Forum recap | Generative AI: What’s next for multifamily?

Industry-leading companies Avanti, BH, and Kane are transforming leasing and customer engagement with AI. Here’s what they think the AI-boom means for multifamily.

Avanti Residential, BH, and Kane Realty Corporation—three leading multifamily companies redefining what’s possible with AI—shared how they’re creating better experiences for prospects, residents, and teams.

Renters today expect a white-glove experience—one that delivers personalization, consistency, and, most importantly, fast resolution. As expectations continue to rise, these operators are rethinking how AI can be woven throughout every stage of the renter lifecycle.

Ian Andrews, SVP of Innovation and Data Analytics at Avanti, Kelly Kutach, Chief Marketing Officer at BH, and Sarah Allwardt, Director of Marketing and Resident Experience at Kane Realty shared how they’re using AI, where they see the biggest opportunities, and how to empower people with technology.

Avanti: Supercharging strategic thinking with AI

Avanti Residential is a Denver-based, vertically integrated owner-operator with approximately 10,000 units, that has implemented AI strategies with creativity (and agility), securing company-wide buy-in not only to leverage AI within the renter and resident journey, but for internal operations as well.
Ian Andrews, SVP of Innovation and Data Analytics, sees AI as a strategic co-pilot within the organization.

“We see AI very much as [a way to handle] those repetitive tasks that are done on a day-to-day basis by getting AI to jump in, and letting each person focus on their core strength and those value-added activities,” Andrews said.

Avanti also leverages AI to analyze marketing and operations data available through the Funnel CRM to create models that act as a sounding board for decisions and marketing strategies. This approach enables smarter, faster strategic pivots based on real-time, customized insights.

“I think really utilizing AI to be that thought partner and that sounding board is incredibly powerful. And then if you’re able to put your own data into the mix [with Funnel], it really takes it to the next level.”

“The customization side of AI is…not just for the renter side—although that part is incredibly important—but we’re able to [personalize it] for our own team and employees to create much more efficient learning experiences and career pathing,” Andrews said.

Getting buy-in to gather that data though? Not always easy. But with the help of gamification, Andrews is turning performance metrics into a motivator. Avanti introduced AI-driven leaderboards, awards, and badges—turning performance metrics into a motivator, not a morale-killer. After centralizing their operations, the Avanti team adjusted their KPIs to align with the newly created specialized roles.

“We have a ton of different KPIs, and that can be a little daunting for the team. So we’ve really tried to create a platform where we have some fun built into it,” Andrews said. “Whether that’s leaderboards, or awards and badges that are associated with different metrics and different achievements, it’s really about being able to recognize everyone for what they’re doing well. We’re able to utilize AI to do that much more efficiently.”

That same investment in AI is also transforming how Avanti engages with prospects. Through the first quarter of 2025, 40% of all communications were handled by Funnel AI—standardizing responses, capturing after-hours leads (which make up 62% of total volume), and delivering a consistent, on-brand experience across the portfolio.

But it’s not just capturing prospects after-hours. Avanti has found that a prospect is 29% more likely to attend their tour if it was scheduled using AI compared to tours scheduled through a human agent.

“We can really create this tailored experience that’s just so much greater than what we’ve been able to do in the past by leveraging AI to harness that data set, creating this entire customized experience for everyone along the journey,” Andrews said. 

What’s next for Avanti?

Looking ahead, Avanti will continue to set the tone for using AI to personalize the customer and employee experience. Andrews emphasized that the next evolution of AI in multifamily isn’t faster service—it’s about a tailored experience at scale.

“AI has the power to harness this massive data set that we have on each of our renters and employees, and create this tailored experience that’s just so much greater than what we’ve been able to do in the past,” Andrews said.

BH: Maintaining the “Mint Experience” with AI

BH operates a national portfolio of more than 107,000 units across 42 states, with a mix of owner-operated assets and third-party managed communities. As Chief Marketing Officer at BH, Kelly Kutach leverages AI to enhance BH’s “Mint Experience” an initiative aimed at creating the ultimate customer experience.

“There are two things that consumers have in their expectations today: immediacy and instant gratification. And depending on which source you consult, anywhere from 74-90% of buyers make a purchase decision based on experience,” Kutach said. “Why that matters is how we get to the Mint Experience. So if you think about your on-site teams every single day, it’s the volume, it’s the immediacy, it’s the instant gratification that our renters are coming to us with. When we started to think about the Mint Experience, [we asked ourselves] how do we combine our the right tech stack, our processes, and people to build an experience that is supremely focused on our residents?”

“Depending on which source you consult, anywhere from 74-90% of buyers make a purchase decision based on experience.” — Kelly Kutach Chief Marketing Officer, BH

To meet today’s demands for immediacy and seamless service, AI is embedded throughout the BH renter journey as an invisible extension of the team. A key part of that strategy is ensuring seamless transitions between AI and human agents, so the experience never feels disjointed.

At BH, every property rollout includes the expectation that AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a teammate. The AI-powered leasing assistant is introduced as part of the BH contact center, with a strong emphasis on seamless collaboration between AI, on-site, and centralized teams to maintain a consistent.

At BH, every property rollout includes the expectation that AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a teammate.

And the results speak for themselves. BH unlocked significant gains in just a few months, including a 59% increase in leads managed and a 113% rise in appointments compared to Q3 2024.

