How Video Is More Powerful Than 3D Walkthrough Software
Today’s prospective residents are savvier than ever and demand real experiences. This means leasing teams need to show prospective renters the actual space prospects are looking to rent. When an apartment is unavailable to tour, video can help meet those demands more than 3D tours.
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3D Walkthrough Software
Without a doubt, technology has changed almost every industry. This includes the real estate industry. Technology has changed how people approach their apartment search and how communities should be marketed. One of the biggest changes has been the growth of 3D walkthrough software. If you are wondering what a 3D walkthrough is, this is software that allows people to take a look at what a potential apartment in a multifamily community is going to look like using a 3D, interactive experience. Many people have found this helpful for prospective residents who might not be able to take a tour of a particular home in person and want to see a 3D representation of the space.
While beneficial for initial marketing purposes, 3D touring software has the potential of quickly becoming outdated and having limited use for actual multifamily leasing purposes. The reason is that prospective residents simply do not want to see a photoshopped or somewhat fabricated version of the place they may choose to live. These walkthroughs are not reflective of what it is going to be like to live in a particular community. Prospects are rarely willing to sign on the dotted line unless they can see a real, unaltered, and unfiltered view of where they are going to be living. For this reason, it is important for anyone running a multifamily community to allow prospective residents to see exactly what they want to see in a simple, efficient manner.
In some cases, these ‘real’ experiences may save money over 3D walkthrough technology. Take, for instance, Realync’s complete virtual leasing solution. Realync allows onsite teams to save money on 3D technology while also aligning with exactly what residents want to see in the leasing process. Video, both live and recorded, provides a real, transparent view of the specific unit, is editable, branded for consistency, and more. Realync can still provide those 360 walkthrough experiences as well. Elevate your offerings even further with Real360, an interactive, 360-degree field-of-view video tour that lets your prospects take control of their touring experience!
How To Make 3D Walkthrough
Trying to make an apartment walkthrough using a 3D camera online is a complicated process.
Often, this requires special equipment along with a tremendous amount of time. It might even require specialized technology that may have to be purchased for only a few tours. All of this is done to provide a touring experience that might not even be the prospect’s preference. Additionally, a special camera is typically needed to create a virtual tour video. As such, many multifamily professionals are looking for alternatives to this type of real estate virtual tour.
This type of newer technology is usually more expensive as well. You could end up shelling out a tremendous amount of money on 3D video specialists just to be faced with disappointed prospects that receive a 3D tour that is not reflective of what the unit is actually like.
Instead, look for a more complete, multifamily-specific option. Think about other ways to attract potential residents to the property given the potential short-fallings of 3D software when it comes to lead-to-lease conversion. With Realync, you’ll find a top-of-funnel, 3D walkthrough of what a certain floor plan looks like AND you can bring them down through the middle- and bottom- of the leasing funnel by taking the time to show them the exact apartment available. All the while, you’ll be building a stronger rapport with the prospect and increasing their confidence in signing a lease sight unseen. This value matters to prospective residents and goes a long way toward helping multifamily properties to keep their leasing conversion rates high. Leasing teams who are willing to invest in alternative options will be rewarded with more people who are willing to sign a lease and make your community their home.
3D Walkthrough Services
As technology continues to advance, advertisements will always say that newer is better. As that tech reaches the open market, you might think that an edge over the competition is available by investing in these new devices. But does the same ring true with 3D walkthroughs, also known as 360 click-through, services?
Anyone willing to invest in 3D click-through animation services is obviously committed to properly marketing and leasing their multifamily community; however, one must stop to ask what the actual strategy is to put those 3D architectural walkthrough services to use. Consumers have proved that 3D virtual tours are not the conversion machines that they claim to be. The technology may be impressive, but it leaves a lot to be desired and is not viewed as an actual tour of the building/unit. And most onsite teams are not equipped to produce these experiences on their own, which will require hiring an outside firm for a virtual reality/3D walkthrough.
This requires an added expense in addition to what was already shelled out just to buy the software. An extra middle-man in the picture may also create issues when it comes to marrying what the leasing agent wants, what the services can produce, and what the prospective resident actually needs to see. These roadblocks contribute to a lackluster experience for any renter, which leads to a lower conversion rate, lower occupancy rate, and less revenue. As a result, leasing agents will have to dedicate time they are already short on to find alternatives to this type of tech. This type of technology alone is not going to get the job done effectively. The good news is that there are plenty of other ways to show an available unit to a resident. Checking out these other options is going to reflect positively on the property’s commitment to its residents.
