Stop Chasing Trends: 4 Property Management Insiders Share Tips For a Successful 2026

Six months into 2026, property managers are facing a strange reality. AI is everywhere, rental markets are behaving differently city by city, and growth strategies that worked two years ago aren’t guaranteed to work today.

To help make sense of where the industry’s at, we spoke to four experts about the trends they’ve seen so far in 2026: 

Peter Lohmann is the CEO of RL Property Management, owner of Peter Lohmann Media, and co-founder of Crane, an online community for property management owners and operators.

Marc Cunningham is the CEO of Grace Property Management & Real Estate, where he oversees 1,300 rental properties in Denver, and host of the Property Management Business Podcast.

Jennifer Ruelens is the owner of One Focus Property Management and founder of Hold It With PM Jen, which produces podcasts, educational content, and speaking opportunities that teach the modern long game of buy and hold.

Kelli Segretto is the owner of K Segretto Consulting, where she uses her 25 years of property management experience to help clients strengthen the foundations of their business through better strategy, technology, teams, and process.

The biggest lesson from the first half of 2026 is that property managers chasing every trend are struggling, while those focusing on fundamentals are winning.

Keep reading to find out what our experts had to say.

Variation Is Increasing Across the Property Management Industry

While there are trends that most of the industry is experiencing, it’s important to remember that not everyone has the same experience. For example, our Q1 2026 data talk showed that the rental market overall has been soft, but in cities like Miami and Chicago, the demand for rental units is high.

This variation is something that has stood out to Marc. “Historically, the industry would all move together,” he said. “Either everybody’s doing a little better or a little worse. Now it seems like there’s some separation, where some companies are having their best year, while others are struggling. Everything is kind of helter skelter.”

Our takeaway? Take national statistics with a grain of salt and focus on what works for your business in your market. Establish your own benchmarks for performance.

If you’re not sure where to start, industry organizations like the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM) are a great resource.

“I tell every property manager I meet to join NARPM,” said Peter. “Their work is important for our industry, and their conferences keep getting bigger and better.”

AI: Finding the Right Place for Adoption

Our industry insiders see repetitive conversations and tedious administrative tasks as good places to start experimenting with the technology.

For Peter, AI can have the most impact in answering basic prospect questions about listings and current tenant inquiries about fees or moveout dates. “There’s no reason for your highly skilled team to be answering the same question a hundred times every week. That’s a great place for companies to start with AI.”

Jen pointed out another benefit to AI chatbots: they provide consistent, helpful service every time. A human might be annoyed to answer the same pet policy question for the fourth time that day, but not a chatbot.

“When I look at where AI would fit in my business, I think of those repetitive questions and conversations where a person needs to be slowly and patiently guided through information — I’d like a robot to do that.”

AI is just as helpful with internal administrative tasks, like searching within files to find tenant information quickly or updating an owner manual more efficiently. For advanced AI users, vibe coding can push efficiency even further.

“The ability to create custom applications for the experiences that your team, clients, and customers have is a game changer,” Kelli explained.

One way to start experimenting with AI is to try the tools inside software that you already use, like Mo, the AI virtual agent that lives within ShowMojo.

AI: The Case for Strategic Patience

While there’s a lot of enthusiasm for AI, our industry insiders cautioned against rushing forward without a plan.

That’s the approach Jen’s taking. Fueled by a fear of missing out, she set a company goal to incorporate agentic AI into her business by the end of 2026.

But recently, she pumped the brakes. “As a leadership team, we’ve decided we could make a better implementation plan once we’ve learned from those who have gone before us. Then we can be more successful.”

The H2 Growth Playbook: Shifting Focus and Operational Discipline

Now that the year is halfway over, many property managers are looking at what they need to do to meet their 2026 growth goals.

Despite their different backgrounds, our experts converged on a similar idea: growth is less about volume and more about operational discipline.

Peter’s top tip is to hire a dedicated full-time salesperson to work with prospects and handle business development.

“The number one easiest lever you can pull to close more doors and grow faster is response time,” he said. “It’s not reasonable for a business owner with a million irons in the fire to always be able to answer the phone when a prospect calls.”

Marc recommends targeting accidental landlords rather than large investors. “For every investor, there’s 10 accidental landlords. They’re a gold mine of potential owner clients. They’re underwater because they couldn’t sell their homes, and they need help.”

Kelli reminded us to get back to the basics. Build a solid business foundation first before trying to scale up.

“Be boring for a little while,” she said. “Make sure you have written policies and procedures, standard processes, and a clear team structure. It’s not the bells and whistles that make the difference — it’s doing the core things well, consistently.”

The Mid-Year Verdict: Double Down on What Matters

Don’t let macro-industry noise determine your micro-business strategy. Whether you’re navigating a volatile rental market, deciding how to deploy AI, or trying to scale your portfolio, you first need to master the basics.

That means simplifying your workflows, protecting your team from burnout, and focusing on delivering an exceptional experience for your customers.