COVID-19 hit as a global pandemic in early March of 2020. Companies of all shapes and sizes from airlines and hotels to manufacturing facilities were being forced to implement work-from-home policies, minimize workforces to cut operating expenses, and more. With health officials and US leaders encouraging everyone to participate in “social distancing”, Buckingham’s CityWay needed to find a solution to continue leasing apartments during the pandemic.

Prior to using Realync, CityWay had used a virtual reality program, Google Walking Tours, and 3D floor plans during their lease-up. This made it possible for CityWay to “walk” prospective residents through spaces that hadn’t opened yet.

With over 40 floor plans, only having virtual reality tools for two different unit types was simply not enough. Implementing Realync allowed CityWay to record every single unit type on their property and instantly share their tours with prospective residents via email, via a link on their website, and in many other ways.

“We were extremely lucky to be able to quickly launch Realync in the beginning stages of the pandemic so we consider ourselves ahead of our competition when it comes to virtual shows,” says Ashley Parker​, Senior Property Manager at CityWay.

Initially their main goal with implementing Realync was to give CityWay a tool to virtually lease during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to that, they have been able to use Realync videos to help residents conduct their own move-in inspections, provide residents with at-home maintenance how-tos, and share property updates. It has helped CityWay become more efficient and personal with the way they are able to communicate with both residents and prospective residents when unable to see the property in person.

One of the most important things that CityWay has found through their use of Realync is the power of human-to-human interaction. Using Realync, CityWay has been able to really hone in on building a virtual relationship with their prospects and establish more open communication no matter the distance. The team recorded introductory videos of their Leasing Consultants to share in the first response so their prospects could virtually “meet” who would be helping them find their new home.

“A large challenge when navigating this virtual/video touring was video storage and sharing oversized files. Realync took all worries about storage and emailing large files away. The tracking of unique links has also made staying up-to-date with our clients simple,” says Ashley.

In the first two months of being on the Realync platform, CityWay created nearly 150 videos and received over 4,200 views on them.

Along with Realync’s upfront training and through some trial and error on their own, the CityWay team very quickly became self-driven on proficient with their video leasing efforts.

“There was training by the Realync staff, but the best learning was achieved by trying and doing.”

CityWay took the initial 1-3 weeks to record as many vacant units and amenity spaces as possible and build their cloud-based library of videos into quite the war chest for their virtual leasing efforts. That effort and time put in upfront made a huge difference for their team and sets them up for long-term virtual leasing success.

CityWay has plans to require a Realync tour for every prospective resident before they engage in a modified in person / self-guided tour since their property offers over 40 different layouts. Using Realync to narrow down the number of units a prospective resident wants to physically view puts the CityWay team in a more comfortable and safer position when touring in person, while also allowing the leasing team to be more efficient – meaning less face-to-face time required!