At AvidXchange, we regularly ask new customers what led them to move away from their previous payment processes. Across 367 phone calls this past year with real estate finance leaders, property management teams, controllers, and AP professionals, we noticed a few common problems that came up in conversation again and again.
Many organizations told us the biggest headaches didn’t show up in the demo. Instead, the issues became more visible over time: month-end close became more manual, suppliers called asking about payment status, and customer service took longer than they expected.
Below are six of the most common reasons real estate companies said they ultimately chose AvidXchange for AP automation.
1. Banking Reconciliation Became Too Manual
One of the biggest reasons why real estate finance teams switched to AvidXchange was because their previous AP automation platform still left them doing significant manual work during month-end close.
These organizations said their previous provider automated the payment itself. But instead of making month-end close easier, controllers and AP teams were spending too much time tracing payments back to invoices, answering internal payment questions, and piecing together audit trails.
Why does banking reconciliation matter in real estate AP?
In multi-entity environments, finance teams may be managing invoices for maintenance technicians, utilities, landscaping providers, repairs, and services across dozens or hundreds of properties simultaneously.
Some payment platforms issue lump-sum disbursements that combine multiple invoices into a single payment with limited remittance detail. While this may simplify payment execution on the surface, it can create additional manual work downstream. Especially as teams spent significant time researching which invoices were included in each payment.
How does AvidXchange help simplify reconciliation?
Finance teams told us they wanted cleaner, more transparent payment reporting that reduced manual research.
AvidXchange supports reconciliation with:
- line-level payment visibility
- detailed remittance information
- clean posting into enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems
- clear audit trails across properties, entities, and managers
These capabilities help accounting teams reconcile payments faster, reduce manual work, and improve visibility during month-end close.
2. Payment Visibility and Timing Were Difficult to Track
Another consistent theme across customer conversations was payment transparency.
In some of our competitors’ payment workflows, our customers said payments appeared to be “processing” for extended periods without any insight into when funds would be disbursed. This lack of transparency created confusion for finance teams and their suppliers.
Why does payment visibility matter in property management?
In some payment workflows, suppliers had little visibility into whether a payment was scheduled, processing, or delivered. And when suppliers can’t easily track payment status themselves, they call your team to ask for an update. Your team then has to stop everything they’re doing to track down an answer, or else they could hurt the relationship with that supplier.
Several organizations said they wanted suppliers to have direct access to payment status and remittance information instead of relying on accounting teams for updates every time a question came up.
How does AvidXchange improve payment transparency for real estate teams?
AvidXchange offers clear, predictable disbursement timelines and transparent payment status tracking. With AvidXchange, both finance teams and suppliers can access this information directly through a supplier hub, where payment status, remittance details, and expected delivery timing are readily available.
This level of visibility helps maintain supplier trust while providing the financial visibility leadership teams expect.
3.Customer Support Took Too Long
Support quality came up consistently in conversations with real estate finance teams evaluating new AP automation providers. Some providers rely primarily on generic support portals or ticketing systems to resolve issues, our customers said. So when something urgent happened, AP teams struggled to reach someone who could help resolve the issue in real time.
And in some cases, support also incurred additional costs when issues required more hands-on assistance.
What happens when you can’t reach your AP automation provider?
In real estate, payment questions often need quick answers. For example, imagine a supplier saying they haven’t received payment. The property manager needs an update before approving more work. Your accounting team is trying to track down the answer, but they can’t get a direct phone number to customer support with their payment automation provider.
When support depends heavily on ticket portals or generic queues, it’s hard to reach someone who can help resolve your issues. And when suppliers keep calling with questions you can’t answer, it hurts your reputation with them.
How does AvidXchange support real estate finance teams?
With AvidXchange, customers can reach support by phone, email, or live chat. No matter how they contact us, the goal is to provide a resolution within 48 hours. If an issue requires additional research, customers receive status updates every three days until it is resolved.
Just as importantly, requests are routed to specialists based on the issue. Whether a question involves supplier payments, customer account support, or a specific product or technical issue, customers are connected with teams that focus on that area every day.
And with AvidXchange, support is unlimited. AvidXchange doesn’t charge extra for cases that require more hands-on support.
