Maybe you are looking for real estate customer relationship management software that could streamline and optimize your business processes.

If you are, sooner or later, you might stumble upon Property Base, which is more than just customer relationship management software (CRM) but rather resembles a business suite.

So, maybe your question is what it is, how it works, and how much it costs.

If you read this article to the end, you will learn about its powerful features with a focus on the needs of realtors and brokers, the not-always-transparent costs of the platform, and its drawbacks.

 

What Is Propertybase and How to Use It? – A Broad Overview

Propertybase is one of many real estate customer relationship management types of software (28 covered already in this past article).

It has an app launcher, allowing you to customize the look and feel of the application, making it possible for realtors to get a different look at the data than the brokerage firm manager.

Then, there is the home page which is the page you see once you log in. 

You can customize quickly and get an overview of the different processes there.

You can manage contacts and listings with it, which can assist you in the different buyer and seller process steps, such as inquiries, offers, and closings.

To use the software successfully as a real estate professional, you want to know how to go through a real estate transaction (e.g., from generating a lead to closing a real estate deal).

Without this knowledge, using this software won’t make much sense.

 

The App Launcher

Once logged in, you can start the app launcher by clicking on the icon on the top left that looks like a dial pat. 

Doing this for the first time will give you many options.

But this is nothing to worry about because right from the get-go, the software is already pretty much explicitly customized to real estate needs.

Within the App Launcher, there are already the following applications:

  • Propertybase Manager
  • Propertybase Agent
  • Propertybase Admin
  • Propertybase Transactions
  • Propertybase Leads
  • Propertybase Marketing
  • Propertybase Tabs
  • Lightning Usage App
  • Bolt Solutions

As mentioned above, the Propertybase Manager App is tailored to advanced users, such as real estate brokers, who might have agents reporting to them. 

So the latter may need to be able to view specific data.

The application for real estate agents has different functionality and a specific view for the respective real estate agents.

Suppose someone in your real estate business is in charge of different software types and applications.

In that case, the Admin App is the most suitable.

The transaction management app is for the ones in your company that might be responsible for things like collecting money or different commission scenarios and shares.

If you need to only see some lead information, the Lead App is the one to use. 

You can use the Marketing App to keep track of the different marketing channels.

As you can see, most real estate business roles (with a focus on realtors and brokers) are already covered in Propertybase.

Suppose you are another real estate professional, such as a real estate investor or developer.

In that case, you can build your app and make the necessary customizations.

Let’s look at a real estate agent’s view in the Agent App.

 

Agent App View

Once in the agent app view, you will see in the top area different tabs.

These tabs resemble the usual areas and tasks a realtor has to deal with, such as the home area, the calendar, tasks, contacts, listings, inquiries, offers, closings, reports, and dashboards.

If you are in the “home area,” you get an overview of all the areas represented in the tabs.

Remember that if there is something you would like to change, it is possible most of the time.

You just need to click on the gear in the up-right corner and then on the “edit page.”

This is the area a real estate agent can look at first thing in the morning.

In this area, you can also get some helpful insights into analytics. 

The bottom area is a graphical representation of different contact stages.

This is important regarding your follow-up process (I recommend my article on following up in this context).

The same area can also give you a glance at the commissions earned.

 

The Contacts Area

Now, let’s take a look at the contacts area.

It’s pretty straightforward to create a new contact there.

The fastest way is to just click on the little arrow next to the tab “contacts” and then on “New Contact.” 

To do this with one step more involved, you just click directly on the “Contacts” tab, and once there, you click on “New” on the right.

You will then be shown a contact form where you can enter all the necessary information.

A nice feature of this contact form is that potential contact duplicates are automatically checked on the right side.

By that, you can avoid adding duplicate contacts repeatedly in your database.

Once you have a new contact in the database, it is worth mentioning how an individual contact is displayed on its contact page and what you can do there.

First, the most important contact information is shown at one glance at the top, so you won’t have to search for it for too long.

Then, below this area, you can see a graphical representation of the status of the individual contact and how far it is in your funnel (you can learn more about real estate sales funnels in this article).

This also helps you with the following up and lead nurturing processes.

Below this section, you can find the main section of the contact. You can see all the additional details here, such as the address or where the lead or contact came from.

This information is useful if you need information about your different marketing campaigns. 

By adding these details, you can track that.

Right next to the tab “Details” in this same detailed window of a particular contact, you can find the tab “Related.”

This area is a bit more complicated, but only at first glance. 

It becomes clearer once you understand that Propertybase creates different relations between different categories.

For example, it relates contacts to listings, offers to listings or offers to contacts.

