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Home Insider Blogs Brent Williams's Blog Brainstorming iPad Innovations For Apartment Tours
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Jun 21
2010

Brainstorming iPad Innovations For Apartment Tours

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Posted by: Brent Williams on Jun 21, 2010 14:13

ipad for apartment community tourThe iPad has the potential to bring in significantly more information and visual aids to the apartment tour process, with obvious benefits of furnished pictures and videos, on-demand information about the unit, and ability to fill out guest card-type information on the go.

But what about other ideas?  Here are a few features I would include in an iPad application:

The application would be designed for both the leasing consultant and prospect to use during the tour.  The leasing consultant enters the apartment number into the iPad on the way to the apartment and then hands the iPad to the prospect.  The prospect can then see pictures and videos of the apartment if it were furnished, place their furniture into a floor plan, and see testimonial videos from current and past residents.  

For each apartment toured, the prospect can then click on a “like” button, which will then be consolidated and emailed back to them if they choose to keep looking rather than lease at that moment.  Embed the Facebook Connect feature into the app, and hitting the “like” button will then post it on their Facebook wall with a link back to your community.  The “like” button will also be consolidated among all prospects to show relative interest on your website for different floor plans.  For example, if you have online availability, this like data could be incorporated into the listing to show how “hot” that particular floor plan was. 

What would be some killer features you would include in an apartment tour iPad app?


Comments (6)Add Comment
67
written by Mark Juleen, June 21, 2010
Great theories. This type of process is way ahead of it's time and won't happen until an iPad (or other tablet device) costs as much or less than an iPod. It may never happen at all. There will be a few early adopters, but it will not take off like wildfire. This all makes an assumption that a customer wants to come in and see a fancy process. Before we get carried away with this whole concept people, let's think about how we would like some other company or store to use an iPad with us as customers. I can't think of one example of a store that I would walk into and get excited about an iPad experience (unless it was the Apple store). And don't tell me this is any different than a leasing kiosk. Yes, it's new technology and there is a bit of wow there, but this idea will die along with the idea of the leasing kiosk. I don't care if it's portable. That just means it's more likely to get damaged or walk away, and that is my argument against the price.

As many of you know I'm a fan of new technology, but not just for the sake of new technology and the latest fad. My prediction is that if you buy these for your leasing office they will be collecting dust by 2011. And that's only if they survive that long before being broken, lost, or stolen. I just can't believe how this iFad is duping everyone. Steve Jobs is a genius. There are plenty of good uses for it (for people other than myself), but I don't see it as a leasing tool any time soon.
62
written by Brent Williams, June 21, 2010
Thanks for the responses, Mark, and frankly, I was somewhat in the same boat as you - thinking that it was a fad. That was until I had a meeting with a website developer who brought one to our meeting. The ability for him to relay information and examples to me was incredible - much better than gathering around a laptop. Granted, that's website development, which is the ideal medium, but it was still impressive.

Now whether it will actually take off for any given business type is a whole different story! I consider this exactly like any cutting edge website that may or may not take off, such as Posterous, that you like. Might as well look at it and imagine how it might be used, right? And considering that Apple is a marketing giant, I think it's appropriate to play with the idea that it will succeed, rather than assume it will flop.
67
written by Mark Juleen, June 21, 2010
It's more fun to think it will flop for me. I really like Apple. I love my iPod, I have 2 Macs at home that I enjoy, and my wife has an iPhone I think is great (the new one coming is really solid!). However, I just don't get it I suppose. I honestly have no use for one right now just as a consumer. Can't think of anything it would do for me that I can't do now on my computer or phone.

I agree it probably works better for some and not others, but I don't see leasing teams jumping on this bandwagon when, as an industry, we still struggle with responding to email and answering the phone. The iPad as a whole may not flop, but I hope one day I can say to people "I told you so." smilies/grin.gif
4294
written by Chance Gourd, June 22, 2010
Possibly help our industry to go paperless? Guest cards automatically uplink into Real Page, Applications requiring finger print authorization, automatic credit card payments through rent payment...anyway my imagination gets away from me great idea guys...Love IT Brent!
2215
written by Carrie White, July 01, 2010
I would love to see more leasing apps on the iPad...would that I were a developer smilies/wink.gif

Definitely a way to connect with Yardi or other property management software so we could connect prospects with photos etc of specific apartments...a place for the prospect to take notes and have them sent to their email is also a great idea!

I would also love to hear any original uses people using now with thier iPad and leasing presentation...
62
written by Brent Williams, July 02, 2010
This may be a bit too far ahead, but here's another idea I had, when thinking about recreating the model apartment experience. What about creating a 1st person 3D environment for the apartment, which already exists, and develop a system to have you "move" as you walk through the apartment, essentially creating an image overlay with the view of model furniture/etc in a vacant apartment. For example, when the prospect has the iPad in his/her hand and walk into a bedroom, they also "walk" in the 3D environment on the iPad into the bedroom, seeing a fully furnished room in the process.

While you wouldn't have the tactile aspect of a model apartment, it might be offset by the definite "wow" factor!
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