For BH, delivering a high-quality customer experience means eliminating friction at every step—and Funnel Voice AI plays a critical role in making that possible. By automatically updating guest cards with call summaries and key details, leasing agents always have the context they need. That means prospects never have to repeat themselves, teams don’t need to manually update guestcards after a call, and other team members can pick up right where the last conversation left off. 

But while technology lays the foundation, Kutach emphasized that real differentiation happens in the details.

“We’ve all had that frustrating customer service call—where you give your name, then repeat it again, and again. That doesn’t feel good as a customer,” she said. “When it comes down to deciding whether to rent here or not, it’s those small but meaningful moments that make all the difference.”

Funnel Voice AI has already made over 73,000 updates to BH guest cards this year alone, helping BH deliver a more seamless experience for every prospect and resident. 

What’s next for BH?

Kutach sees the future of AI in multifamily as an inflection point—one that finally closes the gap between what renters expect and what operators deliver. For an industry that’s often lagged behind others in tech adoption, she believes that moment is now.

“This is the moment that we are not going to be behind,” Kutach said. “I’m excited to see AI enabling those people moments—giving our teams the tools that let them create the experiences that really matter.”

Kane Realty: Using AI (and emojis) to enhance the resident experience

Kane Realty manages a portfolio of roughly 6,000 units, split evenly between owner-operated assets and third-party-managed communities, focused in the Raleigh, N.C. area.

Sarah Allwardt, Director of Marketing and Resident Experience at Kane Realty agrees with BH’s method of creating an exceptional experience for residents and prospects.

“I truly believe that the resident experience is the last true differentiator between what sets our communities apart from the ones down the street. There is so much new product hitting the market. Everyone’s got the latest and greatest amenities. Everyone’s got brand-new apartments. They’re all in these amazing locations,” Allwardt said. “So for us, it comes down to the [resident] experience at our communities. And the only way to be sure that we’re delivering upon those promises and exceeding our residents’ expectations is to ask them to get continual feedback from them throughout their time with us.”

Using an AI-driven text platform, Kane checks in with residents at various points—not just at move-in, renewal, or maintenance—but throughout the lifecycle. A simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down emoji triggers deeper follow-up, creating a two-way feedback loop that’s scalable and actionable.

“In addition to all of these one-on-one conversations that the AI is having with the residents, it’s collecting all of the insights and the data and providing them to our teams,” Alwardt said. “It’s really easy for our teams to get bogged down by the loudest voices in the room. So this really allows us to spend our time working towards improvements that impact the larger resident experience.”

“It’s really easy for our teams to get bogged down by the loudest voices in the room. So this really allows us to spend our time working towards improvements that impact the larger resident experience.” — Sarah Allwardt, Director of Marketing and Resident Experience, Kane Realty

This system surfaced the “silent middle”—the 80% of residents who historically didn’t speak up. It also boosted Kane’s online reputation, helped teams focus on the issues that matter to the majority, and enabled a faster, more personalized service recovery process.

This system surfaced the “silent middle”—the 80% of residents who historically didn’t speak up.

“Now we truly do have a holistic picture of the resident experience across our entire resident base to learn what we are doing well and where we can improve,” Allwardt said.

Kane also uses AI to handle tour scheduling—an area where its conversational AI has measurable impact. By guiding prospects naturally through the leasing journey, the AI doesn’t just answer questions; it anticipates the next best one to ask, keeping the momentum going and nudging prospects toward the next step.

“AI is great at answering questions, but it also understands the next best question to ask to really keep that conversation going and  nudge the customer towards the action we want them to take… and the numbers really speak for themselves.” Allwardt said. 

This year Kane has seen a 46% lead-to-tour conversion rate for prospects nurtured by AI—more than double the 19% rate for those not handled by AI.

Kane associates are also finding ways to integrate AI into their daily messaging workflows. So far this year, 10% of all messages sent from Kane associates utilized Funnel’s GenAI co-pilot message suggestions. Team members save time by leveraging AI message suggestions, but can monitor and edit for nuance and personality as needed. 

“I think our teams are building confidence in AI,” Allwardt said. “The AI is good at coming up with a response that’s appropriate. It’s on brand. It’s well written. It’s saving me time. But also it’s just allowing [them] to be better.’” 

“They also love that they can edit it if they need to, [and] add a little bit of their own personality. We have some big personalities at some of our sites that like to put their little flavor into things, so that’s great to have,” Allwardt added.

What’s next for Kane?

While Kane Realty is already using AI to enhance resident engagement, Allwardt believes some of the biggest AI breakthroughs are still ahead—especially in the often-overlooked world of maintenance operations.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for AI on the maintenance side,” Allwardt said. “Whether it’s triaging emergency service requests, dispatching teams faster, or even training techs on the spot—AI can drive real cost savings and better resident experiences.”

The era of leveraging AI + predictive analytics is here

Funnel introduced Insights, a new tool to help teams leverage AI and unlock more phone call data.

Insights uses AI to record, transcribe, and score your calls, turning the data locked inside into actionable intelligence. With AI call summaries, extracted action items for teams, performance scorecards for managers and leaders, and agent identification through AI voice biometrics, companies can finally understand exactly what’s happening on every call.

It’s real-time, portfolio-wide visibility into what’s working, where to improve, and how to coach teams more effectively. 

This new tool will be available for free to all Funnel CRM customers through the end of the year.

Explore how Funnel’s AI can transform the entire renter journey.

Looking for a standalone AI solution? Learn more about Fenix, the next-generation leasing assistant powered by Sierra.