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Key Takeaways:
Tours are crucial: The tour experience significantly impacts leasing decisions and online reviews, with prospects prioritizing accuracy and transparency.
Bridge the trust gap: Discrepancies between marketing and unit reality erode trust; smart tech helps ensure units are always show-ready.
Self-guided tours build confidence: They offer flexible, secure access and consistent presentation, enhancing brand perception and conversions.
Real-time readiness prevents surprises: Centralized visibility into unit status avoids showing unprepared units, boosting staff confidence and prospect satisfaction.
Automated follow-up converts leads: Timely, personalized post-tour communication keeps properties top-of-mind, streamlining the leasing funnel and reducing staff workload.
Turning tours into signed leases
First impressions have always mattered in multifamily leasing, but in today’s digital-first, review-driven landscape, you could argue that they’re everything.
According to the 2025 Voice of the Resident Report by Widewail, the tour experience is one of the most pivotal touchpoints influencing leasing decisions and the reviews that follow. Prospects aren’t just evaluating floor plans and finishes. Instead, they’re judging accuracy, transparency and follow-through. A clean, ready unit builds trust, but a mismatch between marketing and reality breaks it.
Unfortunately, the multifamily industry is struggling to bridge that gap. Maintenance delays, inconsistent communication and poor tour execution are eroding confidence and driving negative sentiment, especially when units don’t match expectations. To turn tours into signed leases, operators need more than just charm. They need smart tech that supports real-time readiness, flexible touring and automated follow-up.
The trust gap at the tour stage
Widewail’s review analysis reveals a growing number of negative reviews associated with tours, which often stem from disappointment rather than the property itself.
Some of the most common complaints include:
Units not matching what was advertised
Apartments not being clean or move-in ready
Confusing or rushed touring experiences
Lack of follow-up after the tour
In an era where renters are comparison-shopping across multiple communities, often in a single afternoon, any friction can derail a lease. When unit conditions don’t match expectations, or the tour feels disorganized, prospects may question the property’s reliability overall. That’s a tough hurdle to overcome, especially in competitive markets where dozens of other listings are just a tap away.
These breakdowns create a trust gap, a disconnect between what was promised and what was delivered. And in today’s competitive market, that gap can be the difference between a lease and a lost lead.
Why self-guided tours build trust
Self-guided tours give prospects control over their experience. No high-pressure sales pitch, no scheduling friction… just a chance to explore the space on their terms.
But SmartRent’s self-guided tour technology doesn’t just offer convenience, it supports consistency and transparency across every property visit.
With SmartRent, communities can:
Ensure secure, one-time access via smart locks
Pre-configure lighting and thermostats for ideal showing conditions
Provide digital content and guided tour instructions
Track when tours start and end for better lead attribution
This level of polish creates a trustworthy, modern experience that reflects well on the brand and often results in stronger conversion rates. It also allows leasing teams to accommodate more tours during peak hours or staff shortages, without sacrificing quality or attention to detail.
Plus, when paired with mobile access and CRM integrations, leasing teams can manage more showings with less overhead. Real-world results back this up. At Ivey Homes, SmartRent’s self-guided tour technology helped the team streamline leasing operations while delivering a consistent, streamlined and modern touring experience. Read the full case study to see how self-guided tours became a competitive differentiator.
Real-time unit readiness: No more tour-day surprises
One of the biggest frustrations mentioned in tour-related reviews is arriving at a unit that’s not actually ready but is dirty, unfinished or still under maintenance.
That’s where SmartRent comes in. Utilizing our work management platform, leasing and maintenance teams can see unit condition in real time:
Is it cleaned?
Is maintenance complete?
Are all smart devices functioning?
There is no more miscommunication between departments and no more showing units that aren’t prepared. By centralizing visibility into unit readiness, SmartRent helps teams avoid the kind of tour-day surprises that turn into negative reviews.
Just as important, it gives site teams confidence when assigning units to show, ensuring they’re not scrambling or second-guessing minutes before a prospect walks in the door.
Automation that keeps the conversation going
Another missed opportunity in the leasing funnel is follow-up. A great tour without a timely next step can cause a prospect to drift, especially in busy, high-competition markets.
SmartRent integrates with leading CRMs and leasing platforms to automate post-tour communication, including:
Thank-you messages
Application links
Special offers or reminders
Feedback requests
This kind of timely engagement keeps the property top of mind and helps move the prospect further down the funnel, without overwhelming leasing staff.
Moreover, automated follow-up can be personalized based on the unit toured or resident preferences, fostering a stronger sense of connection and professionalism.
Tech that supports your teams
Tour experience isn’t just a marketing issue; it’s an operational one. Leasing teams are juggling multiple responsibilities and when communication breaks down or units aren’t ready, it reflects on them.
Smart tech supports staff by:
Giving them real-time status updates on unit condition
Reducing manual work like key handoffs and showing coordination
Automating scheduling, access and communication
Providing data to improve future tour performance
When teams feel empowered with the right tools, they deliver better experiences, which leads to higher lead-to-lease conversion rates. It also reduces burnout, improves morale and helps with staff retention.
First impressions that last
The tour is often the only in-person touchpoint a prospective resident will have before deciding where to live. That means it has to be seamless, accurate and memorable.
SmartRent helps operators deliver:
Self-guided tours that reflect the brand’s professionalism
Real-time readiness to avoid unpleasant surprises
Post-tour automation to keep the process moving forward
Let us help you operate smarter. Request a demo to see how we can help you bridge the gap between expectation and reality, earning more trust and signed applications today.