The Total Economic Impact™ Of Greystar National Accounts Procurement

Repairs, Maintenance, And Utility Services Savings

Evidence and data. Owners described pricing advantages on appliances, routine maintenance items, utility-related products, and other operating purchases. One owner estimated appliance savings of $50 to $200 per item. Another cited approximate annual, per unit repair and maintenance expenses of $463 and utility expenses of $1,583. Waste management provided a further example of savings: Greystar evaluated properties for monitoring and service changes, while supplier evidence identified negotiated pricing, eliminated surcharges, and optimization opportunities. Supplier interviews also described dedicated support, catalog standardization, installation services, and prioritized fulfillment.

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews and survey, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The community incurs $1,900 per unit annually in addressable spending.

• Greystar suppliers provide a 17.3% incremental discount relative to a typical national property management firm.

• The owner routes most standard spend through contracted suppliers.

Risks. The scale of this benefit may vary by organization based on:

• The amount and mix of addressable spend by property class, geography, age, amenities, and utility configuration.

• The difference between Greystar pricing and the owner’s previous contracts.

• The percentage of purchases routed through preferred suppliers and standard catalogs.

• Regional supplier coverage, product availability, and owner-specific contract terms.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 10%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $220,706.

Marketing, Technology, And Digital Services Savings

Evidence and data. Owners said Greystar’s negotiated technology stack, supplier relationships, and portfolio standards reduced direct costs and simplified deployment. One owner reported approximately $12,000 in annual technology savings. Suppliers described preferred national pricing, dedicated service teams, faster implementation support, and Greystar influence on product development and integration priorities.

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews and survey, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The community spends $650 per unit annually on addressable marketing, technology, and digital services.

• Greystar suppliers provide a 19.4% incremental discount relative to a typical national property management firm.

• The model quantifies direct purchase savings only; revenue, productivity, and reputational outcomes are not added here.

Risks. The scale of this benefit may vary by organization based on:

• The property’s technology stack, marketing strategy, and existing contract pricing.

• The portion of services covered by national agreements.

• Local market conditions and the owner’s adoption of preferred products.

• Potential overlap with broader Greystar marketing capabilities.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 10%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $84,670.

Renovation Savings

Evidence and data. Owners reported full renovation costs ranging from approximately $12,000 to $30,000 per unit, including one example that was near $18,000. Suppliers said Greystar negotiated best-in-class pricing for capital projects, often extending contracted pricing to contractors. The interviews also showed that owners were moderating renovation scope and volume when limited rent growth reduced the expected return on upgrades.

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews and survey, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The composite uses an $18,000 average renovation cost per unit.

• The composite renovates 5% of units, or 15 units, annually. This reflects a conservative midpoint between current interview evidence that is below 3% and more typical historical rates.

• Greystar suppliers provide an 18.2% incremental discount on applicable capital-project purchases relative to a typical national property management firm.

Risks. The scale of this benefit may vary by organization based on:

• The owner’s renovation strategy, property condition, and expected rent premium.

• The portion of project spend covered by national supplier agreements.

• Contractor compliance with Greystar pricing and reporting.

• Project scope, labor mix, region, and product selection.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $103,873.

Shortened Vacancy Period Savings

Evidence and data. Owners credited Greystar’s National Accounts Procurement, supplier relationships, product availability, technology, and portfolio support with helping teams maintain occupancy and execute unit readiness. One owner reported approximately 94% occupancy and said its Greystar-managed portfolio entered the leasing season ahead of many peers. Supplier evidence described next-day or accelerated fulfillment, stocked standard products, dedicated escalation paths, and prioritized service. The owner evidence also included a Google rating improvement from 3.9 to 4.1, which an interviewee associated with greater prospect interest and quicker turnover.

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews and survey, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• National Accounts Procurement and supplier support contribute to a 0.5% occupancy improvement, equal to approximately 548 additional occupied unit days per year.

• A 15% risk adjustment reflects that occupancy is also affected by pricing, market supply, property quality, marketing, and broader property management practices.

Risks. The scale of this benefit may vary by organization based on:

• Local supply, concessions, rent levels, seasonality, and household formation.

