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 fromAREMCO,Cyprexx,ServiceLink,Genstone Field Services, andSafeguard 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 Mike Greenbaum, COO, Safeguard Properties.
How is Safeguard leveraging technology such as AI to improve efficiency or compliance in field services today?
Safeguard is using AI to solve long-standing operational bottlenecks in field services rather than treat AI as a buzzword. Our approach focuses on practical automation that enhances compliance, improves accuracy, and reduces turnaround time.
Key areas include:
AI-Driven Photo & Video Validation
- Automated routine enforcement using GPS, geofencing, and image analysis.
- Occupancy detection from both photos and 360-degree drive-by video.
- Hazard Insurance damage detection.
- Build expectancy in our audit processes based on Computer Vision and Machine Learning.
AI-Supported Script Processing
- Our inspection scripts now allow AI to answer structured questions based on video walkthroughs.
- CoreScript automation helps flag missing photos, inconsistent answers, and items not in compliance before orders reach QA.
AI Agents for Vendor Performance
- Automated routines track zone capacity, underperformance, milestone gaps, production rate, and delayed commitments.
- Alerts are sent to vendors via text, app notifications, and weekly summaries.
How do you balance the human expertise required for nuanced field decisions with the increasing automation of inspections, reporting, and quality assurance?
Automation is powerful—but field conditions are nuanced, and the wrong kind of automation can misinterpret critical risks. Our philosophy is: AI does the repeatable work. Humans do the judgment work.
- AI handles tasks requiring volume and consistency: labeling photos, detecting anomalies, verifying GPS, flagging risks, and identifying missing requirements.
- Humans assess complex structural issues, interpret nuanced damage, handle homeowner interactions, and determine conveyance readiness.
We design systems so inspectors spend more time on decisions and less on documentation; back-office staff focus on exceptions; and AI provides a second set of eyes, not a substitute.
How are companies like Safeguard managing to maintain service quality and compliance standards despite financial pressure from pricing models that may not have been updated?
Safeguard succeeds by aggressively optimizing operational efficiency:
- AI-driven QA and audit reduce rework and prevent curtailments.
- Better routing and mobile workflows minimize drive time.
- Training programs stabilize vendor performance.
- Data-driven vendor capacity management ensures assignment accuracy.
- Automation reduces overhead, preserving vendor payments.
We remove inefficiency rather than reduce quality.
Labor shortages continue to challenge preservation firms nationwide. What are the biggest hurdles you face when recruiting and retaining qualified field contractors today?
Key challenges:
- Gig workers expect faster pay cycles, routing, and minimal paperwork.
- Skill mismatch between general gig labor and preservation requirements.
- Rising fuel and insurance costs.
- Coverage gaps in rural regions.
Safeguard addresses this with app-based assignments, video training, realistic expectations, and consistent work volume.
How do generational shifts in the workforce—especially younger workers’ expectations for technology, flexibility, and communication—affect the way you structure field operations or training programs?
Younger workers expect mobile tools, fast communication, feedback loops, transparency, and flexible work. Safeguard adapts through:
- Modernized mobile app interfaces
- In-app messaging and automated reminders
- Video-based training
- Gamified dashboards for performance and capacity
This improves onboarding, retention, and productivity.
There has been notable consolidation across field services and related sectors in recent years. How is this reshaping the competitive landscape?
Consolidation has created fewer, larger national players with the scale to invest in technology. Smaller providers struggle with fluctuating volumes and compliance requirements. Safeguard’s national infrastructure and technology depth give it an advantage in this environment.
Are there opportunities for greater collaboration across preservation, asset management, and mortgage servicing that the industry hasn’t fully capitalized on yet?
Yes—significant opportunities exist:
- Unified data models for preservation, valuations, inspections, and asset disposition
- Shared AI-driven risk scoring
- Consolidated vendor performance tracking
- Better integration of insurance loss draft workflows
- Standardized occupancy verification approaches
The technology exists—the coordination can be enhanced.
What are the “blind spots” you think the industry still has: areas that aren’t getting enough attention but will be critical for long-term sustainability?
Critical blind spots include:
- Occupancy verification accuracy
- Aging vendor workforce
- Climate-driven damages are increasing in frequency and cost
- Underutilization of remote sensors, cameras, and robotics
- Data interoperability gaps across servicing ecosystem
- Fraud detection opportunities using AI that remain underdeveloped
Safeguard is actively building solutions to address these blind spots.
