Creating an apartment tour that really pops and wows prospective residents is difficult. It’s made even harder if that apartment is on the, well, tinier side.
Add to that the fact that more and more people are moving to different cities than ever before and always have busy schedules, and it makes it rather hard to coordinate an apartment tour in-person. That’s why apartment video tours and live video tours have become a leasing agent’s best friend over the last few years. It allows them to still show the space to those prospective residents that can’t always make it in person.
Video apartment tours allow for tons of flexibility and personalization, when done correctly. And have resulted in unbelievable conversion rates for teams that have fully adopted them as well. A tough spot worth calling out though? The studios and small apartments that are oh so difficult to capture efficiently.
So, to help you, here are five common small apartment tour mistakes and how both live and recorded video tours can help you best show those floor plans!
Not Showing Off Valuable Space Saving Tactics
When giving a small apartment tour, it’s easy to have the attitude of “it is what it is.” Don’t do that! Show the prospective resident what is possible within the space given. Even if it’s not staged (which we highly recommend doing), help the prospective resident to dream with you about all the things they could do in the space. Small kitchens can be problematic, that much is true. If a prospect can only see a 2D floor plan or a 360 virtual tour, all they see is a small area of square footage. However, if the leasing agent takes advantage of live video tours, they can show much more than that.
During a live video tour, a leasing agent can literally open drawers, show all of the space savings tactics and the room that is available. the host to talk through the space. Being able to narrate the tour and discuss what other residents have done to save space or creatively furnish it can sometimes be all a person needs to feel comfortable with it.
Going Back to College
Many people have been been on a college apartment room tour. Small, cramped, somewhat dingy – the connotations are not always all that positive. So, don’t let your small apartment tour turn into a college apartment tour. If this apartment will be the prospect’s first space after college, those associations are likely fresh in their mind. So it’s the job of the leasing agent to reposition their thoughts and help them realize just how different and ‘grown up’ this space is compared to their last college apartment.
How do video tours help? They allow the leasing agent to use video to focus on the ways this unit is a sophisticated, adult space. Even with studio apartments, there are ways to make sure the space looks like somewhere your target resident wants to call home. Doing a neighborhood video tour or amenity video tour as well and focusing on things outside just the unit itself will help reposition things in their minds and make the overall package something more desirable.
Thinking Only Inside the Walls
Speaking of neighborhood and amenity videos tours — small apartment tours can feel restricting, but they don’t have to be! Think outside the walls of the unit itself with your apartment tour! Communities are often so much more than just what is inside an individual unit. There are often large communal spaces or other amenities on the property. Or, the location could be the biggest selling point if it’s near parks, restaurants, coffee shops…whatever your target resident would find appealing.
You obviously don’t want to solely focus on the things that are outside of the unit itself as that could come across as trying to hide something or skirt the truth about just how small the unit is. Whether connecting live via video with a prospective resident or creating a pre-recorded apartment video tour to send to them, make sure to show the full package. Showcase the unit, but showcase all of the great things at the community and in the neighborhood. Always be selling the full package.
Being Inauthentic
As we’ve said before, creating a small apartment tour can be tricky. But above all, the biggest mistake you can make when creating one is being inauthentic. What do we mean by that? Don’t hide anything! Highly produced apartment videos or photoshopped apartment tours can be tempting to creatively show snippets of the space that make it look bigger than it is. These days it’s very easy to use a little digital magic to make a unit look much larger. But that, my friend, would be a HUGE mistake.
Today’s buyers and renters want to see the real deal. They want to know what they are getting – no surprises. If you start with being inauthentic, the trust is gone. Eventually, every single prospect will physically see that unit in person. And if what you showed them online or via video is not at all what they will see and experience in person, then you are either going to lose that prospect or have a resident that is unhappy and wanting to move from day 1. That’s a direct line to bad reviews, zero retention, and a toxic resident experience. Be real and authentic with what you show them. A small closet may not be the deal breaker you’re making it look like it’s massive when it actually isn’t could be the deal breaker.
Not showing Pride in the Property
A small apartment tour can quickly become a comfortable and cozy apartment tour with the right attitude. Not every prospect event wants a ton of square footage. If a leasing agent goes into the tour with an attitude of embarrassment or negativity about the space, that will instantly reflect onto the prospective resident who may have just found exactly what they were looking for.
This is the absolutely easiest thing to do when showing your small units — show pride in your space, no matter the size. Be excited and enthusiastic, ask questions of your prospect to figure out ways the unit could meet their needs and expectations, point out the unit’s best features, and the best features of the property, proudly. Small doesn’t have to mean shabby – and it’s likely the perfect size for certain prospective residents.
Even the smallest apartments have their unique charm. We’ve seen our fair share of tiny apartment tours that look absolutely amazing. It’s all in the presentation and, at the end of the day, needs to be catered to each individual prospect. If they’re looking for 2 bedrooms and 1,000+ square feet, then you obviously don’t want to show them a 300 square foot studio simply because it’s all you have available.
If it’s a potential match for the prospect, then step up and make your space shine! It just takes connecting with that one right person and showcasing the space in the right way to get a deal done on your small apartment floor plans.
If you have questions about how you can use video to lease your spaces, reach out us! We’ve seen it all and are here to help.
Until next time…keep it real!
