Multifamily Florida - Summer 2020 - 20

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S U M M E R
F L O R I D A
M U LT I FA M I LY

Communities should absolutely buy tablets or smart
phones for their properties specifically for this use,
Trosien says. "Matterport [cameras] are great, great
products, but you don't absolutely need one to do
these tours well."
Virtual leasing must be accessible across all types of
devices, browsers, operating systems, and technologies
so as to not alienate anyone from joining those experiences because of the device that they do or do not have.
Leading virtual tour companies include Tour24,
SmartRent, Rently, Power Pro, Virtual APT, LCP360,
Show My Property and Engrain.
More advice from Trosien:
* Some older devices don't have webcams. But you
do need one. They are about $25.
* Get a gimbal and attach it to your camera. It
will improve the production of your video, such
as allowing you to zoom in (not Zoom, lol). A
gimbal is a pivoted point that allows videographers to rotate an object along a single axis and
helps it to capture incredible images from various
angles. They are priced from approximately $40

to $160 and are mostly used while making videos,
but also can help to capture amazing still photos.
* Make sure the battery on your phone, tablet, or
laptop is charged.
* Don't fail the Wi-Fi strength test. Make sure the
connection will be there at all points on the tour.
You can determine this during practice runs.
* Add a My-Fi device to help improve your signal,
especially in high-rise buildings where the connection could be susceptible to thick walls or while
you are in an elevator or a stairwell. You don't
want the connection to fail. What does that tell the
resident about your Wi-Fi abilities on-site?
* Don't go out on a windy day, if you can possibly
avoid it. Ideally, these tours should take place on
sunny days (for recorded tours, there's no excuse),
but that's not always possible. Buy extra floor
lamps to use to help light the apartment home if
you must conduct the tour on a cloudy day.
Paul Bergeron is a freelance reporter who covers the
apartment industry. Reach him at pbergeron333@gmail.com
or 703-434-0280.

Multifamily Florida - Summer 2020

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