There’s new technology that makes software development very easy, and it’s about to hit the multifamily industry hard (and IMO, not in a good way). It’s called vibe coding, and it’s making it easier than ever to build and launch new software tools. But while the code might come easy, the real barriers to success in the multifamily industry haven’t changed. That’s why I predict many new platforms will fail.
What Is Vibe Coding?
“Vibe coding” is a phrase used to describe how today’s developers working with LLMs and AI-assisted tools designed to code, including Cursor, Replit, and Base44, are writing software. Instead of working from detailed product plans and feature specifications, developers are building products the way you’d sketch out an idea on a napkin. You have an idea, you create a prompt, and the system does the coding for you. It’s fast, intuitive, efficient, and fun!
Right now, most applications being built are small passion projects, internal tools, or “me too” products trying to disrupt a broad market (e.g., basic social media platforms). But I predict we’ll start seeing more startups targeting the multifamily space in the coming months. Vibe coding makes it relatively easy for a smart person with a vision to spin up a chatbot or appointment scheduler, for example. From the outside, these products might be wrapped in slick, compelling marketing, because that’s also easy to generate with AI.
But Here’s the Catch: Most Won’t Have the Integrations You Need
What these vibe-coded products will likely lack is integration into your property management software. And integrations aren’t just a nice-to-have, they’re a need-to-have.
Without integration, there’s no reliable way to:
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Get information from your systems
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Write information to your systems
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Trigger events based on resident behavior
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Avoid switching between multiple systems
Integrations are time-consuming, expensive, and require ongoing maintenance and payments to the PMS. Plus, you typically need to be a sponsoring company to even initiate the integration process.
Why Most New Tools Won’t Make It
Here’s my take on what’s coming: if you’re in marketing, operations, ownership, or asset management, you’re about to be flooded with emails about new tools. As I mentioned earlier, the barrier to entry is incredibly low. But the barrier to survival? Very high. Just ask any of your smaller supplier partners.
Most of these vibe-coded startups won’t have:
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The funding and relationships to build integrations
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The account management team to train and support clients
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The sales infrastructure to actually grow revenue
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The patience to survive long multifamily sales cycles
That doesn’t mean you should ignore every new vendor that reaches out. But it does mean you’ll need to be more selective than ever.
Guidelines for Evaluating New Multifamily Software
Here’s a quick framework to help evaluate new platforms before they become part of your tech stack:
1. Integration Readiness
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Do they have tested, live integrations with your PMS today?
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If not, are you willing to be their sponsor or an alpha customer?
2. Real Customer Use
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Are they live and in use at properties like yours?
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Ask for a customer reference—not just a demo.
3. Business Stability
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Who’s funding them? How big is their team?
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Can they survive 12 months without more capital? (It will continue to be hard to raise A rounds in the proptech funding space.)
4. Support & Training
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How do they handle onboarding and tech support?
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Will you have a real person to call or email for help?
5. Strategic Fit
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Does the tool fill a meaningful gap in your operations?
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Will you see a return on your investment, or is it just a shiny add-on that creates more work for you and your team?
Final Thoughts
Vibe coding is going to change how software is built. Having played around with the platforms myself, I can tell you from experience it’s exciting and scary. But in multifamily, having a product that sounds compelling isn’t enough.
The real winners will be the companies that develop platforms that combine tools that solve real pain points, that have gone through the hard, unsexy work of integrations, and have the support and sales infrastructure you need to thrive as a multifamily supplier.
22 years ago, we were that new company with new solutions. By all means, be open to new ideas! But ask hard questions. And remember that the best tools don’t just look good, they integrate with everything else you already use, and are supported by a trusted partner.
From the desk of Ellen Thompson, Co-founder and CEO of Respage >> Since its founding, Respage has helped over 10,000 communities attract, engage, and retain residents. Its platform assists properties in generating leads, automating leasing, and managing reputation and social media. Thompson is also the Founder of Results Repeat, a digital marketing agency that has helped hundreds of companies create a digital presence and use SEO and paid marketing to generate more business online.
