REAL ESTATE NEWS

For multifamily, larger property owners are deploying artificial intelligence and technology to address multiple core areas, including improving the customer experience.

This came up for discussion during the panel "The Effective Tech Stack for Multifamily: From Operations to Resident Experience" at CREtech New York 2026. The speakers were Devang Patel, SVP and head of technology at Morgan Properties; Whitney Arcaro, EVP and chief revenue officer of Residential at RXR; Eric Cohen, managing director of development and construction at Kennedy Wilson and Christopher Blackman, chief technology officer of Rose Associates.

Konrad Koczwara, CEO of ElevateOS, moderated the discussion.

Preparation Is Key For Transitions

Having the right technology and AI is key when taking over a building, according to Blackman. Owners need to make sure that transition is smooth to keep customers happy.

"The last thing you want to do is tell a resident is 'oh, the phones aren't working, or the email is no longer working,'" he laid out a hypothetical to the audience. "'Take our resident manager's cell phone number for the next day or 2'; it's just a poor experience."

That's why it's important for Rose to get its operational teams involved early in the transition process and be prepared.

"We have a whole transition scheme that we build and these things are all mapped out," Blackman said.

Also, AI plays a role in inspecting properties and offering feedback.

"The agent is going to say 'hey, did you check, one hour over here and over here.' So that's where we're also leveraging a lot of the technology piece as well," Blackman said.

Performing Maintenance

Also, Arcaro stressed the importance of keeping maintenance up to date in multifamily properties. She used an example of implementing smart home technology.

"If every two years you have to upgrade the technology, or every two years there is hardware that has to be replaced, that becomes an operational nightmare," she warned.

Not only could this harm the residential experience, but it also impacts NOI negatively too, according to Arcaro.

Empowering Employees

The panelists generally shared the view that AI and technology are making us more efficient and productive rather than replacing jobs. Patel, on that point, thinks it's important for employees to leverage and understand how these products work.

Additionally, Morgan Properties wants to use technology to ensure its hundreds of residential properties are stocked appropriately.

This includes "different revenue items" and "food," according to Patel.

"We now have AI that has the ability to basically run through all the weekly documents and compare that data to what's in our CMS," he added.

Many of the panelists actively use AI platforms that are available to the general public to improve their business. For example, Arcaro said she uses ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, while Cohen noted that one of his top AI uses was Copilot as well. Patel uses Enterprise AI and Claude.

The takeaway for investors is not to overlook the customer experience and operational needs. Using AI can help support those necessities.

Source: GlobeSt/ALM