webinar
Apartments.com
10 Ways to Prepare for Peak Leasing Season
Is your property listing as effective as it could be?
In a recent webinar, Apartments.com’s Chris Hood shared 10 tips proven to improve lead volume and lead quality. Properties that adopt these best practices can fill their vacancies faster, he said.
“A few small tweaks can make a big difference in your lead conversion,” Hood said.
Tip #1: Captivate renters with high-quality media
When renters are searching for their next place, they don’t want to just imagine what your apartments and community amenities look like — they want to see them. High-quality multimedia can draw renters into your listing and encourage them to apply.
“You can do the best job describing your apartments,” Hood said, “but seeing is believing.”
Photos, videos, and 3D tours can provide important information about the property and available units, including showing amenities, features and finishes, and layout.
Even though nearly eight in 10 renters said they want to see unit-specific photos, according to the latest Apartments.com survey, most listings today don’t include them.
Hood recommended that properties upload all the photos from their CoStar media shoot. Properties should also consider adding Matterport 3D tours to give their prospective residents a virtual walkthrough.
Comprehensive media pays off. Apartments.com listings with 3D tours generate 23 times more leads than those without.
Tip #2: Show off each available unit
It’s not just photos of individual units that renters want to see. They also want to know other unit-specific details, such as floor plans, descriptions, amenities, what the view from the windows or balcony is like, and real-time pricing. And showing a model unit isn’t enough.
“Renters aren’t moving into a model unit — they’re moving into a specific apartment,” Hood said.
Over half of renters will stop considering a listing that lacks unit-specific photos, Hood said, and 99 percent say they want to see unit-specific details.
Tip #3: Add a property map
An interactive property map is an easy way to show renters where a specific unit falls within the community.
“I like to know if my patio or balcony faces another building, parking lot or green space,” said a 52-year-old survey respondent in Gardner, Kansas.
Hood recommended communities include a property map on their listings. Apartments.com supports integration with map tool Engrain.
Tip #4: Update your description
Keeping your property description up to date can help you attract and convert prospects.
Property descriptions serve two purposes: discovery and education.
By featuring relevant keywords that renters are looking for, an effective property description can help renters find you.
And once renters discover your listing, the description can give them a clearer sense of what your community and units are like.
“Make sure to review and update your description at least once a year to add new amenities, policies, and neighborhood highlights,” Hood said. “You’ll also want to remove anything that’s no longer accurate.”
Tip #5: List all costs
Price is renters’ top consideration when selecting a place, and price transparency can give your listing an edge.
“Renters don’t want to be surprised by the total cost to rent — they want to see the exact price in your listing,” Hood said.
He recommended that properties display the all-in price on their listing and feature the interactive Cost Calculator. This requires adding the full fee schedule, which can be done manually or through a feed.
Tip #6: Streamline tour scheduling and applications
A few simple updates to your listing can reduce friction and help interested renters submit leads more quickly.
Hood recommended properties let renters schedule tours and apply directly from their Apartments.com listings.
“Renters shouldn’t have to play phone tag with your leasing team to make an appointment,” Hood said.
Apartments.com supports syncing with over a dozen tour scheduling tools, making it easy for renters to schedule a confirmed tour directly through a property’s listing.
Enabling direct applications through the Apply Now button can also streamline the process. These leads convert at a higher rate than any other kind of Apartments.com lead.
Tip #7: Update your contact info
When prospects want to reach you, an out-of-date phone number or address can derail the process. Hood suggested properties double-check all the contact info on their listings for accuracy and consistency. This includes the community address, office hours, phone number, and email address.
Tip #8: Build trust with reviews
Does your listing feature ratings and reviews? Listings with reviews get 45 percent more leads than those without, according to an Apartments.com analysis.
“Reviews can increase your credibility and help you stand out,” Hood said.
He suggested properties solicit reviews from current residents and respond to any reviews received.
Tip #9: Track every lead
Without proper tracking, it can be hard to gauge the effectiveness of your listing, Hood said. To get more out of your listing, he recommended that properties enable tracking of both website leads and phone leads.
UTM codes and similar tracking tools can show you how many users found your property website from your Apartments.com listing, and dynamic number insertion can provide this information for phone leads.
Tip #10: Review your rent comps
A proactive pricing strategy can bring in quality leads and help your listing stand out.
In his final tip, Hood recommended properties use the rent comparables report they receive from Apartments.com to price their units strategically for the market.
This report, provided monthly, gives properties a comprehensive overview of competitors’ pricing within their local market.
Get the checklist
Want to see all 10 tips on a printable sheet you can easily share with your team members? Download the checklist in PDF form.
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