Once you are in the listings area of Propertybase and look at a particular listing, you can see with which contacts you are already engaged that inquired about this listing.

So, when you go to the “related” area on the contact detail page, you will see all other sections of a particular contact and where it is already related.

This means, for instance, that it could show you that Mr. Smith has already inquired about listings A, B, and C and made an offer on listing B. 

You could then click on these related items and switch to Propertybase’s particular listing page or offer page.

Another vital area in the contact details section is the history.

All types of changes ever made since the contact was created are stored here, and you can also see who made which changes.

This is helpful if several agents work on the same contact. 

By having this history function, you can reduce the communication overhead you might have had before.

Right next to the “Related” tab, you find the “Email” one, which allows you to email out of the system and do email drip campaigns. 

You are ready to go once you connect your email marketing service provider there.

The last tab in this section is the “Web Activity” tab. 

This gives you access to data should you choose to use websites offered by Propertybase.

With these features, you can track, for example, which clients are using your Propertybase website and the listings they are looking at.

This can give you hints so you can interact with the respective lead more efficiently and send similar property listings that might interest them.

There is also a smaller box section on the right side within the contact area where you can see the overall contact activity, tracking, and saved searches.

Within the contact activity, you can see, for example, the related calls, tasks, events, and showings.

The tracking tab in this section is directly connected to the above-mentioned email component, where you can see some analytics about your email campaigns sent out from Propertybase, such as email open rates related to the specific contact.

The last tab in this box section is about what kind of properties the respective contact has been looking for. 

Here, you can see which properties the contact has inquired about.

 

The Listings Area

Once you click on the “Listings” tab, you will first see an overview of all the listings integrated into Propertybase.

You can then click on one particular listing and find a detailed view similar to when you click on a particular contact.

This is by design, and the navigation is similar to the detailed contact one. 

You will get a first glance at the listing, including “Status,” “Listing Type,” “Property Type,” “Address,” “City,” and “Listing Price.”

This small section is followed by another small section showing the status of the sales process or sales funnel of the particular listing.

It goes from “Off Market” to “Sold and all the steps in between.

Then, in the larger box area, you will find more details of the listing with additional tabs shown at the top similar to the contact area, such as “Details,” “Related,” “Images and Media,” “Matching,” and “Email.”

The “Related” tab from the contact area does the same as the one in the contact area.

In the “Images and Media” area, you can publicly store all the relevant images and media of the property listing you want to provide. 

So, these are all the files you think of making available to potential clients and/or partners.

Here is the valuable part – when you want to send an Email from the property listing section, the software allows you to add this media to the email sent.

Another feature here is that you can integrate a selection of images and media into your Propertybase website right from there.

Of course, it also provides you with MLS integration, so you won’t have to add each of your property listings individually and manually from your MLS. 

Propertybase charges an extra fee for this functionality.

So far, I have presented just a selective view of the features and functionality of the CRM application from the perspective of a real estate agent use case.

In this article, you can watch the above features more straightforwardly, making it clearer than just by text.

But there are many more tools, applications, and services offered by Propertybase, such as marketing features, the already mentioned ready-made real estate websites, a back office workspace, done-for-you lead generation, and business analytics.

 

The Marketing Features & Services

The marketing features allow you to do SMS outreach campaigns triggered by particular user behaviors.

Then, they have a so-called IDX-enabled click-to-print center, where you can produce marketing materials for print-based campaigns. 

A large variety of direct mail templates are available here.

I’ve already mentioned the Email marketing functionality above, so this feature might not appear new to you, but some additional functions might.

Propertybase calls it the Email Marketing Studio, which helps you create responsive emails with a drag-and-drop builder. 

It also allows you to do behavioral targeting and triggered workflows.

So, based on the user behavior on the Propertybase website you might use, you can create automatic follow-ups and include them in a multi-touch drip campaign.

Next is the social media listing boost, an automated social media campaign promoting your property listings. 

But remember that this is only available if you choose the Propertybase GO plan.

In this case, the digital marketing team provides the service of writing content and running different retargeting and social media campaigns (e.g., on Facebook and Instagram).

 

Ready-Made Real Estate Websites

Propertybase also offers ready-made real estate websites that you can build with a drag-and-drop builder.

Different design themes can be adapted to your individual needs so they fit your unique real estate brand.

Some of the design elements include one-click searches, neighborhood profiles, featured properties, agent rosters, and market trends.

All websites are optimized for local search engine optimization (local SEO), so your chances of ranking higher in Google for particular local search terms increase.

In that sense, relevant keywords are pulled into the URLs, header tags, and alt tags. 

