Finding Where Self-Guided Tours Fit in with Prospects

By: Marissa Cohen

Back to News

86% of prospects said that viewing a property at their convenience was what they liked most about self-guided tours. Whether it’s the extended showing hours or the flexibility of touring privately - it makes sense for communities to implement a solution that can reach a wider audience of prospects.

Shaping the Tour Experience

While some site staff are nervous to consider self-guided touring technology, they may want to reconsider. Self-guided tours are not a replacement for traditional in-person tours entirely, but rather an additional tool to allow leasing staff to be their most efficient.

In many ways, site staff are still able to shape the touring experience. Whether that’s with post-tour follow up messaging, leaving behind collateral in model units or having more time to engage with prospects who prefer an in-person tour experience.

Casting a Wider Prospect Net

Communities must focus on meeting prospects where they are in order to attract as many prospects as possible. Communities do this by using a variety of tour types - from traditional in-person tours to virtual tours, video tours or self-guided tours.

Self-guided tours are a highly effective way to reach a group of prospects who prefer unattended showings. After surveying prospects that completed self-guided tours powered by SmartRent technology, we gathered interesting data that confirms prospects enjoy the flexibility to choose what tour type works best for them.

For example, 83.7% of prospects reported that the ability to tour after normal business hours was an added benefit when looking for a new apartment home. Self-guided tours allow for extended showing hours, meaning that prospects can tour outside of leasing hours. For those with busy schedules, it can be vastly more convenient to tour at 7 am or 7 pm than in the middle of the day.

Download our Self-Guided Tours whitepaper to read the full survey results and analysis.

Meeting Prospects Where They Are

You should also be mindful of engaging prospects as soon as they show interest in your property. Prospects can schedule a self-guided tour online as they’re exploring. Or if a prospect happens to be walking by the property, they can scan a QR code in real-time to complete a tour, if the unit is available.

To capture a consumer's attention today, you only have about 2 seconds, which is why the sense of immediacy is so important. Once they’ve left your website or drove past your community, chances are their mind has moved on to something else.

Get Started with Self-Guided Tours

Overall, finding where self-guided tours fit in with prospects is an important step for any multifamily community. The availability of multiple tour types at your communities allows leasing staff to maximize prospect leads and fill vacant units most efficiently.

To get started with self-guided tours, contact us here.


Want more information? Check out our whitepaper on "The Impact of Self-Guided Tours on Leasing Decisions”.