Over the past year and a half, self-guided tours have become an increasingly popular tool for leasing for-rent properties.
The multi-family space has widely adopted this tactic, and single-family rental operators and builders have followed suit. These give prospective renters the autonomy and convenience they're looking for when searching for houses for rent, and leasing teams the power to conduct multiple tours at once.
As our flagship product, our self-guided tour solution has helped drive over half a million completed self-guided tours nationwide since 2020, bringing qualified tenants to their new homes. For our clients, it's also led to quicker leasing cycles, more qualified leads, flexibility and convenience, plus reduced sales and marketing costs. Our recent whitepaper even takes a deep dive into the impact self-guided tours have had within the leasing process.
While many have jumped at the opportunity to implement this technology, some are still hesitant to take a step in the direction. So, if you find yourself asking the question "To self-guide tour, or to not self-guide tour," then we think we can help guide you in the right direction.
Convenience Is Key
Self-guided tours are inherently convenient for both prospective renters and leasing teams.
They not only let prospects visit your houses for rent at a time that best fits their schedules (typically in the evening when your leasing team is gone), but they also extend your leasing team's hours without any staff present. This is especially useful for scattered-site teams with limited staff and multiple houses for rent throughout a given market. And since leasing staff can't be in two places at once, self-guided tours allow for multiple tours at the same time.
More Leads = More Conversions
Self-guided tours are not just convenient, but they're also quite efficient. They work as a powerful marketing tool by extending your for-rent houses' reach to prospects you hadn't once thought of reaching before, driving in more qualified leads that are more likely to sign a lease.
Our recent whitepaper surveyed more than 500 individuals who participated in one of our self-guided tours and found that approximately 86% said that viewing a property at their convenience was what they liked most about self-guided tours. Additionally, 58% of respondents said they would even sign a lease with only having completed a self-guided tour in the future.
We’re also seeing an average of 38 scheduled tours per unit per month. Bottom line, we're helping our communities and operators who utilize our solution increase their leads and see shorter sales cycles than previously experienced.
Added Bonus: Reduced Marketing & Sales Costs
Not only are self-guided tours convenient and lead to more conversions, but they also reduce a team's marketing and sales costs. Self-guided tours drive efficiency by bringing in more leads, allowing more tours to be conducted, collecting valuable data and letting your leasing team follow up with the right prospects. They also reduce the leasing cycle, which translates into less money spent on marketing and sales budgets in the long run.
Getting Started With SmartRent
Getting started with our self-guided tours can be quick! We offer different installation options, one of which is a fast and easy setup that can let you begin offering our self-guided tours in as little as 48 hours.
Our solution also requires a few pieces of hardware to ensure each tour runs smoothly. For the ultimate experience, we also suggest a few other pieces of equipment that really create the best experience for both prospects and leasing teams. Some of these are:
Video doorbells
However, first thing’s first, and getting set up with SmartRent means scheduling a demo. See how our self-guided tours can increase your leads and lower your sales and marketing costs by setting up a personalized demo today.