This is the on-page SEO optimization part.

The next feature of the ready-made websites is a real-time IDX search, allowing visitors to do advanced searches, save preferences, and receive updates.

For example, visitors and potential clients can search by favorite neighborhood or school district and hand-draw a specific area on the map that the search feature will consider.

 

The Back Office Workspace

Propertybase’s Office Workspace features real estate transaction management, compliance, and an office intranet. 

In this section, you can share dates, notes, and documents with agents, clients, partners, and vendors.

This prevents inefficient paper trails and confusing processes and connects transactions, eSignatures, and compliances.

You can track important documents and due dates and see document requirements at one glance.

By using these features, communication overhead is reduced or completely eliminated. 

They also allow you to onboard new hires and get an orderly overview of day-to-day activities. 

Included are calendars, announcements, and message boards, amongst others.

 

Done for You Lead Generation

This service by Propertybase helps you with your lead generation, creating copies, using professional imagery, and the proper targeting in marketing campaigns.

New leads added to the CRM can be funneled into automated email nurturing campaigns, so you can focus just on following up.

The marketing team is also testing and optimizing more than 40 landing pages on an ongoing basis to increase conversion rates, improve click-through rates, and reduce costs per lead. 

The setup of those is also included in this done-for-you service.

Propertybase runs over $15 million in ads online. It does all the digital marketing for you, such as Google Ads, major social networks, and more.

The marketing team also chooses the best targeting method and adapts it monthly. 

Additionally, they do all the campaign monitoring and maintenance.

 

Business Analytics

The last tool of Propertybase provides Business Analytics which I already mentioned in the more in-depth section above. 

It provides important insights into your operational, financial, and marketing performance.

This data is presented in visual reports and dashboards, giving you a better basis for making decisions for your real estate business.

This tool is more suitable for large brokerages that manage several agents. 

So, as a broker, you can monitor their productivity and identify roadblocks.

You can also access data about website users, where they come from, and how they behave. 

Knowing this data helps you see which marketing methods work and which don’t.

The tool also helps you forecast performance, marketing costs, and sales commissions.

In the same context, you also will have access to information about the transaction process, next steps, and activity.

 

Who Benefits the Most from Propertybase

what is property base

This first part was quite a mouthful, but you might have realized that this software is much more than just a CRM. 

It is basically a whole real estate business suite combined with marketing agency services with a strong focus on the needs of real estate agents and brokers.

So, to answer this question in short, mainly medium to larger size real estate professionals such as brokers and realtors will benefit from this software.

However, due to a high degree of customization options, you can also adapt the platform to the needs of real estate investors, developers, and other real estate professionals (not always free of charge).

An active real estate investor (e.g., wholesale investors) could customize the property listing section of the CRM to show instead of the “Label” Listings, “Deals.”

But many of the default configuration settings could already be used by real estate investors.

One feature that might not work for them is, for instance, the IDX MLS integration for only a few cases, such as deals being added to the MLS.

 

Propertybase Pricing

I contacted a representative of Propertybase and was told that their company doesn’t publicly publish its pricing.

The pricing model is based on bundled user sizes, and there is currently misinformation about that on a few websites. 

Contrary to what is stated on Propertybase’s website, no trial or demo is available.

According to the websites with the inaccurate pricing information, Propertybase allegedly has a company and an enterprise pricing plan. 

The company plan is supposed to be $69 per user per month, which is billed annually, and it includes the following features:

  • Simple marketing tools
  • Mobile app
  • Listing management
  • Contact management
  • Transaction management
  • In-depth reporting

For the enterprise plan, you reportedly need a minimum of 10 users, and it costs $89 per user per month and includes the following features:

  • All the features from the company plan
  • Franchise management
  • Financials
  • Free MLS/ Portal Integration

But again, I would take the above price information with two grains of salt since it doesn’t come from an official source. 

While researching, I found an additional likely more reliable source for pricing information: Salesforce’s website.

So is Propertybase part of Salesforce? No, it’s not. However, it is a certified app by Salesforce (source).

And this source is the same place where you can find additional pricing information. According to it, Propertybase starts at $79 per user monthly.

An Estimation of the Additional Costs

When you deal with larger software companies, you must also account for additional costs. This is likely the case with Propertybase.

 

1) Customization Costs

Some factors might affect your cost of customizing Propertybase. 

While you can customize many elements on your own, these are the elements that could cause additional customization costs:

  • Configurable dashboards
  • Forms to collect additional data
  • User interface changes
  • Data elements required for tracking
  • Needed management and operational reports
  • Complex workflows

It all depends on how much customization you need. It also depends on how many individual processes you have, the number of systems that need to be integrated, and what special reporting you will need.

