If you’re trying to get better at AI tools like ChatGPT, you’ve probably already seen your share of explanations, descriptions, definitions and guides on the importance of artificial intelligence (AI). However, we’ve noticed that it’s easy to find information about how important AI tools are to learn and use, but it’s hard to find much about actually using them.
Let’s skip the technical stuff and get to the actionable advice.
If you put the tips in this article into action, you will use AI tools to draft emails, letters, social media posts and listing descriptions better than 99% of property managers. In fact, you’ll probably use it better than anyone you know!
Where to use AI in property management
The great thing about AI is that if you can use it for one application, you can use it for many. The tips and “hacks” we’re going to cover will help you make better, faster:
- Tenant communications
- Website content
- Property listings
- Email marketing
- Social media
- Blog articles
- Anything else you need to write
1. Don’t ask AI to do too much at once
Give AI tools one prompt at a time rather than one big assignment. If you want attention to detail, accuracy and quality, understand that generative AI is powerful, but the more you give it to do at once, the more it will summarize and generalize.
Coders and developers build websites one line of code at a time. Likewise, think of yourself as a “word programmer.” For example, if you want to write a blog article about your properties or neighborhood, first come up with an outline. In fact, AI can even help you do that!
Feed it one piece of that outline at a time. Once you see what it’s done, you can start giving more specific directions:
- “Write in a more casual, friendly tone to appeal to prospective renters”
- “Add more detail about surrounding shops in my area”
- Shorten this by 50 words
It might take a few times to get it right, and that’s where the next section can help.
2. Create GPTs to complete repetitive tasks
Ever wonder how ChatGPT got its name? GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. In simple terms, this is a program that creates human-like text. So, you are chatting with artificially human language.
ChatGPT allows you to create your own GPTs with specified rules and behaviors. Think of them as shortcuts to creating similar types of content.
This way, instead of chatting with the system, you can go straight to typing or copy/pasting the content you want it to work on. Because you set it up to expect this content, it will get straight to work. You might have one GPT for email newsletters, one for blog articles, one for social posts, etc.
Note that you can only create your own GPTs using the paid version of ChatGPT.
How to create your own GPTs
Step 1: Name it
Step 2: Write a description of what you want this GPT to do. This is the most important part. Be as specific as possible and add to it over time.
Example: Let’s say you have a GPT called “Romance Paragraph Writer.” You’re going to tell it how long it should be, what words to avoid, things that must be mentioned and anything else you can think of. You might even provide a link so it can study your website, learn your brand and imitate your voice. The more you use it, and the more you offer suggestions and update the description, the better it will be.
Provide examples of the content you want it to make. For instance, use one or two of your best romance paragraphs as samples for it to copy. If it starts to copy them too much, add a note to the description: “Do not copy or imitate the samples given. Use them as inspiration only. All paragraphs should be unique.”
3. Know how to break the cycle of bad responses
Sometimes, AI will get stuck in a loop, and it can be hard to break the cycle. This might happen when you ask it to make a correction, and while it thinks it made a change, it’s actually just doing the same thing over and over.
It’s very annoying to see a “smart” tool say, “I understand,” but continue to demonstrate the opposite of understanding.
Here are some easy ways to course correct without starting over with a new prompt.
- Go back to the last successful response it gave you and tell it why that response was good.
- Copy and paste the prompt you gave it into a new thread. Starting a new thread in your GPT might break the loop.
- Tell the system it’s doing a bad job. Scold it. We’ll get into this more and why it works in a later section.
At times, a prompt will simply break, especially if you’ve been making revisions for a while. You might get an error message every time you enter a prompt. There’s nothing you can do in these cases but start a new thread from where you left off.
4. Don’t create more content just because you can
An AI chatbot is nothing but a fancy hammer. In other words, it’s a powerful tool, but like any tool, it’s only as effective as the person using it.
