A property tour is one of the most popular ways for renters to get to know your community. But that doesn’t have to mean an onsite walkthrough with a leasing agent. After rising to prominence during the pandemic, remote tours have remained a popular option for renters. And they offer important advantages for apartment owners and operators, too. Here’s why virtual tours are here to stay.
What is a virtual tour, anyway?
There are two main forms of virtual tours:
- A real-time guided tour with a leasing agent. Often conducted using a videocall and a smartphone, this type of tour is similar to an in-person tour but can be conducted with renters who live out of town or can’t visit in person for other reasons. A live (synchronous) virtual tour lets you speak directly with prospects, answer their questions in real time, and show off your community from afar.
- An on-demand 3D tour or video tour. Available through your listings, an on-demand tour is recorded in advance, either through Matterport technology to create a 3D experience or by filming a video walkthrough. This asynchronous approach lets renters explore your community or available units on their own time. It can be a useful way to educate renters about your property before they even reach out to your leasing team.
Both types of virtual tours can serve different purposes, so there’s no need to choose — you can offer both, to meet renters’ varied needs.
Why virtual tours matter
Not sure if virtual tours are worth your time and energy? Consider these five benefits of adding virtual options to your touring methods.
1. Give renters what they’re looking for
Think virtual tours are a thing of the past? Renters don’t agree. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video tour can be even more valuable by giving renters a comprehensive look at your community.
Over half of renters want to see virtual touring options, according to the latest Apartments.com survey. When polled on which types of tours interest them, renters expressed strong interest in virtual options:
- 58% want the option to take a virtual tour with a leasing agent (such as a video call)
- 64% want the option to take a virtual tour without a leasing agent (such as a 3D tour)
2. Expand your reach
When you offer virtual touring with an agent, you can reach renters who live outside your local market and can’t easily travel to your property for an onsite tour. This lets your leasing team personally connect with these high-intent renters who otherwise might not consider your property.
Virtual tours with an agent can also appeal to renters with mobility issues, busy schedules, or health concerns that limit their ability to come on site for an in-person tour.
And when available on demand, 3D- and video-based tours can expand your reach outside business hours to reach renters near and far who are interested in your property.
3. Get better leads
By answering renters’ questions ahead of time, on-demand virtual tours can help narrow down your pool of leads to only the most serious renters. The additional information provided by 3D tours and video walkthroughs helps renters get to know your property and available units before they reach out to your leasing team.
Not only are renters more engaged when they view listings with 3D tours and videos, they’re also better informed about your community. This can help them decide whether your community meets their needs. And ultimately, this means that the renters who do reach out to your leasing are more qualified and more likely to sign a lease.
4. Work more efficiently
By redirecting renters to other ways to learn about you, on-demand virtual tours can limit the number of in-person tours your leasing agents need to lead for all but the most serious renters. This frees up your team’s time to focus on the highest quality leads.
What’s more, on-demand virtual tours can also address renters’ questions upfront. That way, when renters do reach out, your team doesn’t have to answer the same questions again and again.
And these tours also help your listings generate more leads — 10 times the average for listings without on-demand virtual tours, according to Apartments.com data.
5. Stand out from the competition
Whether you offer real-time or on-demand virtual touring options (or both!), your property is more likely to stand out from the competition.
Of all Apartments.com listings with tour scheduling enabled, only 30 percent offer virtual tours with an agent. (The number is even lower when you consider all listings across Apartments.com.)
And keep in mind: It’s not a lack of demand. Well over half — 58 percent — of renters want to see the option to take a guided tour remotely!
As for 3D tours, only 85 percent of eligible listings actually feature at least one 3D tour.
When you showcase virtual touring on your listing, you won’t just help your community stand out to renters who want to see virtual options. You’ll also show renters that your community is forward-thinking and technologically savvy. This is a major draw for renters, especially Gen Z and millennial digital natives accustomed to virtual life, and can even help earn you a premium in your asking rents.
How to get started
Ready to get started? Here’s how you can take advantage of virtual touring options in your listings:
- If you haven’t done so yet, enable tour scheduling in your listings. Just reach out to your sales rep to get started, or email us at onlinescheduling@costar.com for personalized assistance from our team of specialists.
- If your booking options only feature in-person tours, add guided virtual tours as an option in your listings.
- Offer 3D Matterport tours of your model units and common spaces. Talk to your sales rep for more details.
- Ask your sales rep about how to include professional walkthrough videos by our team of videographers.
- Record and upload a personal video walkthrough shot by your leasing team.
Want more tips and resources?
For more ideas on how to meet renters’ needs and streamline your leasing process, explore these resources:
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