The following are some estimates you could apply (source):

  • Minimal customization (integration of 1-2 systems): $2,500
  • Standard customization (integration of 3-5 systems): $10,000
  • Fully customized system (integration of 5 systems or more): $25,000

 

2) Data Migration Costs

Maybe you have data stored in Excel sheets or use other storage means.

Suppose you would like to migrate this data to Propertybase. In that case, this will likely incur further costs, depending on the data you need to migrate between your existing system and the new one (Propertybase).

Here is a ballpark of potential costs:

  • 1,000 records: $500
  • 10,000 records: $2,500
  • 100,000 records: $10,000
  • 1,000,000 records: $25,000

 

3) Training Costs

Propertybase can get quite complex. Depending on the size of your real estate business, end-user training might be necessary.

So, in terms of additional costs, you might want to take into consideration the following types of training you might need…

  • End-user training
  • Group/Department training
  • Video/ Self-training
  • Individual training is mostly not free of charge, and you can use the following cost estimates:
  •  1-2 Training Sessions: $500
  •  3-4 Training Sessions: $1,500
  •  5-7 Training Sessions: $2,500
  •  8-10 Training Sessions: $5,000

 

What Are the Drawbacks of Propertybase?

Of course, after so many interesting and positive features, I don’t want to deprive you of some drawbacks to getting a balanced view of Propertybase.

To find those drawbacks, I researched several user-generated review sites to find out what others had to report regarding the drawbacks.

  • It might be difficult to get team members used to it.
  • The customer support, especially the response times, seem not the best for some, and no live chat appears to be available.
  • Some specific fields and functions can be edited only in a limited way.
  • Searching for golf courses, pools, or water-view homes is impossible.
  • Workflow and sales pipeline can be difficult.
  • Creating and using the reports and analytics features can be difficult.
  • The salesforce system can be overwhelming at the beginning.
  • Doing the initial setup can be cumbersome.
  • The pricing is not publicly available, and you might need to consider additional costs, such as customization, data migration, and the cost of training.
  • Additional individual training might be necessary.

Propertybase User Reviews

I waded through many varying user reviews on two major sites: g2.com and capterra to find a common denominator of what users think about Propertybase.

Generally, the user reviews on G2 are much harsher (the software gets only a 2.5-star rating out of five) than on capterra, which gets an average 3.8-star rating.

Let’s start first with the gist of the harsher G2.com user reviews.

Users find Propertybase difficult to implement and not user-friendly. They report a lack of support and the need for Salesforce coding experience to make changes.

There are also complaints about Propertybase’s contract renewal process and price changes without notice, leading to disputes and difficulties in canceling services.

Another negative reported by users is the company’s weak support, lack of communication, and slow response times to resolve platform issues.

In fact, support issues are mentioned pretty often.

Other users find Propertybase’s set-up process time-consuming and not profitable for smaller organizations. 

They mention limited customization options and difficulties in integrating with other programs.

Also mentioned are difficulties with Propertybase’s limited platform changes, customization challenges, turnover in staff, the lack of flexibility in displaying information for different users, and a steep learning curve. 

Overall, Propertybase receives mixed reviews leaning more toward negative reviews. 

However, some users appreciate certain platform features and find them beneficial for their real estate business.

Now, let’s move on to the more positive user reviews I found on capterra.

Users particularly appreciate the comprehensive inventory management, centralized contact management, document storage, and workflow management. 

However, mixed reviews regarding ease of use, customer service, and value for money are reported. 

Users have found challenges with implementation and customization and reported issues with customer support and problem resolution. 

It’s seen as expensive, with customization possibly incurring additional costs.

Some users have also expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of certain customization options, reported glitches when entering daily numbers, and found the navigation and interface confusing.

The mobile app of Propertybase receives high praise, although it’s considered less functional than the desktop version. 

Users have had mixed experiences with billing, contract renewals, and price changes. 

Some have faced billing and cancellation issues, and there’s been frustration with price changes.

Support from Propertybase is generally highly regarded, with fast response times and helpful assistance during setup. 

Training and support are crucial for navigating and utilizing the software effectively. 

Based on these user reviews, we can conclude that the experiences with Propertybase are also mixed, leaning more toward an overall positive experience, with the software recommended for traditional real estate and larger organizations.

However, a steep learning curve and limited control over certain fields and layouts seem definitely to be a thing. 


This article has been reviewed by our editorial team. It has been approved for publication in accordance with our editorial policy.


Tobias Schnellbacher