Nowadays, you can’t go a step without hearing about how the latest advancements in visual technology are affecting the rental market. Beyond interactive 3D floorplans, videos taken by drones and 360 tour videos are starting to pop up. Even virtual reality is already being used to market unfinished high-rises! While it’ll take a while for these new visual advancements to become mainstream within the market, why not consider some inexpensive technological enhancements of your own? With just a smartphone you can offer online video tours, applications and forms, and different means of effective communication, reaching applicants country-wide while giving your hip local applicants more information. It’s a win-win situation!
Cutting-Edge Online Tours
It’s well-known that having crisp rental photos can help increase your applicants. Since you’re already using your smartphone to take pictures, why not hit record and do a quick video walk-through? If you have a YouTube account, you can easily upload your video tour through their app or on their mobile site. Just don’t forget to add a description and set the video link to private. This means the only ones who will see the inside of your property are the people you give the video link to. Safety first!
If you’ve been contacted by a long-distance applicant and want to schedule an in-depth online tour, then Skype or Facetime is the way to go. It’s a good way to have personal, one-on-one video tour and your applicant will appreciate the effort. Skype’s video calling is available to download on any device and has in-call messaging available, so audio issues are averted.
If you want to take online tours to the next level, livestreaming is for you. Think of it as an online open house. If you have multiple potential applicants that live out-of-town or have a ton of military applicants, then you can easily let your online applicants view and message questions all at the same time. While there are quite a few livestreaming sites, Facebook Live is one of the easiest to use. Just go to the Facebook app (for android and IOS) and click on your status bar. Choose who you want to initially share it to (public, Facebook friends, only you, etc.) and start streaming. Your smartphone’s screen will divide into half live steam and half comments, allowing you to interact with comments from potential applicants in real-time. Once the stream is completed, it is saved as a video on your Facebook page which you can share to applicants that just missed your stream.
Online Forms & Applications
Getting your applicants to be comfortable with the application process is a piece of cake in person, but if they live across the country, it’s not so easy with a physical application. By putting your forms and documents online, you eliminate that complicated paper trail. Plus, you save time and money on buying paper, storing applications, and destroying sensitive information.
In addition to your usual rental application and forms, be sure to include your state’s consumer notice. This is especially handy for out-of-state applicants, who might not know what their rights are in the state they’re trying to move to.
Effective Online Communication
No matter if your applicant lives far away or down the street, nothing bothers a renter more than not being able to get a hold of a landlord or real estate agent. Having channels where you can effectively communicate with your applicants or tenants are necessary. While you might feel like you’re the most effective on the phone, you might want to consider practicing with other online channels. Setting up a phone call with an applicant that lives in a different time zone can be difficult, so find an online platform that works for you. Pick one social media platform that has direct messaging like Facebook or Twitter that you’ll check frequently and link your email to your smartphone. When it comes to letting applicants know your rental decision, let ApplyConnect® do the rest with our effortless decision letters.
Incorporating online features like live streams, online applications, and contact options within social media channels will give you an edge on your competition. While your applicants aren’t exactly viewing your property in virtual reality, these technological features will enhance your tenant search by enabling renters to apply to your vacancy no matter where they live. All you need is your smartphone.
What technological enhancements do you think will take off in the rental market? Which one are you willing to try out? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below!
