3 Virtual Tour Ideas for Apartments in 2021

Now that many real estate businesses are integrating virtual tours into their marketing strategies, it will take more effort to get tours to stand out among competition.

To make the most of your virtual property tour, take a look below for 3 virtual tour ideas for apartments in 2021.

1. 360 virtual tours

First and foremost, it’s important to distinguish 360 virtual tours from video tours.

360 virtual tours are typically more common—they require 360 photography stitched together to create a panoramic view of a property that prospects can navigate themselves, or be taken on a guided tour.

Adding this digital asset to your online marketing has endless benefits as well as possibilities for how it can be leveraged. Below are a few pros and cons as compared to video tours.

Pros

• They’re immersive
• Prospects can navigate on their own terms
• Additional features can be added to a virtual tour
• Users can immediately locate which part of the tour they’re interested in from thumbnails
• They can live on your Google Business listing
• Prospects can be taken on a guided tour

Cons

• They don’t have that “tour guide” feel unless taken on a guided tour
• Certain angles/perspectives may not be attainable
• They may appear to be more complicated to navigate
• Don’t provide a “cinematic experience”

If you already have a virtual tour, and you’re looking to optimize it for 2021, below are a few virtual tour ideas that will take yours to the next level.

• Integrate property photography so that prospects can have a high-quality visual as a resource to hold on to or share during the decision making process.
• Add floor plans to your property tour to make it easier for prospects to pick and choose a unit while navigating your apartment community
• Leverage a landing page to make it easier for renters to schedule a guided tour with a leasing agent.
• Find a provider with QR codes so that potential prospects can safely and seamlessly access your property tour with any camera phone.
• Include virtual staging with a slider bar for a budget friendly and result-driven way for renters to visualize their future homes

No matter what you do, be sure to keep your virtual tour up to date so that renters have all of the assets they need to make an informed decision about your apartment community.

2. Video tours

Video tours, on the other hand, are a combination of aerial and regular videography taken of a property, that takes users through an in-depth look at an entire community.

As you can see, this video provides prospects with a unique perspective of not only the entire community, but surrounding neighborhoods as well.

Below are a list of pros and cons of video tours as compared to 360 virtual tours.

Pros

• They’re immersive
• They showcase the entire property
• They provide unique aerial perspectives
• Video tours provide a cinematic experience

Cons

• Prospects can’t navigate on their own
• They may be too quick for some prospects
• Parts of a community may be left out or receive less coverage
• Users can’t locate interest points as easily

Just like 360 virtual tours, video tours have a slew of benefits when it comes to virtual leasing as well as lead generation.

In addition to this type of video tour, multifamily professionals have also been known to leverage FaceTime tours to walk renters through a property.

However, these tools aren’t always as trustworthy or informational during an apartment tour since they require a good WiFi connection or could have quality interruptions.

Not to mention renters can’t go back and utilize a FaceTime tour as a resource.

Regardless of which virtual tour idea you choose, remember to keep up with your digital assets and optimize them on a regular basis to reap all of their amazing benefits.

3. Stacking plans

Stacking plans are a real-time availability tool that contain multiple levels of a development as well as floor plans. These can be used for garden style, mid, or high rise buildings. Prospects can filter by type of room, price range, and even square footage.

Stacking plans act as a version of a virtual tour by allowing prospects to navigate, pick, and choose specific units throughout an apartment in depth.

But that's not all.

Stacking plans provide the ability to pick a specific unit, and then view a floor plan and click in to navigate a 3D replica of that unit.

This virtual tour idea is ideal for streamlining the virtual leasing process due to the fact that it incites a sense of urgency in renters.

Not to mention, it makes leasing agents' jobs easier because prospects can navigate your apartment completely on their own.

This tool can be used along with a virtual tour or a video tour to make the most out of your digital marketing strategy.

Get creative with virtual tours this year

As virtual tours become increasingly popular, it will be essential in the coming year to differentiate your property’s digital assets from competition as well as serve your prospects better.

By knowing what kind of tools best fit your apartment community as well as how to leverage multiple assets on your website and other online platforms, you’ll go into 2021 being proactive as opposed to reactive.