Published on August 18th, 2025
By Brittany Benz
The latest AppFolio Property Management Benchmark Report reveals that many of the industry’s most pressing challenges, such as rising insurance costs and inflation, are beyond individual control.
The good news? Although these significant issues can’t be tackled head-on, the report also lays out a clear path forward. Instead of adhering to traditional, task-based property management, it’s time to shift toward real performance.
Keep reading to see exactly what that looks like and how to achieve it, with expert insights from Josh Winch, President of Focus Property Management; Sara Scarborough Graham, Founder and CEO of Six Dots; and Cat Allday, Vice President of Product at AppFolio.
The Problem: Task-Based Property Management Is Holding You Back
Historically, task-based property management was the standard, and its effectiveness means it’s still the default approach for most businesses today. As Cat Allday explains, the idea that great property management is just the flawless execution of repeated tasks can do more harm than good:
“Focusing solely on streamlining processes and cutting costs can feel productive, but it doesn’t solve the deeper issues. Systems that focus more on task completion rather than actual results are like climbing faster on the wrong ladder. Efficiency without outcomes doesn’t help you build a thriving business; it creates a ‘performance gap.’ Unless we can focus on higher-level goals — like creating great resident experiences, reliable cash flow for our owners, and scalable business growth — all those so-called ‘efficiency gains’ can actually deliver diminishing returns over time.”
The performance gap exists because the property management industry as a whole still tries to solve new problems with legacy tools and approaches. At one point, digitizing tasks was the biggest issue that required linear solutions to solve tactical processes. Now, property managers need to deliver customer value to drive performance, which requires strategic thinking and big-picture business insights.
The Solution: Creating Value Ecosystems Where Everyone Thrives
Real performance happens in value ecosystems where everyone — businesses, residents, investors, and owners — thrives. While this may sound challenging, Josh Winch knows it’s easier than it seems, especially since each stakeholder essentially shares a common goal: a reliable partner for success. As he attests:
“You can create a win-win-win situation, where owners win, the company wins, and residents win. We all actually want the same thing. We want a community we can be proud of, a place we’re proud to live or work, and feeling like we’re making a meaningful impact.”
Creating a win-win-win situation is something Josh and his team at Focus Property Management have been able to achieve by prioritizing exceptional resident experiences that include 24/7 live support and a commitment to 100% of work orders being completed within 48 hours. As a result, resident satisfaction is sky-high. Moreso, happier residents make work significantly more satisfying and enjoyable for property management teams, and owners see direct benefits from higher occupancy rates and reduced resident turnover rates.
In addition to residents, teams, and owners, property management investors also benefit from the value ecosystem. Although their needs may be slightly different from other stakeholders, Sara Scarborough Graham explains that they still ultimately want the same outcome: a true partner to move forward with, together.
“Investors are not just looking for clean financials. They’re looking for confidence that you can handle the resident experience. Reporting numbers is not enough. Real performance means moving away from an end-of-the-month data dump and giving a clear view into how the business is being run. It’s about stewarding capital and being a strategic partner.”
Next Steps: Putting Real Performance Into Place
Moving from task-based property management to real performance requires a purposeful shift in how you operate—from both a people and systems perspective—so teams can manage less and accomplish more.
To help his teams prepare, Josh started by making sure everyone at Focus Property Management was aligned through three direct questions:
Question 1: Do teams know what success looks like for their role? Each role at Focus Property Management has a specific metric for success that is clearly defined and articulated.
Question 2: How is success calculated? There can be a lot of inputs used to measure success, but Josh makes sure each team member knows specifically what data to look for and where to find it.
Question 3: Why should teams care? At Focus Property Management, success is shared by everyone. Not only do success metrics benefit residents, the business, and owners, but property management teams are also incentivized when success metrics are met.
In addition to transforming how teams work, Sara recommends taking a critical look at the tools and technology businesses use today.
“Fragmented tech stacks break momentum and erode trust, giving a mishmash of tools that don’t talk to each other…teams don’t have the bandwidth to figure it out. A lot of times, tech gets purchased in a vacuum, meaning there’s no real change management plan or buy-in from site teams, and there’s limited training and support. Instead of unlocking performance, it just adds more noise.”
Because legacy property management systems were originally designed to digitize workflows and tasks, they can’t help teams build a value ecosystem when they’re still focused on solving common “pen and paper” property management problems. Instead, businesses need:
Unified data: All business information — including leases, maintenance, rent payments, and resident messages — should live in a single connected system, rather than stored across separate applications and platforms.
AI-native tooling: Individual add-ons may seem helpful at first, but unified data is impossible to achieve with disconnected tools. With AI features built directly into a centralized system, it’s easier to monitor performance, surface opportunities, and proactively identify problems that require hands-on resolution.
Change management and training support: Change is never easy, but it can be smoother and more successful when teams are properly prepped and they don’t have to solve tech issues on top of their day-to-day responsibilities.
More Ways to Close the Performance Gap
Josh, Sara, and Cat have even more insights on how shifting away from task-based management can unlock real performance. Watch their on-demand webinar to take a deeper dive into their unique points of view and gain even more expert advice on how to close the performance gap.
Article Summary:
Ways to solve today’s most pressing industry challenges, even when they’re beyond individual control
How task-based property management holds businesses back, and why creating a value ecosystem is the solution
Actionable strategies that drive real performance and ensure everyone wins
