Property preservation and field services enter 2026 facing many headwinds. Costs have climbed, volumes have shifted, and stagnant pricing structures have left contractors and preservation vendors absorbing pressure from multiple angles. At the same time, servicers face heightened scrutiny, aging portfolios, and climate-driven risk, requiring faster reporting and tighter compliance. The industry is being asked to do more with less, even as the labor pool thins and technology investment becomes critical.
In this year’s look at the state of the property preservation sector, leaders from AREMCO, Cyprexx, ServiceLink, Genstone Field Services, and Safeguard Properties share how they’re redesigning operations, rebuilding the contractor ecosystem, and using technology—especially AI—not as a buzzword, but as a practical tool to keep properties safe, servicers compliant, and communities protected.
In this excerpt from the December 2025 MortgagePoint cover story “The Cost of Readiness,” we’re sharing insights from Clellan Kane, SVP, Asset Services, AREMCO.
“Operational resilience” has become a key phrase across the servicing and preservation sectors. How do you define it in practical terms at AREMCO, and what does it look like in day-to-day execution?
At AREMCO, operational resilience isn’t a buzzword; it’s the ability to perform no matter what hits the market, the weather, or the workload. In practice, it means our teams can pivot without compromising compliance or visibility. We build redundancy into processes, not just systems. So, if a storm, regulation, or vendor failure occurs, work continues without gaps. Every job order, photo log, and cost line is tied back to clear standards and live performance dashboards. Resilience, for us, looks like being able to deliver the same quality on day 1,000 as we did on day 1, regardless of conditions.
The property preservation space continues to be shaped by market swings, labor shortages, and evolving regulatory expectations. How has AREMCO built systems that stay agile amid those disruptions?
We’ve designed AREMCO around controlled adaptability. Our structure combines internal crews, vetted vendor networks, and technology that gives real-time insight into field conditions and financial exposure. Because we oversee construction, preservation, and asset management under one command center, we can rebalance resources in hours instead of weeks. When regulations shift or volume spikes, our teams don’t start over; they re-route using frameworks that already account for change. It’s agility with discipline.
What tools or innovations has AREMCO implemented to enhance efficiency, transparency, and compliance in preservation operations?
We built our operations around what we call “Clarity by Design.” Every task and dollar is traceable from field to finance. Our proprietary command dashboard consolidates photo evidence, SLAs, bids, invoices, and compliance triggers in one view. It integrates directly with client systems like MSP, VendorScape, and Pruvan, eliminating redundant reporting. The result? Real-time visibility, automatic audit trails, and fewer surprises for servicers and investors. It’s transparency that pays you back literally.
Field service vendors are the backbone of preservation work. How does AREMCO ensure consistency, accountability, and communication across such a broad and distributed vendor base?
We treat vendors as extensions of our brand and not just contractors. Each one operates under a scorecard system that measures timeliness, photo accuracy, bid variance, and quality audits. Those metrics feed weekly dashboards reviewed jointly with our vendor partners. We also assign single-point-of-contact field managers who speak both the servicer’s and contractor’s language to reduce confusion and escalation. Accountability isn’t about policing; it’s about partnership and precision.
Maintaining quality and compliance while moving quickly is a constant balancing act. What strategies or controls does AREMCO use to mitigate risk without slowing down operations?
We embed “risk checkpoints” directly into the workflow rather than layering them on after the fact. For example, line-item bid validation happens automatically at submission, and photo packages are QC-flagged before they ever hit the client’s portal. That front-end intelligence allows us to prevent errors instead of fixing them later. It’s not more process; it’s a smarter process that keeps compliance intact and timelines tight.
How do you cultivate a culture of adaptability and continuous improvement within your team?
We hire operators, not spectators. Everyone from our analysts to our construction leads understands that change is part of the job description. AREMCO runs an internal framework we call the “Performance Evolution Model,” which blends analytics reviews, after-action audits, and micro-training bursts. It turns lessons learned into measurable enhancements every quarter. Improvement isn’t a one-time workshop. It’s built into how we work.
AREMCO recently joined the Property Preservation Executive Forum. How do partnerships like that strengthen your ability to anticipate industry trends and align with best practices?
Partnerships like the Property Preservation Forum give us more than a seat at the table; they give us a pulse on what’s coming next. It’s where regulatory shifts, investor priorities, and field-level realities meet. We use that platform to both contribute and benchmark, sharing operational data trends, best practices, and lessons from multi-state portfolios. The feedback loop helps us adjust faster and shape solutions that raise the bar for the entire sector.
How have your clients’ needs evolved as economic and regulatory pressures shift, and how is AREMCO responding to maintain trust and performance under pressure?
Clients are demanding two things: visibility and validation. They want to know not only that work was done, but that it was done right, at the right cost, and aligned with investor policy. We’ve answered with deeper financial forensics and more transparent reporting. Our dashboards link every expense, photo, and status update back to the investor guideline it supports. In a world of shrinking margins and heightened scrutiny, that kind of clarity builds trust faster than any presentation could.
As we move into 2026, what do you see as the biggest opportunities for innovation in preservation operations, and how is AREMCO positioning itself to lead that next phase?
The next wave is data-driven preservation, where predictive analytics guide work orders before deterioration happens. We’re investing in automation that flags early-risk indicators from weather, occupancy, and asset data so field crews can act before loss occurs. We also see huge opportunities in unifying preservation, rehab, and disposition workflows, so every decision ties to ROI. AREMCO’s goal isn’t just to execute faster; it’s to make every action measurable, defensible, and profitable for our clients. That’s the evolution we’re building toward.
The post How Property Preservation Firms Are Realigning for 2026 first appeared on The MortgagePoint.