4. Supplier Enrollment Added Work To Their Team
Electronic payment (ePayment) adoption is a key part of payment modernization. However, supplier onboarding and communication can become a major lift if it is managed entirely by your internal team.
Why would you want to outsource supplier enrollment?
Several real estate finance teams told us they underestimated how much work their AP staff spent on supplier enrollment. What sounds like a one-time task turns into ongoing operational work as you add new suppliers and update payment preferences.
For real estate companies managing hundreds or thousands of suppliers across properties, it becomes significant work, especially if you work with smaller, local suppliers who rely heavily on checks or need more hands-on communication.
Initially, some people like the idea of managing supplier communication themselves because they wanted direct control over relationships with the people who keep their properties running. But over time, the outreach and follow-up work became difficult to scale. They ultimately preferred working with a provider who already had established supplier relationships, dedicated enrollment teams, and experience managing supplier communication across large vendor networks.
What Is AvidXchange’s Supplier Network?
AvidXchange provides access to an established supplier network of more than 1.5 million suppliers, meaning many real estate organizations have suppliers who already accept ePayments through AvidXchange.
But customers told us the value goes beyond network size. AvidXchange also provides proactive supplier enrollment programs, dedicated supplier support teams, and tools like the Supplier Hub, where vendors can manage payment preferences and access payment information without relying on the customer’s AP team for every question.
5. Their Previous AP Automation Implementation Disrupted Operations
Implementing financial technology across multiple properties can be complex, particularly when systems must integrate with existing accounting and property management platforms.
Some payment automation implementations involve long timelines, unclear rollout plans, or heavy reliance on internal technical resources. In multi-property environments, these challenges can slow adoption and delay the return on investment organizations expect from automation.
How long does AP automation implementation take at AvidXchange?
AvidXchange’s real estate customers reported an average go-live timeline of approximately 30 days. AvidXchange also earned G2 recognition for Fastest Implementation and Most Implementable in the Mid-Market category in Spring 2026.
AvidXchange supports phased implementations designed to minimize operational disruption while integrating with existing accounting and portfolio management systems. The platform can support multiple ERPs simultaneously and adapt as organizations add properties, entities, or new systems over time.
Plus, with a solution like AvidXchange, payment automation is purpose-built from the ground up, not added onto your ERP as a secondary capability. That can translate to more reliable processes and a better experience for both your team and your suppliers.
6. They Didn’t Want Their Payment Automation Locked to One ERP
Several real estate finance teams told us their previous AP workflows worked OK at first but became more limiting as the business grew.
In many cases, organizations were using payment functionality built directly into their ERP or an add-on payment tool tied closely to a single accounting ecosystem. It was meant to create a simpler experience, but it ended up locking them into one ERP system.
What happens when your AP automation is tied to one accounting system?
Real estate companies acquire more properties, expand into new asset classes, merge entities, and sometimes operate multiple accounting systems simultaneously across residential, commercial, or mixed portfolios.
Several customers told us they started running into problems once their organization became more complex. Some wanted the flexibility to change ERPs in the future without replacing their payment automation platform at the same time. Others needed to support multiple accounting systems across different parts of the business but found their payment workflows were too tightly tied to a single ERP environment.
How does AvidXchange support multi-ERP real estate environments?
AvidXchange offers 265+ integrations and can integrate with multiple ERP and property management systems simultaneously. This gives real estate organizations more flexibility as they grow, acquire properties, or expand into new asset classes.
Switch To Avidxchange To Overcome These Common Problems
The problems mentioned in this article aren’t hypotheticals. They’re real scenarios our customers have experienced at other payment platforms before switching to AvidXchange.
AvidXchange’s payment automation platform is built to directly address these challenges. That includes line-level payment detail for easier reconciliation, clear visibility into payment timing and status, a dedicated support model that extends beyond ticketing systems, and a fully managed supplier enrollment experience backed by one of the largest supplier networks in the industry.
Now that you understand common reasons why real estate pros choose AvidXchange for payment automation, the next step is to build a clear business case for payment automation.
Download our eBook to identify operational improvements, cost savings, and efficiency gains that payments modernization can deliver. This will help you communicate its value to leadership and key stakeholders.