When you need to find a new apartment but can’t get out to tour apartments in person, what’s an apartment hunter supposed to do? Luckily, it’s possible to do most things virtually these days, and that includes apartment tours. You may have noticed the 3D tours available on Apartments.com, but you may not know about all of the features these tours offer to make finding your home from a distance easy. (It’s also fun … I’ll admit to taking the 3D tours just to see the floor plans and décor.) Here are some tips and tricks to get the most out of your virtual apartment tours.
Filter for 3D Tours
Since getting out to tour in person isn’t an option, let’s make things easier by filtering for virtual tours. On your computer, you’ll see a button on the top right that says “Sort.” Click this button and select “3D Tour.” On your phone, you’ll click “Search Tools” at the top right (it’s in blue). Choose “Sort Listings,” and then scroll to select “3D Tour.”
Now, you should see a list of apartments with 3D Tour buttons (the ones with the green glow) on the property’s listing. If you want to narrow down your choices even more and just take tours of your top contenders, save the apartments you want to tour virtually to your favorites (click the heart).
After scrolling through the apartments in your search area and identifying your favorites, you’ll find them in the menu at the top, to the left of the Apartments.com logo, under “Renter Tools.”
Select a Space to Tour
When you click on the 3D Tour button, you may see several different areas you can tour. Open one and take a look around. Click or tap to move forward and scroll around to see the floor and ceiling.
At the bottom left, you’ll see three icons. Let’s explore what each of those do:
- View Dollhouse
This is my favorite view because it actually looks as though you are peeking into a dollhouse. This is the first icon that looks three-dimensional. This view will give you an idea of how each room connects, and the size of each room in comparison to other spaces in the apartment. If you click inside a room, you’ll “land” there. (Let’s get a closer look at those gorgeous windows, shall we?)
- View Floor Plan
You’ll find this icon in the middle – it looks like a backward “L.” Unlike traditional floor plans, this option provides a top-down view of the apartment. Use this view to get a better understanding of how far the bedroom is from, say, the living room or kitchen. Again, if you click on a space, you’ll land in that spot and you can resume the tour.
- Measurement Mode
Select the icon that looks like a ruler. This is a great way to get an idea of the actual size of the apartment, and you can make sure your sofa will fit along the living room wall. Click the “plus” button, and then press and hold where you want the measurement to start. You’ll see a red circle. Release and move to where you want to end the measurement. Click the checkmark and you’ll see the measurement pop up on your screen. Press the “X” when you are finished.
If you are using your computer, just click with the mouse where you want to start/stop. Isn’t that handy? Measure all the things!
Take a VR Tour
You may have noticed the icon that looks like a rectangle with two circles inside. If you didn’t, you’ll find it on the bottom right of the screen. Tap this icon to view the apartment in VR. You’ll need a VR headset, such as Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR. It’s like you are actually there!
Request a Live Tour
While 3D tours are great, you can’t ask questions in real time as you could with an actual tour. But Apartments.com has a solution for that. When you select an apartment, you should see a blue bar at the bottom (or top, if you’re using a computer) of the page that says, “See Online Tour Options.” Click that and you might see an option for “LIVE Online Tour.” Send an email or call the property and request a live tour via FaceTime or another streaming service.
Even if you are able to get to an apartment community to tour in person, taking a virtual tour first will give you a great idea of what to expect when you get there. And for those times when you can’t get there in person, a virtual tour is the next best thing. You now know the layout and the measurements of the rooms, and you were able to “walk” around and get a sense of the spaces. If you’re ready to sign a lease, you can do that virtually, as well. If you don’t see an “Apply Now” button on the listing, call the apartment community and ask if they offer online leasing. You’ll be in your new home before you know it!
