Free Video Apartment Tour Tips

College Apartment Checklist

Choosing your first-ever apartment is very exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. If you are a leasing agent helping to guide the younger generation through their leasing process, keep in mind that they likely are not thinking through everything that they should be and will likely need more guidance throughout the process.

One way that you can be a true partner with college students through their leasing process is to put together a college apartment checklist to run through with them and make sure they’re getting the right space for them / their roommates:

• Make a list of features and amenities that are desired, then prioritize them based on must-haves, nice to haves, and dream apartment features. By writing it all down, you’ll know what to look for and where to compromise.
• Pay attention to the timeline. Most apartment communities will not be able to tell what’s available until 30-60 days before an expected move-in day. Manage expectations here, but also help them know that many apartments have a move-in day on the first of the month, but this can vary.
• Make sure that the student understands that there is more than just rent needing to be paid. Help prospective residents to know that there will be a deposit required and any additional fees for utilities, parking, amenities, pets, etc. They may need to consider having a guarantor sign the lease as well if they don’t meet the income requirements.

One of the best pieces of advice that we can offer to a leasing agent focused on student living is to go on a college apartment tour themselves. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a new college student going through the leasing process for the first time. Look for what may be confusing, what could be scary, and ways that you can make the student living leasing process more streamlined and comfortable for everyone involved.

While it will always be preferred to schedule an in-person tour for a first-time college apartment tour, consider having all of the videos and live tour options available as well. College students are typically moving from out-of-market and international students from out-of-country. Be prepared to connect with them to showcase your student living property videos and make accommodations for anyone moving from afar. Students (and their parents) will want to make sure that what they see online is what they get when they’re on campus and moving in. So cover all of the bases and make sure to over-communicate whenever possible. Today’s younger generation sees through fake, photoshopped experiences, so make sure to go beyond the 3D rendering of an apartment and offer the real, transparent experience with Realync.

Apartment Tour Questions

When going on an apartment tour, the prospective resident will likely come prepared with a list of questions to ask about the unit, the property, and the management company.

Which is great! An engaged prospect is an ideal resident. But did you know it’s also a good idea to have questions prepared as the apartment guide and expert as well? A tour, whether virtual or in-person, is a great time to get to know your prospective resident and vet out whether they will be a good resident as well.

So what should be on your resident screening checklist?

1. Ask about their current living situation. See if they’re already renting and if so, where. Ask how long they’ve lived there, why they’re moving, and when they’d like to move in. You can even see if their current landlord or property managers know that they’re thinking of moving and if they’ll provide a favorable reference. Most importantly, try to see if they’ve ever been evicted before as this is a huge red flag.
2. Ask about their income. See what they do for a living and roughly how much they make. You can also ask if anyone else will be living with them that will contribute financially. This can also determine how many parking spaces they will need. While financial questions can be a touchy subject, they’re necessary ones that can be a quick excluding factor.
3. Ask about their lifestyle. Do they smoke? Do they have pets? Children? Do they work the overnight shift at work or get up early for a long commute? Get to know them as much as you can in the short time that you’ll likely have together. Figuring out what they’re into, passionate about, and what their general lifestyle choices are will not only give you insight into them as a resident but help you cater your follow-up accordingly as well.

Asking these important questions ahead of time will help you better understand the future resident’s situation and determine if they will be a quality resident in your community. It can help you avoid late or missed rent payments, complaints from neighbors, and potentially having to evict a resident. This not only makes for a happier, safer, community but will hopefully lead to a higher renewal rate and resident retention rate as well.

Apartment Checklist

Just as you should expect a potential resident to ask loads of questions, you should also expect them to check out not just the unit while on an apartment tour, but the entire community.

Because of this, you’ll want to take yourself on a pre-tour of the unit you are planning to show and record that tour to use as a preview or follow on to an in-person tour. Doing this can not only help answer some questions people may have before coming in person but can also help remind them of certain things following the tour to cut down on follow on questions or repeat showings.

In order to be very effective with your apartment touring, it can be beneficial to build an apartment tour checklist that you can go through during each pre-tour or when creating video tours of your units.

With this apartment tour checklist, it will (or should) likely depend slightly based on the floor plan that you’re recording, but as a broad sweep, here are some of the top things to include:

• Open all blinds on the windows
• Turn on all of the lights and ceiling fans
• Make sure toilet sheets are closed and shower curtains are pulled back
• Turn on faucets to wash down any debris that may have gathered in the sinks
• Make sure all of the appliances have the time set and are clean of fingerprints
• Look at the floors and walls for scuffs or touch-ups needed
• Confirm that all doors are open to allow free flow from room to room when touring
• If you have connected devices or smart home technology, ensure it’s connected and set up to be demoed during the tour
• If there’s a fireplace, turn it on — even if it’s the middle of summer

Ultimately, you’ll want to make sure everything is in great working order and that everything shows well before bringing a prospective resident through the space. And this list goes for in-person tours as well as live video tours and pre-recorded video tours. No matter how you’re showing your apartment units, you want them to show well. These items aren’t rocket science but can go a long way in ensuring that every prospective resident has the same, quality experience.

Don’t expect everything to go perfectly either though. Be real with your prospects. If a prospective resident finds an issue in a unit, don’t overreact or underreact. Make a note of it and ensure that your team will be right on top of getting that resolved.

At the end of the day, apartment leasing, apartment marketing, and apartment touring are changing! Prospective residents are increasingly nomadic and transient, so being equipped with the latest technology that will take your tours to them is of the utmost importance. Stay on top of showcasing your space in the most real way possible, make the leasing process easy for your prospects, and you’ll find that leasing doesn’t need to be a complicated thing.