How Self-Guided Tours Benefit Renters
At the onset of the pandemic, property managers were forced to find alternatives to traditional leasing, and virtual leasing became the clear front-runner. Now that offices have opened up and people better understand the virus, self-guided tours are becoming more popular. The increased convenience and comfort of self-guided tours make them more than just a stop-gap solution — for many renters, they’re simply a better option.
More Convenient Tour Times (important to 43% of people choosing self-guided tours*)
Leasing offices are typically open only 60% of the time renters want to tour. Moving is stressful enough on its own without having to take time off work to tour new communities. Self-guided tours allow software utilization to increase the hours that tours are available so that renters can more easily fit tours into their schedules. Expanding leasing hours from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, for example, would mean your community is open to tour 95% of the time that renters wish to tour.
Better Tour Experience (important to 63% of people choosing self-guided tours*)
A 2020 Kingsley (a Grace Hill Company) Resident Sentiment Report shows that 16% of people prefer to tour an apartment on their own, and over 80% of renters said they would use a self-guided tour. Another study done by Anyone Home noted that when given a choice of tours, 76% choose a self-guided tour while only 24% choose to tour with a leasing professional. Why? Customers want to tour an apartment at their own pace and speak candidly with each other. Touring on their own allows them to better picture themselves in the space without a stranger there and offers a higher comfort level with less pressure. Better tour experience leads to higher engagement rates and more time spent touring the unit.
Safer Tour Environment (important to 59% of people choosing self-guided tours*)
The current risk of COVID-19 and the associated safety protocols mean any social interaction is more stressful now than it used to be. Self-guided tours allow customers to feel more comfortable practicing social distancing and more confident they are minimizing health risks.
Improved technology and customer familiarity with online technology, as well as the need to increase health and safety have all contributed to the popularity of self-guided tours. Fortunately, self-guided tours also provide important benefits to leasing offices too. Stay tuned for the next installment of our Self-Guided Tour Series to find out how self-guided tours can have a positive impact on leasing performance.
* Source: RENTCafe.com survey of 3,500 renters, May 2020
