Are prospective residents touring your communities virtually? Or are they touring in person? Or is it a combination of the two? No matter how prospective residents tour your multifamily community, fully virtual or in-person or a hybrid, property managers need to know what parts of the property prospective residents want to see. They need an apartment tour checklist.
We know. An apartment checklist? But you KNOW your property front and back. Is that really necessary? Well, it’s going to make your process easier and allow every property manager to have the same tour foundation to build on. An easy to follow apartment walkthrough checklist allows everyone on the property team to be entirely comfortable and confident in creating property tours. That’s also going to provide a more consistent, efficient and, most importantly, effective, experience for everyone involved. It doesn’t matter if it’s your prospect’s 10th tour or first, you want their tour experience to be the one they remember most. And why is that? Because the end result could be a signed lease.
To help you get started, here is an apartment tour checklist of things that are easy to do and will make a huge impact in the success of your tour.
Visualize the Tour Path
The first item of business on the apartment tour checklist? Think about where you’re going to start the tour, where you’re going to end the tour and how you’re going to get there. Do you want to start from the leasing office then proceed to show them the clubhouse, outdoor amenities, and then on to the unit(s)? Or do you want to start from the unit itself? Whether you start or end in the unit, make sure you go into each tour knowing what you’ll showcase. Will it be views and the open kitchen? Or the amazing closet? And keep an eye on how much time you’ll need to hit for at all the high points. It’s definitely poor apartment viewing etiquette to rush your prospect, or, even worse, keep them later than they intended.
Keep in mind who your prospect is and what they may have on their apartment viewing checklist. Make sure you are personalizing as much as possible. These are key considerations to think through first to ensure a smooth, cohesive tour experience.
Walk the Tour Path and Prep the Area
Now that you know your path, walk through it for practice. Do a practice run and make sure all the spaces are clean. Ensure the lights are on, toilet seats are down, the relevant doors are unlocked and open, and blinds are adjusted accordingly. The spaces your showing should pass any and all rental viewing checklist your prospect may have. Also, try and make sure you’re accounting for the time of day. We love afternoon sun in the living room, but maybe tilt the blinds a bit to manage light flare. Don’t close them all the way, just look to avoid too much of a good thing. Also, make sure as you’re walking to and from areas of the property, they are cleaned up and tidy. A well-cared for lawn area is great, but you definitely don’t need to see all the gear out or walk through the sounds of a weed eater.
Start the Tour
It’s go time! Here’s where the pre-tour prep can make all the difference. First of all, make sure you start the tour on time if it’s a live video tour. Then, kick things off by turning the camera to selfie mode and introducing yourself. Or, if this is a returning prospect, just say hi and let them see your face. Also, if this is a live video tour, let them know this will be recorded so they can go back and rewatch it later.
During the tour, walk slow. Let the prospects take the property in and check things off their apartment hunting must-haves. You want to make sure the person on the other end is having a really great viewing experience and can see all they want and need to see if it’s a live tour. Make sure to talk about not just the property itself, but the surrounding area. Preset pins on a map before the tour, some virtual touring software like Realync enable this for users, then showcase specific things your prospect is interested in – like parks, schools, restaurants and coffee shops.
End the Tour
After you have shown them the space, turn the camera to selfie mode again to thank them for joining the live video tour. Or even if it’s in person be sure to thank them regardless.
Most prospects came in with a list of questions to ask during an apartment walk through. As you close your tour, make sure you’ve answered each one of those apartment tour questions. Or, as you’re talking through next steps, let the prospect know you’ll answer any outstanding questions or issues in the follow up communication. Speaking of…
Follow Up Immediately After
This is one of the most important aspects of any apartment tour checklist. Follow up to ensure your tour attendees received the video recording via email if they did a live video tour. If they did, great! This is an opportunity to address those follow up questions. If they didn’t, well, aren’t you glad you asked?! If you didn’t go through all of your amenity spaces during the live video tour or weren’t able to tour each floor plan of interest, make sure to send your community overview videos and unit videos after the tour. From here, you’ll stay in touch and continue communication until they are ready to sign on the dotted line.
This may seem like a fairly simple apartment tour checklist. And it is! The whole process is likely much easier than you thought. With a little preparation, and a great multifamily virtual leasing platform like Realync, your property will stand out and be first on their apartment comparison checklist.
Get In Touch!
Close more leases, market more effectively, engage with residents and, as always, keep it real. Do you have a question or suggestion? Or want to learn more about what you read? Email us at contact@realync.com. We’d love to hear from you!
