Take one look at today’s multifamily professionals and you quickly realize one thing — they don’t have the luxury of time. From property management to marketing to maintenance, if something isn’t quick and effective, it’s not going to work for them. The market moves far too fast for slow and complicated.
When it comes to virtual tours, most of us can agree they are a must have. However, most multifamily marketing and leasing professionals don’t have time to learn complicated virtual tour software, cameras, platforms, and more. And even if you did learn it, the one-size-fits-all tour creator that you just spent so much time to learn likely won’t hit the mark with today’s prospective residents. Virtual tour software has a big learning curve and simply doesn’t provide the level of personalization and authenticity today’s audience requires. That’s why live video tours have entered the picture (courtesy of Realync) and have emerged as the simple, easy, DIY way to connect with prospective residents to showcase your community.
When looking at how to create a virtual tour, it should be professional, but not lose its authenticity, informative but also something that captures someone’s attention, and, most of all, easy to create, easy to share, and easy to consume. The best way to do that? Work with a software that is specifically built for multifamily and built for live video tours. Do that and you may be surprised just how easy, professional, and affordable it can be for you and your team(s).
Professional
When thinking about live video tours, many people may get stuck on the idea of it being a shaky, unprofessional experience. Think The Blair Witch Project. Yikes. The good news is that with the right live virtual tour software and the right equipment, that nauseating experience is a thing of the past. Using a simple app on a mobile device, leasing professionals can host clean, professional tours connecting with prospective residents in real-time.
And for the shake? A simple anti-shake gimbal is the perfect add-on and only thing you really need to take the professionalism of your live video tours from 0 to 100. Worried about going live and messing up or losing signal? Remove the worry and simply record your shots in advance to later be able to watch in real-time with your prospect! Easy-peasy and super clean! Don’t worry about not showcasing your community in its best light. Not only can you capture the true experience via live video, but it will instill trust and transparency into the process for the prospects on the other end of the tour.
Effective
Speaking of trust and transparency. Time and again we’ve talked about how live virtual tours have a much greater impact on today’s target audience of prospective residents for multifamily communities. If you’re looking at how to make a virtual tour for real estate, live is, or should be, the only way to go. Not only do live virtual tours allow for customizable experiences that cater to the needs of the individual prospect joining that live tour, but they allow the leasing agent hosting the tour to build a relationship and rapport with their prospect as well.
And you can’t photoshop live video. Because of the nature of live virtual tours, trust and authenticity are a part of your leasing process from the very beginning. People will know what they are getting from the property and their unit with no surprises. Because the tour is live, prospects can ask questions and leasing agents can answer their questions both verbally and by actually turning the camera and showing the inside of the closet or the view out of the window. That level of interactivity and personalization literally cannot be matched or touched by any other virtual tour offering or solution. The key to effective touring is going live, personalization to prospects, and instilling trust into every step of the process.
Easy
Like we mentioned above, there can be quite the learning curve when it comes to creating full 3D, 360, or other virtual tours. That’s why you typically only see one or two of them at a multifamily community and why there are so many contractors out there that will come in and use your software / cameras to create the tours for you. They’re laborious and complex! However, a great, high-quality virtual tour can be as easy as opening your phone. Live virtual tours don’t require anything more than what’s already in your pursue or pocket and an LTE or wifi connection.
Want to start a live tour to walk a prospective resident through a floor plan on their lunch break? Send them an email invite to a tour, click start tour, and get touring! With live video tour solutions like Realync, the touring doesn’t even end there. Your live tour is automatically recorded and saved to the cloud, and an automated email is sent to the attendee(s) with a link to watch or share their recording. The kicker? You can see just how many times your attendee(s) rewatched the tour! With how much time is spent on our phones today, why not use them to close deals and make your life as a leasing agent easier?
Close more deals and save time by learning how to create a virtual tour with Realync
While kids today may be more tech savvy than prior generations, when it comes down to how to create and host a virtual tour, even they may have extensive issues trying to figure out the complex and enduring process of the 3D and 360 virtual tour software of today. However, put the right live virtual tour app in their hands and we’re guessing even they’ll be able to get right to touring!
There is a reason that we call Realync a “video leasing” solution. Traditional video, 3D and 360 virtual tours, and other rich media content of that nature are great marketing tools. But when it comes to actually connecting with a prospective resident to build a relationship, answer their questions, showcase your space, and get them to a place where they’re comfortable and confident to sign a lease requires so much more than those other rich media tools can offer. While nothing can replace having a prospect physically on-site to tour, literally nothing comes as close as a live virtual tour.
Want to learn more about how live virtual tours can help you / your team increase conversion rates and sign more leases more efficiently? Contact sales@realync.com or request a demo above!
Until next time…keep it real!