3D Walkthrough Cost
Cost and time-intensive requirements for an incomplete solution are one of the biggest reasons why 3D walkthrough, or 3D click-through, tours are not a viable option for multifamily properties that are looking to show off units to prospects. The costs required to create these experiences compared to the value added is too much for most properties to bear.
One of the biggest mistakes made when reviewing tech is the assumption that it’s going to magically handle everything on its own. Operating this software to its maximum potential after the initial content creation requires the help of specialists that can be hard to find in this job market. Should changes or re-recordings need to be made to any floor plans, units, or amenities, it adds to the expense. This will increase the costs and limit funds available for more 3D click-through tours/virtual walkthroughs at each community. Not having virtual tours of each and every floor plan is an instant limiting factor and may make the cost prohibitively expensive.
Virtual reality for real estate simply isn’t viable on its own, so the opportunity cost in this area is simply not worth it. The time spent trying to make this tech work leaves too much on the table. The experience prospects encounter with this type of 3D tech is nothing compared to what people get when they are able to use Realync’s complete virtual solution. Realync’s portfolio of products is less expensive and provides prospects with a more accurate and robust depiction of living at your community.
Virtual Tour Software
Some may have heard about free virtual tour software that can act as a virtual tour creator. The number one tip for any multifamily professional is to never include “free” when searching for a virtual leasing solution. Instead, search for “multifamily video leasing” or “multifamily virtual tours.” Prospective residents don’t want to see a free virtual tour app being used to create a representation of what it “might” be like to live in your available unit, their future home.
There are open-source virtual tour software options; however, virtual tour software online is not going to give customers what they are looking for unless it is purpose-built for multifamily touring. This means that multifamily communities and leasing teams have to find an alternative to free virtual tour hosting services.
With continued updates to technology, consumers have changed their expectations as well. Make sure to ask the question of what your teams will truly gain by investing in this type of technology. If the answer doesn’t have something to do with happier residents, then it is time to move on.
360 Virtual Tour Software
Another option in the industry is a 360 virtual tour. Similar to 3D touring tech, a 360-degree click-through may offer some creative technology, but will likely fall short for someone who would like to actually see an exact unit. While some consumers may feel like a 360 click-through is a closer representation of the real thing than what a 3D virtual tour can provide, these 360 click-through tours lack a truly accurate depiction of an available unit. Furthermore, people can sink a tremendous amount of time into figuring out how to make a 360 click-through. This is time that is better spent in other areas. Therefore, leasing teams need to think about alternatives that are going to show prospective residents exactly what they are going to get. Realync offers multifamily’s complete solution including pre-recorded videos, 360 click-through tours, and Real360 to cover your needs from the top to the bottom of your leasing funnel and will result in a higher return on investment than a limited solution that costs more for less.
Ready to Get Real?
Accelerate Leasing
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Speed Up Lease Up
by providing construction updates and showcase your space without having to do hard hat tours.
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PRE-LEASE OCCUPIED UNITS
by ‘showing’ them without having to physically tour the space by sending pre-recorded videos.
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CONVERT A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF YOUR LEADS INTO LEASES
when you receive notifications when prospects are viewing videos to cater your follow up.
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SPEND LESS TIME TO CLOSE EACH LEASE
by removing roadblocks and barriers in the leasing process.
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INCREASE SIGHT-UNSEEN LEASING
by making it a breeze for out-of-market leads to choose your community.
Improve Community Engagement
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PROMOTE YOUR PROGRAMS BETTER
via pre-recorded videos by linking via social media or internal apps.
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DECREASE MAINTENANCE REQUESTS
by creating maintenance videos.
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REINFORCE COMMUNITY RULES
by receiving notifications when residents are viewing videos to know who has seen a message and who hasn’t.
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REDUCE REPETITIVE QUESTIONS
because consumers retain 10% of a message when reading it via text, but 90% of a message when viewed in a video.
More Than Software
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Virtual Training
is available for every property utilizing Realync.
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Make your video efforts consistent
with one set, standardized process and platform.
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TRACK ENGAGEMENT And Usage
across your entire portfolio.
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Partner with the Realync Team
to create a personalized training program to be rolled out across all properties.
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Are you Ready to Get Real?
Talk with us today to see how Realync’s platform can 4X your lead-to-lease conversion!
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