Peter Lohmann's Newsletter - Issue #135

I built a CRM with AI in less than an hour. Vibe coding and property management.

Author

Peter Lohmann
March 28, 2025

A no-fluff weekly publication for the property management industry.

I’m playing with “Lovable” to build my own apps using AI

It’s a difficult time to be mid-career (I’m turning 40 this year).

Things are changing so fast with AI right now. If I was near the end of my career, I would probably just ignore it all and ride things out until retirement.

If I was early in my career, I would have so much more free time and energy to be playing with the latest AI tools and apps every day, keeping up with everything and constantly experimenting.

As it is I’m running multiple businesses, have a young family, and rarely get the time I want to mess around with all this new stuff. That said, my June break is coming up—and I’ve never been more excited about stepping away from work.

In the meantime I’m carving out a few hours here and there, mostly inspired by my friends Jon Matzner and Wolfgang Croskey, who do a great job staying current with AI tools and developments.

What Jon showed me how to do last week absolutely blew my mind. We did a livesteam where I built a CRM app in 60 minutes, just by having a conversation with Lovable.

You have to see this:

This experience rewired my brain. The pace at which things are changing in software and business right now is staggering. It makes the introduction of ChatGPT look like a joke. I’m still processing the implications, but wow. Things are going to be wild over the next 1-2 years as we all come to terms with the new reality of “vibe coding” and it’s impact on software development (and valuations).

By the way — we have a dedicated area inside the Crane online community to discuss “All Things AI.” Here’s an example of a recent post which generated a lot of discussion:

My marketing manager at RL Property Management watched the video I posted above, and immediately started playing around with Lovable trying to build a Rent vs Sell calculator (something we’ve wanted on our website for years). He posted in Crane to get some feedback, tweaked it, and yesterday it went live on our site. He has no coding experience. This is insane.

Crane applications re-open in just 6 days! Get on the waitlist to be notified.

Anyway, let me know what you think after watching that video.

THIS ISSUE IS PRESENTED BY UTILITY PROFIT

What was the buzz at NARPM’s big event?

This week I attended the NARPM Broker/Owner event in Colorado Springs. One of my favorite highlights is stopping by vendor booths and learning about new tech. Utility Profit is one vendor I’m continuing to be impressed by.

They launched a new program that gives renters large discounts for high speed internet. Like Costco, Utility Profit is able to buy in bulk, therefore giving your portfolio access to exclusive internet deals. The best part is there’s no messy accounting and zero extra work for you to operate.

Who Owns Property Management Companies?

We’re missing some basic demographic data about our industry (scattered-site residential property management).

I asked around at NARPM’s conference this week, out of curiosity, what percentage of PM companies people think are owned by women.

Answers varied anywhere from 10 to 40%. Let’s take an informal poll of readers!

What is your gender?

If you own a PM company, please vote:

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Thank you! Results shared next week.

New Property Management Companies For Sale This Week

Generously sponsored by Enterprise Bank & Trust's Property Management Banking Team! Join the thousands of PM's who are maximizing compliance and excess revenue just by banking with EB&T!

  • Here is a commercial RE company property management company for sale in Utah (asking $1.5M)

  • Here is a property management company for sale in Palm Springs, CA (asking $299k)

  • Here is a property management company for sale in Olympia, WA (asking $250k)

  • Here is a property management company for sale in Los Angeles, CA (asking $2.4M, 260 homes)

  • Here is a vacation home management company for sale in Vermont (asking $825k, 25 properties)

Industry News & Events

  • Broker/Owner was a blast. Look for my takeaways next week.

  • Last chance to register: On Wednesday, Jordan Muela and I will be sharing new findings from the PM Trends Report survey data. Register here.

  • If you want to see how I think about a new owner / new property process, catch this live workshop on Thursday, where I’m going to build one for a volunteer in real-time with special guest Ben Serven.

Closing Thought

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P.S. Did someone forward you this email?

Stats from last week’s issue:

Valid Recipients: 15,207

Open Rate: 75.1% (wow)

Clickthrough Rate: 4.2%

Most Popular Link (104 clicks): Wisconsin PM Co for sale for $2.1M

The content of this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. I may have consulting agreements with, or financial interests in, companies mentioned in this newsletter. Additionally, some of the links included in this newsletter are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. Always perform your own due diligence before making any financial or business decisions.