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Free Toolkit: Apartment Video Ideas for Touring a Property

Inside the toolkit:

  • Learn how to record an apartment video tour that converts.
  • Watch our step-by-step unit recording best practices video.
  • Download our 9-point cheatsheet for future reference.
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About the Toolkit

Just about every apartment available for rent these days offers a virtual tour to prospective tenants. But these impersonal tours often aren’t able to capture the true charm of a unit, and renters may feel as though they still need an in-person visit before they commit.

This downloadable resource will explain exactly how you can use pre-recorded video tours to promote your property. It includes a step-by-step guide to get you started on using video to advertise your properties, as well as some of the market research supporting this approach.

Apartment Video

When it comes to showing off your multifamily living space, technology has completely changed how people approach this process. While things like apartment photography and videography have been around for some time, and, at one time, things like 360 apartment tours and 3D apartment tours were the latest craze, it is now critical to have outstanding apartment video that can be used to show people what it’s really like to live in a certain space. This type of multifamily video content goes beyond having just one video sitting on your apartment community website.

Consumers today are demanding DIY, personalized video tours that show them the exact units and amenities that they want to see. These video experiences are now serving as an apartment tour with more and more people than ever before taking these virtual tours of a building. Even though these tours might not be conducted in-person like they used to, they are no less important. Tours are a critical part of leasing apartments because it allows prospective residents to truly envision themselves living in that building.

Therefore, this makes the selection of your apartment video software critical. Empowering your onsite team with a do-it-yourself video solution versus relying on outsourced apartment videographers is going to allow your team and equip your communities to use video as an effective communication tool. And nothing has proven more effective at this than the Realync video leasing solution. Realync offers apartment video software that is easy to use and allows onsite staff to deploy video for their apartment marketing, create video tours for multifamily leasing, and even use video to communicate with residents for events or maintenance.

Multifamily owners and managers are realizing just how important video is for their communities, and nothing makes multifamily apartment video easier or more effective than Realync. Sure, some teams have likely found minor success simply picking up their smartphone and recording a video or hosting a FaceTime tour, but ensuring that your video efforts are Fair Housing compliant, trackable, integrated, and sustainable is the main goal for long-term success with video. If the goal is to create an immersive environment in which someone can truly imagine themselves living in your community, then Realync should be used to make the apartment video. This will help your team set their tours apart from the competition, leading to higher conversion rates and happier residents.

Apartment Video Tour

Like making other videos, there is both an art and a science to hosting an apartment video tour. There are a number of factors that people need to consider when they are putting together a video of an apartment.

First, think about the lighting on the apartment tour video. The lighting is going to be used to draw someone’s attention to the various features that need to be highlighted as well as ensuring the entire space shows well and is viewable ‘in its best light.’

If speaking during your apartment video tour, you need to ensure that the viewer will be able to clearly understand the person giving the tour as well. While speaking clearly and audibly is likely all you’ll need to do for this, adding a small microphone for iPhone is a great, affordable option to instantly increase the audio quality in your videos.

In addition to the lighting and audio, make sure your camera angles and panning showcase the space well. If you are panning too quickly and or your video shot only captures a third of the actual space, it’s not going to truly showcase your apartment well. To create the most effective apartment tour, pit yourself in the corner of the room and pan slowly from one side to the other. The key word there is slowly!

While some people can get nervous using video or hosting a live video tour, just think of these apartment video tours as a normal apartment showing. This is what leasing agents are literally trained to do and do on a daily basis – showcase their building. Doing so on video is (or should be) no different. It is critical for everyone to be on their game when they do an apartment tour. Be ready to handle objections and always have a backup plan in mind. Of course, the Wi-Fi connectivity is going to be a major concern, so be sure to test this ahead of time. An apartment video tour that is handled with care and compassion is going to translate into more signed leases at the end of the day. Be prepared!

Apartment Video Tour Checklist

When giving an apartment video tour, it is helpful to use an apartment tour checklist. This apartment tour checklist is critical for making sure that nothing has been forgotten.

This shouldn’t be an uncommon thing for leasing teams, as having a standard tour checklist should already be in place. Simply adjust it to include some key video best practices and you should be set!

There are a few key elements that should be included during a video tour of an apartment though. The apartment walkthrough checklist should, of course, include every room of the unit, but don’t forget some of the little touches. Start your video tour outside the front door and take a shot showcasing what it will be like walking into their future home. Don’t forget to showcase storage, views, outdoor space, and key details like that as well. Ensure that your apartment tour checklist PDF also showcases any upgrades to the unit or things that are key differentiators or selling points to your audience of prospective residents. The apartment evaluation checklist should also include the common areas. This might include the pool, gym, lobby, and parking area. If there are added security features, be sure to give a close-up of these so that people know what they’re dealing with. The apartment tour checklist reddit should also include a virtual walkthrough of how someone is going to get in and out of the building. This will be helpful for those who are trying to think about their morning commute. It is also helpful for the reader to have their own personal video touring checklist, allowing him or her to keep everything in mind as the tour unfolds. While it might seem obvious, this checklist is important for making sure that nothing is forgotten during the course of the tour.

Studio Apartment Video Tour

Apartment buildings are going to have units that come in all shapes and sizes. One of the most unique apartments in the space is the studio apartment. It is important for any leasing agent to shift the tone and messaging when discussing a studio apartment tour. A studio apartment tour 2020 needs to be different.

