Peter Lohmann's Newsletter - Issue #196

A bunch of new dumbphone options. I just made a New Rule for AI "news".

Author

Peter Lohmann
June 19, 2026

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

Follow-up on “Shunning my iPhone”

Last week I published an article about how I had become addicted to my iPhone and what steps I was taking to reclaim the present moment. It generated a LOT of replies and comments; more than I’ve seen in a long time.

Some of the best comments & resources that readers shared:

Peter,

I’m with you on the phones. You should check dumb.co out!

Jay M.

Peter - awesome authenticity on the phone issue.

I'm dropping the iphone and going to this: https://wisephone.com/

Tim P.

I'm on the same wavelength about ditching the phone as much as possible to be present where I'm physically at. I recommend turning off all your app badge notifications if you haven't already! Squashes the impulse to open apps just to clear the red badge.

Bryce B.

Good ideas on limiting phone usage!  In 2024 I did a 30 day  fast from my smartphone.  I literally switched my phone number to a dumb phone.  It was shockingly difficult!  Not because of my personal life exactly but things like my bank who require authenticator apps.

A couple other pointers that have worked for me.  My personal cell phone is ONLY for personal use.  I use VOIP for my company stuff and I only access that as needed.  I use boomerang to pause my inbox and NO EMAILS go to my phone.  While it may sound weird one of my goals in life, at some point, is to have a life simple enough that I can only carry a dumb phone lol!

Daniel M

Other “give me back my focus” resources:

  • Just a couple days ago, Commodore (like, the Commodore 64 brand) announced a flip-phone that blocks social media and browers.

  • A few weeks ago Jon Matzner wrote about his fully-analog morning brief, which he picks up off the printer and takes with him into the front yard to read over a cup of coffee (just San Diego things).

  • This guy gave his 6-year-old an iPhone (it’s not what you think; check it out I love this).

Keep the suggestions coming!

THIS ISSUE PRESENTED BY COLUMN

The PM Trends 2026 Report is clear: property owners expect their PM company to be a financial partner. Real-time reporting, faster payments, proactive financial management.

Column is the bank built for that future.

Open APIs for the AI era. Reconciliation that runs continuously. Disbursements that move in seconds. Trust account structures designed to keep you compliant.

And behind all of it, a banking team that deeply understands PM operators and what it takes to scale a portfolio.

Your owners expect a financial partner. Column is how you become one.

Until you manage time, you can't manage anything else.

Most business owners I talk to can go on for hours about how they run their company. What they CAN’T do is take a random Thursday off. In this episode of Lazy Leverage, Jon and I make the case that time is the first system, and until you get control of it, everything else will struggle to fall into place.

We get into why saying “NO” gets harder the more successful you become, why a great time system is measured by the white space it creates, and how AI makes all of this simultaneously better and worse.

Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Property Management Companies For Sale This Week

  • 40-year HOA and condo management company in Broward County, FL (asking $275k)

  • This Washington, DC association management company is still available (asking price not disclosed, 1,691 units across 32 communities, $1.39M gross revenue)

  • Large-scale HOA and residential PM operation in Coral Springs, FL (asking $300k, 1,000 doors under management)

  • Fast-growing STR management company in Utah (asking $750k, ~$1.28M annual revenue

Industry News & Events

New Rule for This Publication Regarding AI “News”

In the rush to get press and position themselves as the leader in their category, dozens of vendors are publishing press releases about AI features that lack pricing and availability details. But without that information, it doesn’t even rise to the level of news. Every company in the world is releasing AI features soon, at some price. The fact that your company is also doing this, does not constitute news.

Effective immediately, I will not be covering any AI announcements by any vendor/company that doesn’t include BOTH:

  1. Availability details (when can we get it?)

  2. Pricing details (how much will it cost or what tier of service is it attached to?)

Examples of recent press releases without this information:

Example of how to do this correctly:

  • RentManager (Orion AI with details on what’s available now and pricing: “Tools powered by Orion AI are only available to Rent Manager Plus and Premium users.”)

In order to keep this newsletter high-value and high-signal, I will no longer be publishing information about future AI releases without those two pieces of information.

Please ensure your press releases include these basic details (or provide that info to me on the record) and I will GLADLY cover them! -Peter

Closing Thought

A few quick things before you go…

🤖 PeterBot Question of the Week

NEW: Register for a Delphi account (free) for unlimited chats/minutes with me, plus it saves your conversation history so you can pick back up where you left off.

If you have any pressing PM questions, chat with PeterBot, my AI clone (try the audio). It’s trained on almost everything I’ve ever written or said, and can help you talk through your most challenging PM questions and problems.

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.