Like data, lemons might seem sour, but they actually make lemonade.

Have you ever seen a statistic and thought, yeah, right. Where did they get those facts? I think we can all comfortably admit to that, but I have a more serious confession to make… 😬

One of our cultural pillars at Realync is to be real. That’s why on any given day, someone, somewhere within our team is saying, In the spirit of being radically transparent, right before releasing a truth bomb. So, I wanted to bring some of that authenticity to you!

Why I Said, Yeah Right, to Our Own Statistic

There’s a statistic I’ve been sharing with my clients that goes something like this: “52% of prospects would sign a lease with ONLY a virtual tour.” But, don’t worry, it’s not like it’s inaccurate. This is a REAL statistic from a Satisfacts + Realync prospect survey. So, there has always been confidence behind the information I’ve shared, but at the same time, I kind of had that, Yeah right, feeling in the back of my mind.

Even after 8+ years of working in the multifamily industry, I was skeptical about being able to lease sight-unseen unless it was a “have to” situation (i.e., international/cross-country relocations, unexpected moves, etc.). I was convinced that even with all the information available on the website, photos or videos a leasing agent might share, and even a virtual tour, that I could never sign a lease sight-unseen. And I don’t just work in a behind-the-scenes role, I work as a (very forward-facing) Client Success Manager offering strategy to my clients on how to best utilize the amazing tools Realync has to offer. So, why am I coming clean about this?

It may or may not be because I’ve already had my annual performance review for the year… just kidding, my boss knows I’m writing this!

How I was Finally Sold on that Statistic (and an Apartment)

Recently, my housing situation changed and I was *loosely* in the market for an apartment. I had a few months before I actually needed a new place, but you all know how the market is right now. It’s B-A-N-A-N-A-S! (Shout out to those of you that have enough self-control not to immediately belt that out as if you’re Gwen Stefani! 😂).

I called all of the places I was willing to consider in my price and location ranges and literally all of them were almost fully occupied, didn’t have a floor plan that suited my needs, or were on wait lists a mile long. So, then I called the places I didn’t want to consider and was met with same end result.

One day (after I had become quite hopeless), I randomly received a call from one of the (what felt like) seven million communities I had reached out to and they happened to have the specific floor plan I was looking for coming available in just two, short weeks. Although I didn’t truly need to move for another two-three months and didn’t have a single piece of cardboard to even attempt to start packing, I went for it. The catch? I couldn’t see it in person until the day I moved in.

If I wanted to secure the apartment at the lowest rate, I had to get my application in right away. Of course, I asked a million questions to get as much information as possible about my future home. I even went as far as printing out the floor plan and tracing it so I could draw my furniture in to ensure everything would fit!

Why Pre-recorded Virtual Tours Work in Multifamily

So there I was, signing my very own lease agreement on an apartment I had never seen in person before. Never say never, right? Luckily, the community I ended up at happens to be a Realync client. They had a Realync Pre-recorded video of the exact floor plan I would be in, and I’m sure they got a kick out of all the analytics because I sent that video to everyone I knew asking if I should really pull the plug on something I couldn’t see in person.

The video they sent before I signed my lease put me at ease. And, I’m not just saying that because I work here and have next year’s performance review to worry about. 😉 I truly felt like I had something to fall back on if I walked into something unexpected with a Uhaul full of all my belongings in the parking lot. It gave me confidence and hope in a mostly hopeless housing search. But most of all, it gave me perspective. The perspective that in this industry we don’t (and won’t) always have the luxury of touring prospects in person – even when they live just three miles down the road.

I’m truly honored to be able to coach my clients through how Realync’s Pre-recorded Videos, Live Tours, and Live Sessions can help them make lemonade out of lemons no matter the situation at hand (because every prospects housing search really is so unique). I hope that you have a bit more faith in the statistics we share here at Realync!

Let’s Make Lemonade Out of Lemons Together

If you’re a current client, I would love to chat strategy with you on all the ways you can utilize Realync to ease your prospect’s journey and make your day-to-day tasks on-site more efficient.

If you’re not a current client, let’s sip a glass of virtual lemonade together and discuss all the ways we can create some new, profound statistics for your communities! 🍋