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CHICAGO, June 23, 2008 –Apartments.com, the leading online apartment search resource, today announced the launch of Apartments.com “Walk Through Video.” Unlike other Internet Listing Service (ILS) products, Apartments.com “Walk Through Video” brings floorplans and features to life by taking renters on a tour inside of apartments and community common areas to deliver a multimedia experience that renters demand.
Apartments.com research reveals that renters prefer video tours that are focused on an apartment’s interior with 81 percent of survey respondents stating they would likely view a walk-through style video. Describing walk-through video tours as a quick and easy way to get inside an apartment, the majority of renters want factual information about actual apartments, not commentary that sounds like a sales pitch or “infomercial.” Furthermore, video was cited as more useful than still photos or virtual tours.
“Apartments.com continually strives to enhance the experience of our users by incorporating the most relevant means to bring our listings to life,” said Kevin Doyle, senior vice president and general manager of Apartments.com. “With 75 percent of online users watching videos, the introduction of ‘Walk Through Video’ not only embraces the popularity of online video technology, but it also eases the apartment search process for renters. Instead of using valuable time and gas money driving to visit apartments, renters can now take an online tour of what could potentially be their future apartment through our online video product.”
Showcasing a real sense of interior space, renters are now able to envision where their belongings would fit inside an apartment—all from the convenience of their computer. By capturing the feel of an in-person apartment tour through online video, Apartments.com is able to drive even more ready-to-rent prospects to the doors of their customers.
Apartments.com “Walk Through Video” is available to Apartments.com advertisers on a monthly subscription basis and uses streaming video, produced and edited by an in-house, professionally-trained videography team. Videos are found within an Apartments.com advertiser’s “Community Details” page along with other media including 360 degree tours and photos. For enthusiastic renters looking to showcase their apartment video to roommates, friends and family, Apartments.com videos can be seamlessly shared through a variety of pass-along mechanisms in the form of video links, email-to-a-friend options and video access on social networking applications.
About Apartments.com
Apartments.com is the most visited national apartment Internet listing subscription service with more than 50,000 unique addresses representing more than three million rental units from managed properties, newspaper classifieds and for-rent-by-owner properties. With personalized searches, highly visual ads featuring 360-degree virtual tours, professional photography, and comprehensive community listings, Apartments.com makes it possible for renters to access apartment rental inventory from across town or across the country. Leads from highly qualified ready-to-rent prospects are delivered to Apartments.com customers, increasing closure rates and decreasing the average cost of leasing an apartment. The Web site's foundation of solid partnerships with the local newspaper and television station Web sites of more than 10,000 newspaper affiliate and strategic partners across the country include Yahoo! Real Estate, AOL Real Estate, Univision (www.univision.com), the Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com), The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) and the Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com). Apartments.com is a division of Chicago-based Classified Ventures, LLC.
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