The better you are at using it as a tool, the more you’ll get from it. However, just because this tool makes it easier to create more content does not mean there is a demand for more content. To get better, use AI to create targeted, high-quality content. Avoid any urge to generate dozens of blog articles that are rapidly copy/pasted. Sure, you could do 100 posts a day this way, but that’s not going to help your SEO, and it certainly won’t help build trust with owners, investors, tenants and prospects.
5. Have backup plans
There are two backup plans you need to have when using AI.
One, there should be at least one person on your team who knows how to use this tool. If you’re one of those people, you’ll always be able to train new team members. When someone is out of office for an extended period of time, who will take over AI duties? The more dependent your processes are on AI, the more critical it is to have multiple people who can use it.
Two, if AI tools were to disappear overnight, would you be so reliant on them that you couldn’t create new content? Make sure you have a plan in the event your AI platform is unavailable. This could mean having knowledge of multiple AI platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Microsoft CoPilot, Claude). Of course, you still need processes in place that don’t require the use of AI.
AI works best when it enhances what you already do well. In the event one or more AI systems go dark, your skills and knowledge should be enough to see you through. After all, most of us have been working for much longer than AI has been around.
6. Be blunt when you talk to bots
This next tip is great for dealing with AI and not so great for dealing with real humans. Don’t hesitate to be blunt (and maybe a touch heartless) with AI when it’s doing a bad job. In fact, blunt language helps.
If the AI seems caught in a loop, firm language can help it reset and take more time doing what you asked. For example, it’s common for ChatGPT to repeat the same mistake that you’re asking it to change.
If pointing out the error isn’t working, you can try a little calculated frustration: “No. This is absolutely incorrect. It doesn’t seem like you’re listening to my requests at all.”
Here’s why this works.
You don’t have any insight into the “thought” process behind the AI’s output. This makes it difficult to pinpoint why it keeps making the same errors. When you strongly express frustration, you can “trick” the system into reanalyzing your prompt.
Believe it or not, this often resolves the problem you’re having. The AI will absorb your tone and language and realize it’s really missing the mark. Sometimes, it will produce a shortened version of what you asked for and inquire if it’s on the right track. It might also produce two samples and ask you to pick the one that best suits your needs.
Once it fixes the issue, you can even go a step further by asking it to identify why it kept making the same mistake. This can help you refine your approach in the future.
7. Ask the AI to explain itself
Not sure where the AI is getting its facts, opinions or ideas? Ask it to cite its sources. This helps you point out errors or inconsistencies, which it may be able to clean up. You’ll be able to click on these links and verify the source material for yourself. You’re essentially asking it to show its work.
Some people don’t know that some AI chatbots can now search the internet. The latest iterations, while imperfect in many ways, are less prone to “hallucinating” false facts and ideas than they were a few years ago.
However, if you ask the AI to do a lot without giving it sources to draw from, or requiring it to show its sources, you increase the risk that it spits out false information.
8. Strive for originality
AI has a tendency to do certain things the same way every time. Sometimes, you can ask it to change up its patterns. This is easier when you know what to look for. Keep an eye out for the following:
Cliché opening & concluding paragraphs (blog articles)
Look out for those “In today’s fast-paced world of property management” opening lines, among other clichés. They’re like big red flags that say, “This article was written by a robot.” Everything you do should appear as if it were written by a human.
Likewise, look out for conclusions that use cliches such as “in conclusion, “all in all,” or “in summary.”
Repetitive summary paragraphs at the end of a section (blog articles)
If you’ve used ChatGPT, you may have noticed its tendency to summarize or repeat what it already said. This can result in back-to-back paragraphs looking nearly the same.
One trick you can use: Ask your preferred AI tool to review the content it’s given you and ask it to point out any repetitive areas.
Repetitive formatting (all content)
AI tools tend to be pretty consistent with how they format responses. For example, ChatGPT will use title case for all headlines (e.g., Title Case Might Look a Lot Like This). If you don’t want this, you will have to tell it what you want.
