Managing real estate property is not easy. There are so many different types of hassles that can turn up, that it's hard to keep track of it all. Making sure rent is on time from tenants, remembering the rent history for a unit, managing work orders for the handyman, getting the right keys to the super and scheduling lease entries can make you say: It's all too much! The right property management software can be instrumental in cleaning up a messy office with a million post-it notes and a cluttered mind.

Going Digital. Instead of jotting down notes by hand in notebooks or on slips of paper and post-it notes, many property managers have opted for going digital. Modern property management software is neither expensive nor difficult to operate if you choose the right vendor, and the savings in time and money can be huge. But if you're like me, money isn't always as important as the peace of mind that no important piece of information will somehow slip through the cracks and never get acted upon. You probably won't know what you forgot to do until it crops up again to bite you in the ass, having grown into a huge problem.

What is it? What is property management software really all about then? Put simply, it's a piece of software that your run on your laptop or desk computer. It allows you to keep track of all your rental units, whether there are four or four hundred of them. In an easy to understand interface you can enter each unit's rent, current and previous inhabitants, special instructions or information regarding the unit and much more. With the push of a button you can list all the vacant apartments, or ones where the lease runs out within the next three months. Keep track of deposits, late rent, reparations that are due or upcoming, work orders to a super and handyman, etcetera.

Properly implemented, it's a life saver!