Switching property management software is not a light decision. It affects reporting, owner payouts, reconciliations, maintenance workflows, and team confidence.
For Sapir Realty, the stakes were even higher. Their financial architecture was built around portfolio accounting, and the wrong system could disrupt everything.
In August 2024, the mid-sized property management company made a platform change that quickly unraveled.
“In August of 2024, we switched from Propertyware to AppFolio, which turned into an unmitigated disaster almost immediately.”
That experience forced a second major decision within the same year. By April, Sapir Realty moved to Rentvine.
Looking back now, CFO Mutik Schusterman says:
“Looking back a year later, I think the decision to switch to Rentvine was probably up there in the top five decisions we've made as a business in the seven years I've been working here.”
Here is what happened and why the second switch paid off.
When growth exposes the wrong system
Sapir Realty manages over 1,000 properties today. During their earlier growth phase, they fluctuated between 400 and 600 units, with layered ownership structures and increasing financial complexity.
They manage owners with multiple properties, owners with multiple portfolios, separate operating accounts, credit cards, and client-specific banking requirements tied to lending agreements. Their accounting structure is portfolio-based, not property-based.
That distinction became operationally critical.
AppFolio is structured around property-level accounting. Sapir Realty operates at the portfolio level. As complexity increased, the mismatch began to surface in daily operations.
Reconciliations started taking far longer than they should have. Owner draws required manual spreadsheets and cross-checking across portfolios just to determine what could safely be distributed.
As Mutik described it, owner payouts became “a nightmare.”
Instead of relying on the system, his team was manually reviewing properties one by one, identifying negatives and positives, and calculating totals before sending funds.
Then the implementation itself compounded the issue.
After going live, communication dropped off. Support became difficult to access, and reconciliations were delayed for nearly two months.
“They did the transition and then they went dark for a month, like totally dark.”
For a CFO responsible for financial accuracy, that kind of silence during a system transition is unacceptable.
“Our reconciliation was delayed by almost two months because we had no one to talk to there.”
At that point, the software was no longer a productivity tool. It had become a business risk.
The moment everything changed
Sapir Realty did not begin their search looking for surface-level improvements. They were looking for structural alignment. After months of friction, the priority was simple: fix accounting at its foundation.
That clarity came during their onboarding meeting with Rentvine.
“In our onboarding meeting, you showed us how work order estimates and undeposited receipts could automatically withhold money from owner draws. That was the moment I was like, okay, we’re switching.”
For a CFO responsible for ensuring accurate owner payouts across complex portfolios, that functionality was not a minor upgrade. It eliminated manual calculations. It removed uncertainty around owner draws. It reduced the risk of sending out funds that needed to be withheld.
The decision was not about design or convenience. It was about control.
Rentvine’s portfolio-based accounting structure aligned with how Sapir Realty actually operates. Instead of forcing the team to manually reconstruct financial positions across properties, the system reflected their real-world ownership structures from the start.
That was the turning point.
A different transition experience
After a failed implementation with AppFolio the first time, expectations were cautious.
Mutik admits he braced for another operational collision. Instead of chaos, the transition felt structured and supported.
From a CFO’s perspective, one thing mattered above all else: financial integrity. The system could look polished, but if reconciliations did not tie out, nothing else mattered.
As he put it:
“I needed to know for sure that at the end of the day, like the reconcile was gonna work out.”
Rentvine’s onboarding process is built around that same principle. The transition begins with a financial-first approach, ensuring that trust accounts, owner balances, and tenant security deposits and balances are accounted for accurately before and after go-live. The onboarding team works through prior system reporting, validates balances collaboratively, and ensures financial continuity before the new system becomes the source of truth.
Beyond financial onboarding, Sapir Realty participated in Rentvine’s structured Account Success Program. This included dedicated support, recurring training sessions, and guided workflow reviews to ensure the entire team, not just finance, felt confident using the platform.
Most importantly, support did not stop at launch.
Rentvine remains engaged through the first reconciliation cycle, working alongside clients to validate that reports, balances, and processes are functioning as expected.
“The big, big thing for me was that Rentvine stuck around through the end of the first reconciliation.”
For a finance leader responsible for safeguarding owner and tenant funds, that level of partnership mattered.
“You guys really put my mind at ease.”
The difference wasn’t just software capability. It was disciplined execution during transition.
Operational impact: control and confidence
Once live with Rentvine, the accounting module quickly became the operational backbone of the business.
For Mutik, the most meaningful improvement was in owner payouts. What had previously required spreadsheets, manual reviews, and constant double-checking became streamlined and predictable.
“The pay owners is just, it just a dream.”
Owner draws that once required layered calculations across portfolios now take significantly less time and carry far less risk. The system provides clarity before money leaves the account, not after.
The work order estimate functionality added another layer of protection. Instead of guessing what should be withheld before distributions, the system automatically accounts for outstanding obligations. That visibility removed uncertainty and reduced preventable owner disputes.
The result was tighter financial control, fewer manual workarounds, and more confidence in every close.
Growth after stabilization
Stability created room for growth.
Since implementing Rentvine, Sapir Realty has continued expanding its portfolio and recently onboarded the largest batch of new clients in a single month in company history.
“Last month we took on the most clients in one shot we've ever taken on.”
The growth has not been reckless or forced. It has been measured and operationally supported.
When systems align with operations, scale becomes manageable instead of stressful.
Advice to other CFOs considering a switch
Switching core software is disruptive. There is no way around that.
But as Mutik sees it, the greater risk is staying in a system that no longer fits the business.
His advice to other finance leaders evaluating a change is pragmatic. Look for alignment. Look for structure. Look for a team that remains present beyond implementation.
In his words:
“It leaves you feeling that you're in good hands.”
Onboarding matters. Accounting architecture matters more. If the financial foundation is wrong, no amount of support can compensate for it.
The bigger lesson: change is not the risk. Poor execution is.
Sapir Realty switched platforms twice within a year. The first transition destabilized operations. The second strengthened them.
The difference was not simply feature depth. It was execution. It was partnership. It was adopting a financial structure that matched how the company actually operates.
For Sapir Realty, the takeaway is clear: when change is executed correctly, it does not disrupt growth. It enables it.
And in their case, it became one of the most important operational decisions in company history.
