At MakersHub, we respect other high-quality software providers who prioritize ease of use, deep QuickBooks integrations, and comprehensive–but purpose built–solutions. STRATAFOLIO embodies these traits. We love working with the STRATAFOLIO team not only because of these shared priorities, but because our customer bases demand attention to every detail, because their businesses rely on it. STRATAFOLIO has solved this on the operating side, whereas MakersHub solves it for accounts payable challenges.
Accounts payable (AP) is not the most glamorous part of commercial real estate (CRE) ownership, but it’s certainly one of the most critical. You’re managing multiple properties, multiple QuickBooks company files, dozens (or hundreds) of vendor invoices, and tight budgets – all while trying to keep operations running smoothly. If you’ve ever felt the AP process is more headache than help, you’re not alone. In this post, we’ll discuss some key pain points CRE businesses face with AP management and explore how a solution like MakersHub can turn those headaches into an efficient, streamlined process.
Key AP Pain Points in Commercial Real Estate
Multiple QuickBooks Files
Given the nature of typical CRE management company + subsidiaries structure, managing AP requires constantly and repetitively logging in and out of QuickBooks accounts. This is not only painful, inefficient, and monotonous, but heavily increases the potential for errors and omissions.
High Volume of Bills
CRE operators deal with a high transaction volume of bills, especially when managing multiple properties or projects. Each of these bills has to be properly coded. Manual data entry and processing for each invoice is tedious and error-prone. A high volume of paper or emailed invoices can overwhelm a small accounting team, leading to backlogs and delayed payments. The more properties you own, the more this volume scales up – and a manual process simply can’t keep pace without sacrificing accuracy or speed.
Cash Flow Tracking & Visibility
AP isn’t just about paying bills – it’s about managing cash flow. For a CRE business, it’s crucial to know exactly how much money is leaving and when. Without real-time tracking, you might get unpleasant surprises – like a tighter bank balance than expected because several big invoices hit at once. Many CRE owners struggle to get a clear, up-to-date view of outstanding payables and project expenses in one place. This lack of visibility can make it hard to forecast cash needs or measure the true cost of running each property.
Staying Compliant & Preventing Fraud
Good compliance hygiene requires strict and traceable enforcement of internal approval policies (ensuring every bill and payment is reviewed and approved properly). Manually shuffling invoices and email approvals makes it easy to lose track of paperwork, approval history, or required vendor documents. It also exposes the business to the potential of fraud & honest, but costly mistakes, like duplicative payment.
Vendor Management
Keeping track of numerous vendors – from maintenance contractors to utility providers – is tough. Each vendor has different billing terms, contacts, and documentation. Without a good system, important vendor invoices or communications can slip through the cracks. This can strain relationships if payments are late or details are missed.
A Better Way: How MakersHub Solves Accounts Payable Challenges in CRE
MakersHub is an accounts payable automation platform built for CRE businesses with complex operations and high bill volumes. It’s designed to streamline the entire AP workflow, from capturing a bill, performing detailed data extraction and automated coding to multi-party approvals, payment, and syncing all these records in your accounting system.
Deep Accounting Integration
One of the toughest parts of AP is making sure everything in your AP system matches the books. MakersHub tackles this with deep, two-way integration into your accounting file. Every bill captured in MakersHub is synced to your QuickBooks with the correct coding, and any updates flow back and forth automatically. The result is always up-to-date records, across multiple files, without double entry or end-of-month reconciliation nightmares. This tight integration means you have a single source of truth: no more spreadsheets for tracking payments on the side, and no more worrying that the ledger in your property management system doesn’t match the one in accounting. It also enforces consistency and compliance. With all data centralized, it’s easier to implement approval rules and ensure every payment is properly authorized before it hits your general ledger.
Centralized AP Inbox Linked to MULTIPLE QuickBooks Files
MakersHub has the unique ability to wrap all of your QuickBooks files under a central MakersHub master inbox. Bills can be reviewed and directed to the appropriate QuickBooks account without your needing to login/logout.
Automated Bill Processing
MakersHub uses advanced technology – AI computer vision – to automatically ingest and process bills. Instead of your team manually entering invoice data, the system captures details from bills (whether they arrive as PDFs, emails, or paper scans) and converts them into structured data. This not only saves time, but also drastically reduces human error. High volumes of invoices become much more manageable when data entry is instant and accurate. Your team can review exceptions rather than type in every line item. In short, fewer paper piles and keystrokes, faster approvals. MarkersHun can adapt to your workflow and learn from each invoice. It automates bill processing and ensures that your AP process stays efficient and error-free even as you grow.
AI-Powered Cost Tracking & Visibility
Remember the struggle of tracking cash flow and project costs? MakersHub provides real-time insight into your payables so you always know where your money is going. The platform’s AI-powered cost tracking links every invoice line item to the right property, project, or expense category.
For a CRE owner, that means you can see exactly how much you spent on that office park’s renovation or last month’s maintenance across your portfolio – without sorting through piles of invoices. By organizing bills by vendor, project, and GL code automatically, MakersHub gives you a live dashboard of your spending.
This level of visibility helps prevent unexpected cash flow surprises; you can forecast needs and spot budget issues early. Moreover, having all this information structured and accessible contributes to compliance peace of mind. When every bill is tracked and categorized, you’re always prepared for an audit or a financial.
Smoother Approvals & Collaboration
MakersHub’s focus on the full Accounts Payable workflow means it also supports features like configurable approval workflows and automated vendor communication. These further alleviate vendor management pains and ensure control. For instance, you can set up multi-level approvals for significant expenses or have the system automatically notify a property manager when a new bill for their site comes in. The platform essentially acts as an AP co-pilot – doing the heavy lifting of data entry and tracking while giving you the controls and insights to make smart decisions. By eliminating manual inefficiencies and providing real-time visibility into project costs and cash flow. MakersHub helps CRE finance teams process bills faster, reduce errors, and keep spending in check.
If you’re looking to learn how to create a journal entry in QuickBooks Online, here’s a step-by-step guide, complete with visuals, for commercial real estate management.
Take Back Control – Today.
Managing accounts payable for a growing real estate portfolio doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. The challenges of multiple QuickBooks files, vendor juggling, and invoice overload. Cash flow uncertainty and approval hurdles can all be addressed with the right tool. MakersHub is designed to take those burdens off your plate and turn AP into a smooth, transparent process.
If these challenges sound all too familiar, it might be time to explore. Learn how MakersHub can make a difference for your business. Don’t let AP bottlenecks hold you back. Instead, let technology streamline the workflow and give you better control over your finances.
To request a free trial or more information, please visit MakersHub to get started.
