As artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize industries, the multifamily space faces a choice: adopting AI as a tool to boost productivity or embracing it as a force capable of reshaping every aspect of business operations.
The distinction between these approaches defines how deeply AI integrates into a company’s DNA and the level of competitive advantage it creates.
The Productivity Approach: Buying Into AI
Buying into AI involves viewing it as a productivity enhancer—a way to streamline existing processes and achieve better results with less effort.
This approach focuses on:
- Task Automation: Leveraging AI to handle repetitive tasks like information communications (InfoComm), rent payment processing and collections, and service requests, to name a few.
- Data Analytics: Using AI-driven platforms to identify trends in resident preferences, optimize pricing, and predict turnover rates, again to name a few.
- Marketing Optimization: Enhancing lead-generation (LedGen) campaigns through AI-based algorithms that target specific demographics and behaviors.
- Marketing Creative: Based on the point above, use this information to fully automate highly cinematic personalized messages to apartment shoppers.
By incorporating AI into these areas, multifamily businesses can improve efficiency without disrupting current operations.
You are simply reassigning workflows to a digital team member.
For site and corporate teams, this means reduced workloads and faster decision-making.
However, the organization’s core structure, processes, and hierarchy remain largely unchanged.
The Transformational Approach: Believing in AI
Belief in AI transcends productivity enhancements.
It represents a willingness to retool the company’s processes, systems, disciplines, and hierarchy to center operations around AI.
This involves:
- Restructuring Decision-Making: Allowing AI to inform strategic decisions at every level, from investment planning to portfolio management.
- Redefining Roles: Shifting the focus of team members to activities that complement AI capabilities, such as creative problem-solving, relationship building, and long-term strategy.
- Building AI-Centric Systems: Designing workflows, customer service models, and performance metrics around AI capabilities rather than adapting AI to existing systems.
- Reconsidering Leadership Dynamics: Empowering data-driven insights to influence leadership decisions and reimagining traditional management structures to prioritize agility and innovation.
This belief-driven approach fundamentally changes how multifamily businesses operate.
It requires a cultural shift where teams understand and trust AI as a collaborator, not just a tool.
Key Differences and Implications:
- Scope of Change: Buying into AI is additive—improving existing systems. Believing in AI is transformative—replacing traditional systems with AI-first models.
- Investment: Buying in often involves a smaller initial commitment focused on software and training. Believing in AI demands a larger investment in infrastructure, retraining, and cultural shifts.
- Risk and Reward: A buy-in approach limits risk but may cap potential gains. A belief-driven approach involves higher risk but unlocks exponential returns through innovation and market differentiation.
Why It Matters for Multifamily Teams
For site teams, buying into AI can mean immediate relief from mundane tasks, freeing time for resident engagement.
For corporate teams, it enhances oversight and decision-making.
However, a belief-driven approach positions a company as a market leader, prepared to capitalize on the evolving role of technology in real estate.
It also means a complete reshaping of the corporate hierarchy.
There is no longer a need for a bloated corporate team.
Marketing teams of four to six become one or none.
Accounting teams of six to ten become one or two.
HR teams of two to four become one.
Learning and Development teams of three to five become one or none.
The choice between buying into AI and believing in AI defines how multifamily operators adopt technology.
It defines how they will compete in an increasingly data-driven world.
The challenge lies in aligning the organization’s vision with the realities of AI integration.
Multifamily leaders must weigh short-term gains against long-term transformation to ensure their strategies position them for success in the AI age.
2025 is the year to believe!