The 2025 Top 100 PMs: Early Data Is In

We’re not announcing the Top 100 Property Management Companies until December. But I’ll be blunt - the early data is already painting a very clear picture.

And we’re nowhere near done. Hundreds more PMs will apply and get verified for free in the coming months. If you want to be in the running for the 2025 Top 100, start your verification here.

Here’s what the data is showing so far:

Leasing & Maintenance Speed = Everything

This is the core product. Owners don’t hire you for “great service” or a clever sales pitch. They hire you to lease quickly and handle maintenance fast.

• It’s the #1 reason owners sign with you.
• It’s the #1 reason they leave you.
• If you can’t perform here, nothing else matters.

Reputation Correlates to Operational Performance

We’re seeing a strong correlation between online reputation and operational performance.

• Sure, there are outliers.
• But the PMs who protect and grow their reputation are usually the ones running tight ships behind the scenes.

The Best Property Managers Use the Best Tools

Think about a master builder. You could be the most gifted craftsman alive - but if I take away your saw, your level, your drill, you’re left pounding nails with your bare hands. That’s how most PMs operate. The top firms? They don’t just have the talent - they have the tools, systems, and tech that let them scale consistency, speed, and trust.

Want access to the annual report on what these best tools are? Get verified for free and we'll share it with you.

The big reveal is coming in December. But if this early data is any indication, the Top 100 list will reset how this industry thinks about performance.

---

Get Verified on PropertyManagement.com

---

Announcements & Industry News

Realtor Referrals: The Scalable Growth Engine (Part II)

In Newsletter 10, I broke down why Realtor referrals are about to become the most valuable growth channel in property management. That piece sparked a ton of feedback and conversations - clearly this is top of mind for PMs everywhere.

So I decided to build something.

Meet TrueRent™

I hacked together a prototype on Replit in just a few days (yes, myself). Not to brag - but to prove what’s possible when you stop overthinking and just ship.

→Does it have bugs? Absolutely.

→Is it limited? For now - it only connects to 3 markets with fake PMs as examples.

→But is the potential real? 100%.

Here’s the vision:

• Realtors run a free, accurate rent estimate.
• TrueRent recommends verified local PMs.
• You get high-quality, high-close referrals - not guesswork.

It’s simple. It’s scalable. And it directly solves the “fragmented networks, bad rent estimates, sporadic referrals” problem I laid out a few weeks back .

Why I’m Sharing This Now

Because even as a buggy prototype, it’s sparking ideas. And I want your feedback.

Take a look at TrueRent, kick the tires, and tell me what you think. What works? What’s missing? Where should we take it?

👉 Check out TrueRent™ here.

---

Closing Thoughts

Before you dive back into your day, here’s what’s worth remembering this week:

• The 2025 Top 100 PMs are already showing what separates the best from the rest: leasing speed, maintenance speed, and reputation. Without those, nothing else matters.
• But talent alone isn’t enough. Just like a gifted builder without tools can’t build a house, the next wave of elite PMs are winning because they’re armed with the right systems, data, and tech.
• Referrals remain the scalable growth engine. In Newsletter 10, we broke down the math - 10 to 12 strong Realtor relationships = 120–200+ doors a year. That’s predictable, repeatable growth.
• That’s why we built TrueRent™. It’s a prototype today - buggy, limited to 3 demo markets - but it shows where the industry is heading: structured, data-backed referrals that actually flow.

The big picture?

The next generation of Top 100 PMs won’t wait for the phone to ring. They’ll prove credibility with verification, use tools like TrueRent™ to dominate referral networks, and let their speed and reputation do the selling