2020 has been filled with unusual hardships and hurdles for everyone in the multifamily industry. And we still have three months to go!

Multifamily apartment owners and their leasing agents have had no choice but to adapt. An industry that once relied massively on human interaction has had to about-face. The global pandemic crisis brought on by COVID-19 has pushed the multifamily sector to reevaluate its property-level marketing strategies.

Today, owners are frequently more reliant on unorthodox and even unproven methods for handling essential functions. Nowhere is this more evident than among leasing endeavors. With the constraints of social distancing, apartment managers and their leasing teams are turning to four approaches for providing tours to prospective residents.

We take a peek at each of these approaches below.

1. Virtual Guided Tour | A virtual guided tour is aided by a leasing agent where the prospect is not physically at the property. This tour necessitates the use of video conferencing technology such as GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. This sort of meeting enables the lease prospect to meet with a leasing agent and view a community and unit from the ease of their own home—or really, anyplace with an internet connection.  This is the safest approach as social distancing will never be compromised for your leasing team and rental prospects.

Leasing agents will still want to add a personal touch. Most of us have used FaceTime and have been pleasantly surprised by how personal a video conference can be. Be sure to handle that conversation as an ordinary meeting. Wear suitable attire and monitor your lighting and background. Don’t wait to turn that camera on, as that will likely inspire your audience to do the same. You will get a much better feel for your meeting when you can see facial expressions and read body language.

2. Virtual Self-Guided Tour | A virtual self-guided tour is the DIY self-service option. The lease prospect can access a video of a model floor plan via a URL. These tours are on-demand, aiming to capitalize on the lessee’s curiosity immediately. These tours do not need to be scheduled and can be done anytime, day or night. The downside is the lack of warm connectivity with what the rental prospect is doing throughout this tour. The comedown is that your leasing team cannot verbally paint the picture of your community’s experience and answer questions that may come up or close for the next steps.

3. On-Site Self-Guided Tour | The on-site self-guided tour is an independent viewing where a prospect is given a code or a key to access a unit without being escorted by a leasing agent. This technology requires providing the rental prospect with temporary access to the property. This is the safest and most COVID-compliant on-premise arrangement for allowing your possible lessee to tour an apartment.  Not only is a leasing agent not required to be present, but the registering and scheduling of this tour are also processed online. A leasing prospect can conduct an on-site tour without ever communicating with a human being. As with virtual self-guided tours, there is no instant opportunity to answer questions and close. Think Airbnb for leasing apartment units.

4. On-Site Guided Tour | Lastly, we have the classic on-site guided tour. While these are being practiced less frequently as of late, it is still possible for your leasing agents to conduct on-site guided tours while being safe and compliant. Following proper social distancing will enable your leasing team to safely and adequately show your prospective renters through your community.

The COVID emergency has necessitated the discovery of unique and innovative approaches to market multifamily housing.  We believe these new methods have demonstrated their value and genuinely are here to stay. The future is here, and it is unlikely that we will go back.