Why I Trashed 15 Years of Software to Rebuild Property Management with AI

Noble Pilot
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:15:43 GMT
ai, product, opensource, automation

How Unitify Was Born It started with raw sewage on a basement floor. I grew up in a 1930s constructivist apartment complex — an architectural landmark that was supposed to be a model of ideal communal living. By the time I was a teenager, the building was rotting. The sewage system was dumping waste straight onto the earth floor in the basement. The heating was failing. Nobody was doing anything about it. In 2006, my parents decided to form a homeowners association (the local equivalent of an HOA) and started fixing things themselves — new heating systems, renovated common areas, water filtration. It worked. Neighbors from other buildings noticed, and asked for help. Slowly, a tiny management company took shape. By 2009, we were already managing several buildings. It was small-scale and hands-on — I personally answered calls and knew every plumber by first name. But it worked. Because we cared. We answered the phone. We showed residents exactly where their money went. We opened a separ