you're a homeowner getting ready to move , one question usually comes first: should you buy your next home before you sell, or sell your current house before you start looking? There's no single right answer. The best call depends on your finances, your local market, and your timeline. And a trusted agent can help you weigh all of it. But in a lot of cases these days, selling first puts you in the stronger spot. The Advantages of Selling First Selling is usually the trickier half of a move today, so getting it done first clears your biggest hurdle. And that’s especially true right now , because there are more homes for sale than there are buyers, which means houses are taking longer to sell than they did a year or two ago. So how does leading with your sale pay off? Let’s start with the money. 1. You Won’t Get Stuck Paying Two Mortgages Buy before you sell, and you could end up carrying two mortgages at once. And especially since houses are staying on the market longer these days, that overlap may drag on for more time than you’d planned. And if unexpected repairs come up, it could get even more expensive. Selling first takes that risk off the table, so you’re not multitasking homeownership. As Ramsey Solutions puts it: "It's best to sell your old home before buying a new one to avoid unnecessary risks and possible headaches." 2. You Can Use Your Equity To Fuel Your Move This is always true, but one of the biggest perks of selling first is that you’ll know exactly how much money you're walking away with. And one of the big figures that matters in that conversation is how much equity you have in your current place. Equity is basically your house’s value minus what you still owe on your mortgage. And it adds up fast. According to Realtor.com, homeowners who’ve been in their home for 5 years have about $180,000 in equity on average. And those who’ve had their home for 6-10 years? They have over $340,000. After you sell, you can use that money to cover your down payment or even buy your next home in cash. And knowing that profit up front helps you plan your next move. 3. Your Offer Will Be Hard To Pass Up When your house is already sold, you don’t have to make your offer contingent on that sale. In a market where buyers are taking their time, that’s exactly what a seller wants to see. Picture it from the seller’s side. If their house has been sitting for a while, they’ll gravitate toward the offer most likely to close without a snag. That can also give you room to ask for a little more, like repairs, since a motivated seller would rather keep things moving than lose you and wait for another offer to come in. Your agent can help you make the most of your upper hand in that scenario. Is There a Catch? Selling first has its tradeoffs too, and it helps to see the pros and cons side by side before you decide. Here’s a quick breakdown based on information from Zillow (see visual below): The cons are manageable with the right plan, so talk about them with your agent. They can help you negotiate things like a rent-back, where you stay in your house for a set time after closing, or line up flexible closing dates to keep the transition smooth. Bottom Line There's no one-size-fits-all answer to buying and selling at once. But for a lot of homeowners, leading with the sale makes moving easier on their mind and their wallet. Let’s connect, so you can navigate selling and buying with more confidence, more financial power, and less stress.m a different source.

The House That Started It All Could Kickstart What's Next

By KCM • August 17, 2026

The House That Started It All Could Kickstart What's Next Remember how exciting it was to buy your first place? It felt like crossing a long-awaited finish line. It gave you a place to build your life. Maybe it’s where you lived when you got married. Or where you welcomed a child or a pet into the family. But that was just the beginning. For most people, your first house was never meant to be your forever home. It’s a stepping stone for what comes next. And if your life looks different today than it did when you got the keys, you’re not stuck. Moving may be more realistic than you think. Starter Home Inventory Is Still Relatively Low If you've been wondering whether now is the right time to move up, here's something worth knowing. Starter homes remain one of the hardest types of homes to find. And that's good news if you're thinking about selling your first place. Historically, we haven’t been building enough homes for first-time buyers. And even though homebuilders have shifted more attention toward smaller, entry-level homes lately, the Census shows there’s a long way to go to re-build supply (see graph below): That means your current house is in demand – and that’s a dream scenario for sellers. But that’s only half the story. You also need somewhere to go. There Are More Move-Up Homes on the Market Here’s where this gets interesting. While the supply of starter homes remains tight (the green line), data from Redfin shows that the number of homes for sale has been climbing overall (the blue line): As Nadia Evangelou, Principal Economist and Director of Real Estate Research at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), explains : “Too much of the inventory available today remains concentrated at higher price points, leaving a shortage of options for entry-level and middle-income buyers.” That means you may have more choices for your move up than you'd expect. Whether you're hoping for another bedroom, a home office, a bigger backyard, or simply more room for this next stage of life, today's market may finally be giving you the chance to find it. At the same time, your current house may be exactly what someone else has been looking for because homes like yours are still in short supply. That's a unique advantage for move-up buyers. And it could help you sell for a stronger price. As Zillow says: "Starter home value appreciation has outpaced other types of homes nationally, mostly because they're so in demand." Your Biggest Advantage May Be Your Equity Here’s the cherry on top. There's one more thing your first home has been doing behind the scenes, and that’s building equity . Every mortgage payment you've made and every year your home's value has grown has quietly increased your ownership stake in your house. According to Cotality , the average homeowner with a mortgage has $295k in equity built up. While your number may be different, once you sell, it could become the down payment on your next home or help reduce the amount you need to borrow at today’s rates. Put it all together and your move up becomes a lot more realistic than you think: The house you're selling is in demand. The house you're buying may be easier to find. And the equity you've built can help bridge the gap between the two. Your first home did exactly what it was supposed to do. It gave you a place to start. Now, it may be the thing that helps you take the next step. Bottom Line Your first home was never meant to be your forever home. It was meant to help you build a life and build the financial foundation for whatever came next. If your current home no longer fits the life you're living today, let’s connect. You may be closer to your next chapter than you realize.