Gone are the days when prospective tenants had no choice but to come in person to see an apartment. With the COVID-19 pandemic not far in the past and given the impact it has had on the world, most regular tasks are being carried out online. People are working remotely, school classes can be held online, so why not give the option to tour apartments virtually? There are many benefits to virtual apartment touring including but not limited to the fact that it is cost-efficient, it is easier for the prospects to weed out which apartment they like without the hassle of visiting in person, and it broadens the target market of prospective tenants because people from all over the world can tour virtually! Let’s dive into a few tips to make your virtual apartment tour amazing:

 

“Virtual” doesn’t always mean “Complicated”.

Having the virtual option for apartment tours makes showings more accessible for prospects. With a recorded tour, the unit(s) can be viewed 24/7 from any location no matter how close or far you are from the community itself. It can also be beneficial to offer live individualized virtual tours, which create a forum for prospective tenants to be able to ask questions in real time!

These features may sound “fancy” or “high-tech”, but they don’t have to be. A virtual tour can be as simple as a video walk-through recorded on your cell phone or a video call through Google Hangout or Facetime. It also can be as complicated as a curated video taken with a professional camera, carefully edited to highlight certain details or aspects, and even narrated by a leasing consultant. The important part is to do what works best for you, as long as tenants can see the units appropriately and there is an established and accessible method of communication.

 

Be thorough!

When conducting a tour virtually it is extremely important to carry it out just as you would in person, with even more details. Make sure you walk through every part of the unit, taking your time to show every single piece. The last thing you want when conducting a tour virtually is for the tenant to feel like they are being rushed through the apartment, or that something is being hidden or intentionally not shown. Don’t forget to show the aspects of tours not found in a specific unit such as a building’s laundry room, gym, stairwell, and other amenities. It is okay to focus on the main selling points but don’t let other pieces of the tour get overlooked.

Each unit you are showing should be appropriately staged as if it were an in-person tour, and all paperwork should be ready on hand to send to the tenant. Using paper copies of documents may prove to be troublesome, so implementing digital copies would be best to accompany virtual tours as you can send documents over with the click of a button! It is best to conduct virtual tours during the day, as natural lighting is best for the cameras. Videoing at night can make the room feel smaller, darker, and less enticing to tenants.

 

Watch out for rental scams.

Meeting virtually, while convenient, can also draw in rental scammers. Make sure that no money is being exchanged before appropriate documentation is signed and take extra precaution if you have not yet had the chance to meet a tenant. Common red flags identifying a potential rental scammer include but are not limited to the following:

• Refusing to meet in person when it is necessary
• An unexplained urgency to move in
• Attempting to give fake checks as payment
• False employment records and/or identification
• Rent overpayment

 

Utilize 3-D touring methods.

A great way to list a unit online is to include a 3-D tour! Sometimes prospective tenants just want to take a look around the apartment before setting up a showing or a formal tour. 3-D tours are created by taking multiple panoramic photos and tying them together using virtual touring software. This may sound complex, but most cell phones have a panoramic lens that you can utilize, and photos can be put together by using software such as Lapentor, Google Tour Creator, or apps that you can download. 3-D touring makes the tenants feel like they are in the building to help them better understand the layout of a unit. Make sure that when capturing panoramic photos, you are including all aspects of the unit, remembering to be thorough and to include everything!

 

Virtual apartment tours are growing in popularity and becoming a necessity. Don’t let your community fall behind!

 

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