How multifamily communities are engaging renters virtually during COVID-19 - by Eden Chai

COVID-19 has significantly impacted the way people rent apartments. 

Getting in-person tours can be difficult (and prohibited in some states) and rental staff are often inundated and overworked, dealing with a backlog of maintenance requests and paperwork.
Navigating this new landscape has resulted in some creative solutions for multifamily communities looking to reach their desired occupancy during this trying time.

One of the newest trends?
Virtual staging. In essence, virtual staging is digitally staging a photo with 3D furniture with the use of a graphic editor.

Realizing that digital content has become more important than ever, Alison Ramirez from Greystar reached out to us and asked if we could stage an apartment they had been struggling to rent out. “We got one of our problem units virtually staged and it was rented the very next day. Helping a prospect imagine an apartment’s potential is great, but actually showing them it’s potential has an enormous impact.”

Real estate is all about showcasing potential. In multifamily communities, the best leasing agents are those who know how to transform their units into something that excites and engages prospects.

Those who are aware of their customer’s motivations and concerns are best equipped to do this successfully. 

Another of our clients at Generation Marketing, Savannah Luebben, is a perfect example: “We are using virtual staging now more than ever to showcase how renters can use the same space in many different ways to fit their specific needs and lifestyles. With so many people working from home at the moment we have found it very successful to showcase areas in the units that might be staged as a dinning room or seating area, or even a guest room as a home office for a more relatable use in the current time.”

Better content improves every one of your marketing sources, whether that’s PPC, SEO, real estate listing sites, or even just social media. You’re giving yourself the best chance for prospects to think to themselves, “This community gets me.”

As more and more digital tools become available and as property management companies begin to utilize these tools to their full potential, we will begin to see a complete shift in the real estate landscape.The standard is rising for how to best engage residents in the virtual world–is your team prepared to rise up to the challenge?

Eden Chai is the co-founder of Generation Marketing, Los Angeles, CA.