• The property’s starting occupancy, reputation, condition, and leasing execution.

• The relative contribution of suppliers versus broader Greystar management and marketing capabilities.

• The speed and consistency of unit turn products and services in each market.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $76,167.

Unquantified Benefits

Benefits that provide value for the composite organization but are not quantified for this study include:

• Best available customer service and support. Among the 41 supplier respondents who answered a survey question related to customer service, 68% said Greystar clients receive better service than all their other multifamily buyers, and 24% said the service is the best, available to very few of their other buyers. Together, 93% (rounded up) placed Greystar clients in the two most advantageous response categories. The survey and interviews indicate that Greystar communities receive a differentiated support model. Suppliers described dedicated property-level representatives, regional account executives, national relationship leaders, implementation teams, and escalation paths. Some suppliers created additional layers of support specifically because Greystar’s scale and operating model required more coordination than a typical national account.
  Supplier survey comments emphasized faster issue resolution, proactive account reviews, training, onboarding support, portfolio reporting, and direct access to specialists rather than standard customer service queues. They said that this support improves the experience of community teams and reduces the operational impact of supplier issues. Faster escalation can prevent a delayed order, incorrect product, billing problem, or implementation issue from consuming staff time or affecting a resident. The composite organization could quantify this benefit by tracking supplier support cases, average resolution time, employee time per case, avoided service credits, and the cost of delays.

• Improved resident experience and property reputation. Owners connected faster work orders, consistent unit readiness, stronger product quality, and responsive supplier service with a better resident experience. One owner reported that their portfolio’s average Google rating increased from 3.9 to 4.1 after a focused Greystar-supported reputation initiative. The owner also heard prospective residents say they visited the property first because of stronger online reviews.
  Suppliers similarly described how faster service, improved product performance, and dedicated support can reduce resident disruption and complaints. For the composite organization, better service and reputation could improve lead conversion, renewals, retention, and pricing power while reducing complaint handling and resident concessions. An owner could quantify this value by connecting review scores, work order completion, resident satisfaction, renewal rates, concessions, and lead-to-lease conversion to net rental revenue.

• Portfolio visibility, reporting, and purchasing governance. Owners said Greystar’s portfolio reporting, account management, and common operating processes reduced fragmentation across properties and markets. Suppliers supported this visibility through spend reporting, account reviews, sustainability data, ordering portals, standardized product lists, and information on service usage. In practice, these resources helped owners identify outliers, monitor adoption, compare performance, and determine whether a property was purchasing outside the preferred catalog. Owners also cited business intelligence, work order analytics, AI, and standardized technology stacks as areas where Greystar’s scale improved consistency and decision-making.
  Suppliers highlighted the importance of onboarding newly acquired properties and contractors to realize the negotiated pricing. The composite organization gains a more consistent view of purchasing and supplier performance, which can improve decisions and reduce administrative effort. The benefit could be quantified through reductions in reporting labor, invoice reconciliation, supplier-management effort, maverick spend, and duplicate products.

• Price protection, contract terms, and budget predictability. Among the 37 supplier respondents who rated purchase terms, payment plans, and benefits, 78% said Greystar clients receive terms better than those offered to all their other multifamily buyers, and 22% said the terms are the best, available to very few of their other buyers. Supplier interviews and survey results show that Greystar’s value extends beyond the initial purchase price. Suppliers described annual price caps, delayed increases, favorable payment terms, flexible cancellation provisions, and service-level commitments that were generally more advantageous than those available to other multifamily buyers.
  One supplier said its broader annual increases had ranged from 5% to nearly 10%, while Greystar’s contracted increase remained approximately 3%. Other suppliers described longer price protection, eliminated surcharges, early payment discounts, and cancellation periods without termination charges. These terms helped owners build more reliable budgets and reduced the likelihood that a project or operating plan would be disrupted by an unexpected price movement. The composite organization benefits from improved predictability even when future price protection does not create an immediately measurable cost saving. The financial value would depend on the owner’s addressable spend, differences between contracted and market price increases, purchase timing, and contract duration.

