Here is the Pool…   Here is the Gym…   Sound familiar?

I think when we see tours of multimillion-dollar houses, we think that they are so fundamentally different than showing an apartment, that it really is pointless to compare or take anything meaningful away from it.  But I personally disagree – even though the features are obviously quite different (although not always), some of the things you will see in this tour are absolutely the same things that can be applied to walking a client through an apartment community tour!  Check out this video, and then I’ll share some of my big takeaways that can be applied to apartment leasing tours.

• First, check out that enthusiasm! I know it is easy to lose that enthusiasm over time when you work at the same community with the same floor plans over hundreds of tours.  But imagine being able to showcase that energy and excitement!

• I love how he points out why something is important relative to his comps. Starting with the front patio, he makes sure that the audience really takes in how the simple existence of that feature is unique in that area.  When a prospect visits your community, are there unique aspects that don’t exist in other communities in your area?  Make it a point to explain that to your prospects, because they may not even realize how special it is!

• “Look at this moment here”. It isn’t just a space, it is something compelling.  How are you using different verbiage that is not standard in our industry?

• “You kick your shoes off”. Here, he gets his audience to imagine what it is like to actually live there, doing things that a resident would do.  It’s not just a home, he is selling how it is to live in the home. 

• “Side window looking out over your garden pathway”. He actually makes a mistake earlier in this video calling it an “alley” – Ugh.  Who wants an “alley” in their home?  But he redeems himself here calling it a “garden pathway”.  The reality?  It’s a walkway, and although it is nicely put together, it is pretty boring.  But he makes something that most people would ignore into a feature.  I find that the truly great leasing consultants know how to do this – make every part of the home special in some way, even though it doesn’t seem so to the average observer.

• The home office – you could lift that entire segment and use that in many apartment tours that have multiple bedrooms or an office. Again, he doesn’t just talk about the physical attributes.  Instead, he ties it to the experience of living in today’s world. 

• For those of you who have programs where you revenue share with your residents to offer Airbnb options, that segment on the penthouse can absolutely apply. (Check out our research report on short term rentals)

• Options options options. Granted, we generally don’t have a penthouse in our apartments, but we can still take the lessons and apply them to a 2^nd or 3^rd bedroom, can’t we?  “This room could be an office, or your own personal gym, or a media room.  It has so many possibilities!”  In this way, a simple room has been transformed into one of many wonderful features.

• It isn’t just the details, it’s the experience. Yes, he talks about a 50 foot length, which quantifies the space, but he also makes it more than just the physical attributes – he talks about the experience, from barbecues to friends coming in through the private pathway.  He helps the viewer envision not just the nuts and bolts, but create an image of what it is like to live in that space. 

• Saving the best for last. I love how he teases the best feature the home has to offer.  By saving the defining “moment” for last, that is kind of like how movies play out, right?  You want to end on a high note, not a whimper, so are your tours designed to start strong, meat in the middle, and then end with a bang.  Are you finishing your tours with the best possible feature?

• Is the space special? As I finish watching this, I reflect on how he made that place feel so unique and special relative to what else you might find in that area.  But is it?  I really have no idea – it could be similar to all sorts of other updated homes in that area.  But the way he delivered it made it feel like whoever gets that house is snagging something truly great.

What do you all think?  Chime in below on what elements of this tour could be applied to an apartment community tour!