A 350 sq ft studio tour should be approached with a different attitude. The audience looking for these spaces is likely looking for affordability, utility, and versatility. Sell those features! Be sure to share some of the advantages that are going to come with living in a minimalist studio apartment. This might include lower fees, lower maintenance, easier cleaning, and reduced upkeep. Be sure to share a few ways that a resident might be able to maximize the use of his or her space, such as sharing Ikea studio apartment hacks. This might include using space underneath furniture for extra storage or lofting a bed to create added space. Finally, it is also a good idea to showcase the rest of the building as a whole and try to sell the community beyond the apartment unit as the living space. It is critical to show prospective residents every advantage that comes with living in a studio apartment and nothing can be more effective at doing this than an apartment video tour.

Luxury Apartment Video Tour

In contrast, a luxury apartment video tour is going to be different as well. Like the studio, it is critical to shift the tone and messaging when showing a luxury apartment tour. Remember, the rent for this unit is going to be higher, so the clientele is going to be different. Many prospective residents that are searching for a luxury apartment are going to be busy professionals and time for touring will not be a common theme. Therefore, it is critical to use video to show how a luxury apartment can fit that client’s specific needs. For luxury apartments, the key word to focus on is specific. You can’t simply showcase the high-quality finishes and amazing views, and hope it sells someone. Create personalized apartment video tours for each individual prospect and go as far as calling them out by name and focusing on what you know they as an individual care most about. This level of personalization and detail will go much further than a stock video tour and help your team and community stand out from the rest of the luxury apartments for rent.

While your video walkthrough is unfolding, it is critical to take the time to highlight every feature of every room. Don’t rush these tours. If the apartment is truly a luxury apartment, then it should feel like the tour is zooming in on every detail because they all matter. Don’t just showcase the bathroom, take the time to highlight the shower, the jets in the tub, the tremendous amount of closet space, the upgraded bathroom fixtures, and more. All of this is going to matter when it comes to selling a prospective resident on a luxury apartment.

Small Apartment Video Tour

Somewhere in between the studio apartment and the luxury apartment is the small apartment. While easier to show than a studio and not quite as complex as showing a luxury apartment unit, properly showcasing a small apartment still takes a dedicated effort to be effective with video leasing. When it comes to small apartment ideas, be sure to showcase how someone might be able to use the space they have in front of them.

Try to refrain from making the resident feel like they are living in an apartment that’s too small. Instead, make the small apartment tour feel as big as possible by using a wide angle lense on your smartphone device and panning effectively to capture the entire space.

While the smallest apartment in NYC might be a bit outside the range of ‘normal’ for small apartments, it is still a good idea to check out a small apartment blog to look for some top ideas on how to stage or sell these spaces. The goal is to sell the prospective resident on the idea that the apartment is just the right size for them and their needs. Therefore, focus on the advantages of living in a smaller space as well. This includes having a lower rent, reduced fees, and an easier time cleaning the apartment. A small apartment is different than other apartments, so it is critical to shift the messaging and direction of the video to match this shift.

Micro Apartment Video Tour

Finally, the micro apartment tour is going to be used to show off a tiny apartment. In many ways, this might be a college apartment tour for student living. Therefore, this apartment tour 2020 is going to have to match the audience.

For student living, the focus of the video tour should be how easy it is to study in the building, how quiet the building is, its proximity to campus, or even the social spaces that allow for hangouts and events. When it comes to the apartment tour blog, look for ideas on how a college student can maximize the use of the space in the building. In these units, space is going to be at a premium and likely shared with others, so it is a good idea to highlight the various ways that someone can save space.

If there are roommates, video tours become even more effective. Live video tours allow for all roommates to join the tour simultaneously to view the space in real-time, no matter where they are in the world. The same can be said for a pre-recorded apartment video tour being able to be sent to all roommates simultaneously for viewing. Equally important are the parents though. Being able to quickly and easily show parents where their student may be living is of the utmost importance for converting a student to a signed lease, so take the right steps to provide these video tour resources and streamline your student living leasing process.

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Accelerate Leasing

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    Speed Up Lease Up

    by providing construction updates and showcase your space without having to do hard hat tours.

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    PRE-LEASE OCCUPIED UNITS

    by ‘showing’ them without having to physically tour the space by sending pre-recorded videos.

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    CONVERT A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF YOUR LEADS INTO LEASES

    when you receive notifications when prospects are viewing videos to cater your follow up.

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    SPEND LESS TIME TO CLOSE EACH LEASE

    by removing roadblocks and barriers in the leasing process.

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    INCREASE SIGHT-UNSEEN LEASING

    by making it a breeze for out-of-market leads to choose your community.

Improve Community Engagement

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    PROMOTE YOUR PROGRAMS BETTER

    via pre-recorded videos by linking via social media or internal apps.

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    DECREASE MAINTENANCE REQUESTS

    by creating maintenance videos.

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    REINFORCE COMMUNITY RULES

    by receiving notifications when residents are viewing videos to know who has seen a message and who hasn’t.

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    REDUCE REPETITIVE QUESTIONS

    because consumers retain 10% of a message when reading it via text, but 90% of a message when viewed in a video.

More Than Software

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    Virtual Training

    is available for every property utilizing Realync.

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    Make your video efforts consistent

    with one set, standardized process and platform.

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    TRACK ENGAGEMENT And Usage

    across your entire portfolio.

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