• Priority access, fulfillment, and operational continuity. Among the 41 supplier respondents who rated fulfillment speed, 63% said Greystar clients receive speed better than all their other multifamily buyers, and 27% said they receive the best, available to very few of their other buyers. All respondents placed Greystar in the top two most advantageous response categories for access during supply chain disruptions, and 90% did so for access during localized disasters. Suppliers reported that Greystar communities receive strong fulfillment support during routine operations and periods of constrained availability. Examples included inventory stocked near Greystar communities, automated replenishment based on order history, next-day delivery in major markets, product movement across distribution facilities, installation services, and dedicated escalation when a large project was at risk.
  Several suppliers said Greystar orders receive priority during shortages or localized disruptions. Others described service-level agreements, proactive weather communications, emergency inventory lists, and regional team coordination. For owners, this access can reduce unit turn delays, protect project schedules, and support resident service continuity. An owner could quantify the broader benefit by measuring order fill rates, average delivery times, expedited shipping costs, project delay days, work order completion times, and downtime avoided.

• Sustainability, waste, and regulatory support. Owners said that Greystar and its suppliers help them apply specialized knowledge to sustainability and compliance requirements. Owner evidence included lower cost sustainability reporting, GRES-related support, waste monitoring assessments, utility analysis, and regulatory requirement navigation assistance. Supplier evidence included low- and no-VOC product reporting, water conservation products, recycling programs, contamination monitoring, regulatory training, and data feeds. One supplier described a sustainability initiative that successfully moved nearly all relevant communities to low- or no-VOC interior paint, after which the practice became part of standard operations.
  The composite organization can use these capabilities to reduce waste and utility costs, avoid compliance failures, improve reporting, and lower the internal effort required to evaluate programs. Owners could measure this benefit through avoided surcharges and fines, lower hauling frequency, reduced consumption, reporting labor, consultant fees, and the cost of delayed or incomplete compliance.

• Specialized expertise and targeted programs. Interviewees said Greystar teams helped identify appropriate products, share practices proven elsewhere in the portfolio, roll out initiatives, and monitor results. One interviewed owner reported approximately $1.3 million in first-year insurance savings after using Greystar-associated insurance capabilities. The owner also valued Greystar’s broader risk management infrastructure and ability to apply national operating knowledge across a large portfolio. Suppliers also described Greystar as an influential development partner that provides structured feedback, participates in pilots, and helps shape integrations and reporting for multifamily use cases.
  For the composite organization, vetted innovation can reduce selection risk, shorten evaluation and implementation, and improve the likelihood that a new capability produces value. Potential examples include AI-assisted leasing, automated ordering, work order analytics, bulk Wi-Fi, smart-home technology, leak detection, and package or waste monitoring. These examples demonstrate that Greystar’s scale can create value beyond direct supplier purchases, particularly where portfolio data, standardized practices, or aggregated market access improve the owner’s risk position.

Flexibility

The value of flexibility is unique to each customer. There are multiple scenarios in which a customer might implement National Accounts Procurement and later realize additional uses and business opportunities, including:

• Expanded supplier and service categories. Greystar can extend the value of National Accounts as it adds categories, products, geographic coverage, and supplier capabilities. For example, over the past four years, supplier products and categories expanded further into installation services, HVAC and water heater work, appliance delivery and installation, flooring, waste technology, utility support, construction purchasing, and other specialized services. These additions are particularly relevant where owners face skilled labor shortages or inconsistent local coverage. The composite organization may realize future savings and continuity benefits by shifting new addressable categories to preferred suppliers.

• Broader Advantage Solutions capabilities and innovative pilot programs. Greystar’s surrounding operating platform creates options beyond the National Accounts supplier services through capabilities developed as part of its Advantage Solutions programs. Greystar’s scale gives owners access to pilots, beta capabilities, and supplier product development discussions that may not be available to an individual community. Greystar can test these capabilities across a limited group of properties before recommending broader adoption. The composite organization retains the option to participate in a future pilot and scale the capability if measured performance is favorable. This staged approach can reduce the cost and risk of innovation while allowing the owner to benefit from supplier investment and Greystar’s implementation experience.