Turn a prospect from potential to “SOLD!”

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The secret sauce that turns a prospect from potential to “SOLD!” is experience — how the apartment tour made them “feel” about your property, including how they were treated by the onsite team. 

While there are many factors to consider in the leasing sales process, if you allow subpar customer service to persist at your properties, you’ll soon find yourself on the slippery slope of declining sales, lost revenue, and a beleaguered reputation. In fact, the only one winning when you fail to create a memorable apartment tour experience is your competition.

With an increasing supply of lease options entering the market and more non-traditional housing also becoming available, competition is at an all-time high. On top of that, the industry has seen huge swings in renter preferences, including changes in:

• Buying behaviors.
• Service expectations.
• Apartment amenity desires.

Because the leasing process begins long before a prospect signs a lease, how you conduct and optimize your apartment tours can make or break your success. With renters having more options than ever and expectations evolving rapidly, delivering a standout tour experience is essential.

From Meh to Memorable: 3 Apartment Tour Tips That Make a Difference

There’s often a reluctance to change, but the reality is that the role of onsite leasing teams is changing. And failure to adapt, particularly in the highly competitive multifamily market, is an eventual recipe for disaster.  

However, change doesn’t have to be difficult, and with these simple shifts to your apartment tour strategy, your leasing teams will be well-positioned to close the sales loop. 

Fortunately, it takes little effort and minimal expense to create an experience that puts your property in the best light, which means that “extra mile” effort is easily attained. And in the wise words of Roger Staubach, “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”

Because here’s the question you need to ask: If someone is touring three communities in one day, how will they remember yours?

Apartment Tour Tip #1: Make It Personal

Those first impressions can make or break you. Your apartment tours should feel tailored, not scripted. When prospective residents walk through the leasing office door or call the office, the reception they get needs to be positive.

Personalization builds connection and helps prospects picture themselves living in your community. That starts with a warm welcome, knowing the prospect’s name, and pointing out amenities or floor plan features that align with their needs.

The 2024 NMHC/Grace Hill Renter Preferences Survey Report (Renter Preferences Report) reveals that customer service/staff interaction is a top-ranking factor in future lease decisions. Of 44,715 survey responses, 44% of respondents consider it “very important.”

Other important lease factor decisions include available lease terms, rental rates, property appearance, home features and finishes, and floor plans. But these are things over which your onsite teams often have little control. What they can control: their behavior.

Do you have industry-specific policies, procedures, and training that ensure your front-line team members understand what “making a positive first impression” looks like? As a leader, you need to set expectations and be specific. You can’t leave it to chance or assume everyone shares the same ideas.

Overall, this is an easy strategy to implement, as it primarily involves showing general kindness, but your team should also be trained to do the following:

• Be welcoming.
• Make eye contact and smile.
• Introduce themselves.
• Use the prospect’s first name once it’s shared.
• Introduce others — staff and residents alike — if the opportunity arises.
• Ask discovery questions.
• Show interest in lifestyle preferences.
• Highlight relevant amenities.

People crave connection, even if they do prefer working from home. So, making those initial interactions personal goes a long way toward creating memorable experiences that help prospects immediately feel at home in your community.

When tours feel like conversations — not sales pitches — prospects are more likely to connect emotionally with the property.

Apartment Tour Tip #2: Provide Tour Options

There is no denying it; renters have altered their search behavior when looking for a new place to live, and people increasingly “expect” convenience and choice.

Virtual tours gained momentum during the pandemic, and they are here to stay. Forty-five percent of survey respondents in the Renter Preferences Report indicated that interactive virtual/3D tours are a valuable form of digital content during the rental home search process. This represents a 10% increase from the 2022 survey results. 

It’s important to note, though, that renters aren’t self-limiting. While in-person, self-guided tours have decreased in popularity, both in-person, guided and live video tours with a property representative have seen year-over-year increases. 

Whether it’s scheduling flexibility or the ability to tour remotely, modern renters are using various sources to vet communities — often starting with virtual tours to narrow their options — before they ever step foot in a leasing office. Providing prospects with options shows you respect their time and preferences, so the more resources you can offer, the better. 

According to Multi-Housing News, renters “want to see the community layout, exact apartment they’d live in, precise location within the community, views, interior features, proximity to amenities, real-time pricing and availability and more on the website.”

The bottom line: Your touring options are crucial in providing potential customers with what they want, need, and desire. This shift in behavior not only heightens the need for making virtual options available but also highlights the importance of making those in-person opportunities memorable.

People want options — self-guided, guided, and virtual — when it comes to touring your properties, so give it to them. Because there’s no doubt about it, you need all three to position your properties for a competitive advantage.

Apartment Tour Tip #3: Follow Up Strategically

It’s a common scenario: A prospective resident has gathered information and toured your property but hasn’t yet signed a lease. So now what? There’s definitely a fine line between giving someone space to make a decision and making them feel forgotten — or, on the other side of that, pestering them to the point you turn them away.

Whether the renter is conducting initial inquiries or seems just one step away from signing on the dotted line, an effective follow-up strategy is critical.

A strong post-tour process demonstrates professionalism and keeps your property top of mind. Unfortunately, many communities still fall short in this area, missing opportunities to convert leads simply because they fail to follow through.

A great follow-up strategy includes:

• Personalized email or text messages within 24 hours. 
• Recap of what was discussed or shown during the tour.
• Links to virtual content or a digital version of your apartment tour checklist.
• A simple next step to keep the conversation moving. 

Automation techniques can significantly enhance your follow-up routines, but don’t overlook the value of a handwritten thank-you note. In today’s digital age, a simple handwritten “Thank you!” complements your automated solutions, personalizes the experience for potential renters, and gives you a leg up against the competition with that “extra mile” touch.

Jennifer Staciokas, Executive Managing Director of Property Management at Western Wealth, comments on the significance of having a solid follow-up process:

Customers often send information requests to five or seven different communities and hear back from only one or two. When a customer doesn’t get a call or an email back, the lead dies, and that’s not good for either party. When they get a quick response with continued communication, it shows them we care for them as a resident and makes their decision to lease there much easier.

The goal: Stay connected without overwhelming. 

Apartment Tour Checklist: Old School Solution Meets Modern Relevance

A clear, repeatable checklist ensures your team doesn’t miss important details during the tour. It also helps standardize the experience across all leasing teams and properties. Here are a few examples of items you might want your apartment tour checklist to cover:

• Key talking points for each amenity.
• Floor plan highlights.
• Parking and pet policies.
• Availability and move-in timing.
• Tour personalization notes.

Providing a branded, leave-behind checklist can also help prospects remember your property after visiting multiple communities.

A great unit tour makes all the difference. So, while creating your apartment tour checklist, consider pairing it with a video tour of the unit. If that sounds too difficult, think again!

Are Your Apartment Tour Strategies Moving the Needle?

By consistently applying these three simple apartment tour tips — make it personal, provide tour options, and follow up strategically — your team can turn more “maybes” into “move-ins.” When leasing teams focus on creating personal connections, offering flexible touring formats, and executing timely follow-ups, they not only enhance the renter experience but also increase close rates.

As customer experience expert Shep Hyken reminds us, “Make every interaction count. Even the small ones. They are all relevant.” That mindset applies from the first point of contact through the final handshake — and every moment in between.

Source: Grace Hill