Customer Support
"We love the Realync tool! It allows leasing teams to appeal to prospects' needs with virtual touring. It's such a great way for prospects to get real insight into our apartment communities."
Tyler Eckland
Business Manager
Setting the Scene
Located in the heart of Chicago, Cityfront Place is a premier residential community managed by Willow Bridge Property Company. With a steadfast commitment to delivering top-tier customer service and modern, convenient living experiences, the onsite team continuously looks for innovative ways to elevate the renter journey.
Central to this vision is Tyler Eckland, Business Manager at Cityfront Place. Having been with Willow Bridge for six years across multiple properties, Tyler brought extensive experience with Realync to the Cityfront team. Recognizing a shifting consumer demand for personalized, on-demand digital experiences, Cityfront Place officially launched Realync in March 2020. Since then, they have built a robust library of over 80 videos, transforming how they interact with more than 1,000 prospective renters.
Company Profile
Industry: Multifamily Property Management & Residential Real Estate
Managed By: Willow Bridge
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Number of Units: 480
Years in Business: 35+
The Challenge
For busy multifamily teams, creating and maintaining video content can easily feel like just another tedious task on an already overflowing plate. Onsite teams frequently balance tight schedules, high lead volumes, and the logistical headache of coordinating in-person tours.
At Cityfront Place, the leasing team faced a dual-sided dilemma: how to maintain strong leasing momentum despite limited unit availability, and how to effectively engage prospects who couldn't visit the property in person. Traditional follow-up methods and generic emails were failing to cut through the noise of crowded inboxes.
Furthermore, the team needed a scalable way to pre-lease "turning" units — apartments where current residents had given notice but the units weren't yet vacant or available for physical tours. Trying to capture a prospect's excitement and secure a commitment without showing them the exact space was a constant hurdle.
The Solution
To overcome these barriers, Cityfront Place implemented an intentional, proactive video strategy using Realync’s Virtual Leasing and Video Tools. Instead of viewing video creation as a chore, the team integrated it directly into their turn-over workflow. Whenever a unique unit becomes available that doesn't already have media captured, the team prioritizes filming it immediately to expand their digital asset library.
Rather than letting those videos sit idle, Cityfront Place collaborated with their marketing team to embed the Realync videos directly onto their property website and specific floor plans. This allowed the team to meet evolving consumer demands by providing a tailored, self-guided experience online.
To take automation and user experience a step further, the property integrated their Engrain sitemap. This powerful integration automatically links Realync videos directly to individual units on the interactive digital map, allowing prospects to view the exact layout, view, and location of their potential new home entirely on demand.
“On the flip side to leasing our vacant units, if we don't have it available, having a Realync video for that unit really helps us. We can sit down and walk through it with them live."
- Tyler Eckland, Business Manager
The Outcome
By shifting to an embedded video strategy, Cityfront Place turned their property website into a 24/7 leasing powerhouse, achieving exceptional engagement metrics across the Willow Bridge portfolio.
The results of their new strategy speak for themselves:
- 175,000+ Total Video Views: Demonstrating massive digital reach and sustained prospect interest.
- 95% Embedded Video Engagement: The overwhelming majority of video views come directly from their website, proving that today's modern renters prefer autonomous, visual exploration before ever reaching out to staff.
- Streamlined Operations & Saved Time: Embedded videos effectively pre-qualify leads. Prospects now enter the leasing office already informed and excited, often citing a specific video they watched online.
- Faster Leasing Cycles: Having immediate access to exact-unit videos allows the team to confidently close leases faster, preventing units from sitting vacant on the market.
Tyler sums up the transformation: "It may take time up front to get content captured and a library built up, but it's saving our team time and is improving our interactions with our prospects. You are going to be able to lease apartments easier and faster."
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