It will also tend to put a bold word or phrase by bullet points, followed by an explanation:
- Example: This how ChatGPT will format a lot of your content. Keep an eye out and decide if you like this formatting. You might like it sometimes, but you might not always like the exact same structure. Keep in mind, this is what other property managers’ AI-assisted content will look like as well. This risks everyone’s content looking very much the same.
Emojis (emails & social media)
For some reason, AI likes to use and abuse too many emojis. If you tell it to create a social media post, be prepared for emoji overload.
Here’s a real example ChatGPT gave us when we told it to write a social media post for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. Even if you like to use a lot of emojis, if you copy-pasted the below message, people are going to know you put minimal effort into your post. That’s not a good reflection of your brand.
Sample social media post with too many emojis!
🏡 Your perfect 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment is waiting! 🛋️✨
Step into spacious living with modern amenities and thoughtful design. This beautiful home features:
✅ 2 large bedrooms with ample closet space
✅ 2 full bathrooms for added convenience
✅ Open-concept living & dining area, perfect for entertaining
✅ Updated kitchen with stainless steel appliances and plenty of storage
✅ Private balcony or patio to relax and unwind
Located in [Community/Neighborhood Name], you’ll enjoy easy access to [list local highlights like parks, shopping, or restaurants].
📞 Schedule a tour today! Call us at [phone number] or visit [website link] for more details.
🏠 Make this your new home today – it won’t last long!
9. Learn through play
Play around with AI and get silly with it. You can learn a lot by having fun. Lion cubs learn to hunt (i.e., survive) by play hunting with their siblings. There’s a lot of value in playfulness and simply taking the pressure out of using the software. You’ll learn a lot by play prompting. Ask it to rewrite a listing in the voice of your favorite author or movie character. You just might get some unexpected inspiration from the fun.
10. Generate different responses from one prompt
Here is a sample prompt we gave ChatGPT, its output and prompts you might add to improve the AI content.
Sample prompt: Write a property listing for a two-bedroom apartment in Chicago. Amenities include all-new appliances, a fully renovated bathroom, a 24-hour on-site gym with weights and machines and an option for flexible rent.
Output
Modern 2-Bedroom Apartment in Chicago with Premium Amenities
Discover your ideal home in the heart of Chicago with this stunning two-bedroom apartment, designed for comfort and convenience. This spacious unit features all-new appliances, a fully renovated bathroom with modern fixtures, and the perfect blend of style and functionality.
Located in a vibrant Chicago neighborhood, this apartment offers easy access to shopping, dining, and public transportation. Whether you’re looking for a quiet retreat or a lively urban lifestyle, this property has it all. Schedule a tour today and experience modern living at its best! Flexible rent options available for qualified applicants.
Prompts you might add
- If you’re using Chat GPT, create a GPT that includes a “perfect” example of a listing, which the AI can use as a reference point
- Input details about your property or a link to your website
- Ask it to make the listing longer or shorter, or to focus on other details
- Comment on any grammatical changes, such as serial commas, that you want it to use or avoid using
- Don’t like the word vibrant? Let it know what you consider to be overused or cliché
11. Get to know the extended family of AI writing tools
There are many AI writing tools to consider beyond ChatGPT, including Claude AI, Anyword, Merlin, Perplexity, Insider and Microsoft Copilot. ChatGPT just happens to be the first among many to make waves, and the one most people are familiar with — so we focused on it a bit more heavily in this article.
Most AI tools offer paid versions, which tend to be about $20 per month. With that upgrade, you get a smarter, faster, more intuitive AI. It might be worth experimenting with paid versions for a month to see if it’s worth it for your property management business.
Disclaimer
We hope you enjoyed this post, which is for general information purposes only. The opinions, analysis and commentary expressed are not and cannot be relied on as legal advice, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Yardi Breeze, Yardi Systems, Inc. or any of its affiliates.
