How to Offer Rental Virtual Tours During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of people to shelter-in-place and not leave their homes. These regulations have created a challenge for Property Managers who are in the process of renting out empty homes and apartments. Many potential residents can no longer visit for in-person tours of a property.
However, just because potential residents can’t show up in person doesn’t mean you can’t keep the rental process moving forward.
You can host rental virtual tours to give potential residents a way to visit your property and also follow current shelter-in-place orders.
Let’s look at how rental virtual tours can offer a new way to present properties to potential renters now (and in the future) and see how you can set up a virtual tour of your own.
There are many benefits to offering virtual tours for both your staff and potential residents. These benefits will extend well beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why you can start using virtual tours now and then continue offering them once restrictions have been lifted.
As you can see, even without a global pandemic, there are benefits to offering virtual tours.
Plus, as more potential residents start using virtual tours, they will likely feel more comfortable with this option as a way to see a property in the years ahead. The time to adopt this technology is now.
You have a lot of options when it comes to hosting a rental virtual tour. Some property managers create them just by walking around with a smartphone, while others hire virtual reality companies to create interactive experiences. You can offer varying levels of quality depending on the experience you want to create, your timeline, and your budget.
As you develop your virtual tour, keep a few things in mind.
With these tips in mind, you can create a virtual tour that supports your team and sells future residents on the property.
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Create a plan for if applicants still want to take a physical tour, even with the COVID-19 outbreak. You can create a plan where they can meet you on the premises and follow you safely in their cars. Put lockboxes on rental properties and wait outside while the future residents look around. After each person looks at the property, be sure to sanitize it to protect other employees or applicants from possibly picking up the virus and spreading it further.
Offering rental virtual tours is an effective way to keep you, your team, and potential residents safe while moving the rental process forward.
It’s also something that can provide lasting value for your property management processes. You can continue to offer rental virtual tours to help future residents easily explore your rentals even after COVID-19 ends.
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