Tours Down Due to COVID-19? Offer Multiple Tour Options

 
 
 
In-person tours of multifamily properties have likely slowed to a trickle or stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, that doesn’t mean leasing has to grind to a halt. Now is the time to beef up your virtual tour options and use live video, pre-recorded and self-guided tours to your advantage. 
 
Virtual tours can create additional complexity for leasing teams in communicating options, scheduling and managing the process in an easy and professional manner. But, virtual tours may be the best way to lease units during these historic times of social distancing, stay-at-home orders and shelter-in-place mandates.
 
 
Tour Via Technology
 
You need to update your website now to outline your property’s current visit protocol and touring solutions. That way prospects don’t show up if you have stopped giving in-person tours. Make it clear what options are currently available for those planning their next move.
 
If you haven’t implemented video tours, now’s the time to start. 
 
“I think, from the sales team’s standpoint, video tours are hugely beneficial,” says Marcella Eppsteiner, Vice President of Marketing at Mission Rock Residential, which oversees more than 105 apartment communities across the U.S.
 
Eppsteiner calls the virtual tours on Mission Rock’s property websites “a game changer” for leasing teams, because consultants can digitally provide the highest quality customer service; however, she advises it takes a top-notch leasing agent to maximize the marketing impact of the videos.
 
“When you utilize and leverage a virtual tour in the sales process, you h……