Customer Story

Creating a Successful Work-Life Balance Through Smart Technology

Integrated Asset Management

Established: 2023
Headquarters: Des Moines, Iowa

Integrated Asset Management (IAM) takes a hands-on approach to managing over 1,300 units in the metro area of Des Moines, Iowa. At the helm is its founder, Tina Smothers, who brings over 27 years of property management and industry experience to IAM. As a busy mom and CEO, her mission is to ensure efficiency in day-to-day operations. For that, Tina and her team lean on AppFolio Property Manager. After onboarding 650 units with the AppFolio platform, IAM has seen units double in growth thanks — in part — to AppFolio’s one powerful platform.

Portfolio

Multifamily

Units Under Management

1,300+

“I’ve been using AppFolio for 12 years, and I really attribute a lot of the success that I’ve had in property management to AppFolio because of what it’s allowed me to do.”

Tina Smothers
Founder and CEO, Integrated Asset Management, 1,300+ units

A Work-From-Anywhere Business Owner and Parent

Integrated Asset Management (IAM) is the culmination of more than two decades of industry experience and entrepreneurial spirit, as well as a modern-day example of seamless work-life balance. In fact, IAM was born as a new venture while Founder and CEO Tina Smothers’ youngest son started kindergarten and her oldest was in her junior year of college. Today, Tina is a busy mom of three, a small business owner, and a hands-on seasoned professional with a background in all aspects of property management, from accounting to leasing and more. By utilizing the AppFolio platform, the small-but-mighty IAM team can focus on efficiency, growth, and property success.

“I really love AppFolio, and I value them as a partner. But one of the things I tell a lot of people is that AppFolio has allowed me, over the past 12 years, to be in the parent pickup line at school whenever I need to be. I can easily use AppFolio remotely while I'm waiting in line to pay bills, answer questions, and look up items… One of the things I love about AppFolio is you can just knock out tasks when and where you need to — it’s so flexible.”

Work From Anywhere With Cloud-Based Flexibility

How can Tina accomplish tasks from the parent pickup line? A cloud-based software platform offers flexibility by allowing property management organizations to operate seamlessly from anywhere. With mobile access, team members can handle essential tasks — such as leasing, accounting, and maintenance coordination — remotely, ensuring efficient operations regardless of their physical location. With properties across the metro area of Des Moines, IAM team members stay connected, improve response times, and work without interruptions, even during unexpected events or changing circumstances. Tina shares more about why she appreciates maintaining business continuity without being tied to a specific location.

“The biggest reason for choosing AppFolio is that it’s cloud-based. With AppFolio, you can work literally from anywhere. For me, that was huge. When I had my son in 2017, I was up feeding him at night or sometimes needed to perform a task at a property an hour from where I lived. AppFolio allowed me to lease the property from afar and answer guest cards. I would never switch from AppFolio because of what it’s brought to me in being able to run my business.”

One Platform for Maximum Efficiency

Utilizing an all-in-one software platform like AppFolio Property Manager has been invaluable for Tina and her team as they streamline their operations and maximize efficiency. By consolidating all functionalities — from vendor management to online applications — into a single platform, IAM eliminates the need for multiple logins and cumbersome password management. It also reduces time wasted switching between different systems.

Additionally, adopting a paperless system simplifies processes, minimizes the risk of lost or misplaced documents, and protects sensitive information from being exposed in the office environment. Going paperless not only reduces clutter but also accelerates workflows, allowing IAM to focus on what truly matters: delivering outstanding service to residents professionally and spending more time with family.

“Keeping everything in AppFolio is really important to me because having too many logins is a distraction and wastes time. It’s also beneficial to have online applications and everything digitized because then your onsite team members aren't losing paperwork and they're not leaving applications out for everybody to see when they come in. I remember 20 years ago, whenever I would walk into offices, there'd be a stack of paperwork that needed to be filed. Now, we're streamlined, and we have been paperless for a long time because of AppFolio.”

Spend Less Time Securing Premium Leads

Integrated Asset Management uses AppFolio Premium Leads within AppFolio to more effectively market their units. Recently renamed as AppFolio Premium Listing, this feature helps property managers fill vacancies faster and more effectively. In addition to receiving more leads, a significant advantage is only paying for the verified leads received. Tina shares more about the value of Premium Listing, and how this feature works for a diverse and varied portfolio.

“We find it beneficial that we can turn it on and off and set it to be specific to the property. You can also set a spending limit per lead. It’s very helpful on smaller properties: It pushes out to more sites and puts us higher in the listings so we’re getting leads from sources that we haven’t gotten in the past. Having a bigger reach and getting your monthly bill split out in a report is something I really like. If some properties don’t use it, they’re not having to pay for it.”

Reduce Risk and Save Time With AppFolio Features for Insurance Management

Other AppFolio elements that Integrated Asset Management uses and appreciates are the insurance and landlord liability features. By housing all insurance documentation within the platform, AppFolio ensures that property managers have immediate access to up-to-date information, helping to ensure that all units meet their insurance requirements without time-consuming manual review. This centralized system helps save valuable time and minimizes errors, in addition to eliminating the need for separate services or manual tracking. Tina provides more tangible examples and specifics below.

“I’ve been using the insurance feature since we onboarded with AppFolio and I personally love the Llandlord to Lliability policies. The process is easy and AppFolio is constantly following up, which is a really big deal when you’re making a claim. We’ve never had any issues with a claim being paid. It’s helpful, too, because managers get sidetracked and can’t look at the dashboard every day, so it’s nice having that extra insurance. We’ve been using that for years.”

UI of operating expense on top of a multifamily apartment

Features That Benefit Both Residents and Managers

Seamless property management software gives IAM significant advantages in tenant screening, online bill pay, automated lease renewals, and portal correspondence, ensuring a smoother experience for both managers and residents. Together, these features optimize operations, improve resident satisfaction, and free up valuable time for property management teams to focus on strategic growth. Tina shares more about her favorite features and how automation and simplification via AppFolio has streamlined processes for everyone.

“The AppFolio Tenant Screening feature is a huge benefit because our managers have a long daily task list. They’re able to get quick answers to residents and get back to them sooner with an immediate answer. I also love how AppFolio lets us set our own screening criteria while still staying within Fair Housing guidelines.”

“We're able to focus on more meaningful work because AppFolio streamlines a lot of the process tasks now, like renewal automation, making it such an easy workflow.”

“It’s also great that leases, payments, and renewals can be sent through the online portal as well. The text property feature really allows for people to have a better work-life balance. If it’s a Saturday and you have a huge pipe break at a property, you don’t have to load your kids up and drive an hour. Instead, I just send a text that says, ‘We’re aware and we’ve got a person coming to fix it.’ Resident communication is probably my favorite piece of it all. We all want the instant gratification of a proactive answer.”

A Trusted Partner for Efficiency, Growth, and Future-Ready Technology

From streamlining tasks to saving time and improving both team and resident satisfaction, AppFolio has supported Integrated Asset Management for close to a decade as a valued software partner. Tina estimates that AppFolio has saved the company at least 10 hours a week, in just the corporate office alone, with features such as Smart Bill Entry. Additionally, Tina confirms that she personally saves another three to four hours a week simply by using the Corporate Accounting feature.

Beyond gains in efficiency, Tina also describes how AppFolio has empowered both past growth and expected future needs. The future of real estate includes generative AI, and AppFolio is ready for what tomorrow has to bring.

“As a property owner and owner of a management company, I have to plug AppFolio Realm-X. I love it. Being able to turn on the generation of writing descriptions, text responses, and letters allows the onsite teams to do other tasks.”