How to Get the Most Out of a Self-Guided Tour of an Apartment

Ever heard of a self-guided tour for an apartment rental? While not available at all apartment complexes, the option to tour on your own schedule, at your own pace, can be pretty fantastic.

Why Take a Self-Guided Tour?

Sometimes finding the time to tour an apartment can feel impossible—whether you’re not available during office hours, you’re worried about coming into contact with other people, or you just want to take your time looking through a model home before you get further into the leasing process. That’s where the self-guided tour comes in.

How Does the Process Work?

It’s easy! At most apartment rentals offering self-guided tours, there will be some sort of software set up so you can sign up for a tour, get a code to enter the model home, and tour at your leisure.

To get the process started, you’ll input some personal information for verification purposes, then you’ll receive instructions on how to get into the apartment when you arrive for your tour. Just note, you’ll likely need a smart phone device in order to tour an apartment like this. Sometimes, you’ll be required to download an app, but many places will just guide you through the process via your phone’s web browser.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Self-Guided Tour

In many ways, a self-guided tour is a lot like taking a standard tour with a leasing professional. You’ll enter the apartment and have time to look around and see what the apartment can offer you. Many apartments offering self-guided tours will have signs posted throughout the different living spaces to give you little tidbits about what makes them special.

The biggest difference when you’re taking a self-guided apartment tour is that you won’t have someone to point out places in the home you may not have thought about. Plus, you’ll need to do a little follow up to get any questions answered.

Take a look at these tips for getting the most out of your self-guided tour:

1. Come with a list of your must-haves. Do you need a lot of storage for your kitchen items? What about closet space – do you need a lot or are you okay with just a little? Try to write down everything you could want in an apartment and separate them into the “nice-to-haves” versus the “must-haves” so you know what’s vital to your living experience.
2. Explore all of the spaces in the apartment. Open doors, walk into closets, open the garage door, check out the kitchen cabinet space. Really get the feel for the space and envision living there. Could this be the place you call home or do you need to get more information/keep looking?
3. Bring a measuring tape. There’s nothing worse than realizing that your couch isn’t going to fit in the space or your car is a little too big to fit in the garage. Measure all the spaces you think you’ll need to add storage.
4. Take pictures and video so you can remember what you saw. It’s hard to remember everything about an apartment with just one tour, and it’s nice to be able to refer back to your pictures or videos while you’re making a decision.
5. Use your phone’s note app (or pen and paper) to make a list of questions you have after touring the apartment. You can reach out to the leasing team to get them answered.
6. Take your time. Plan to spend around 45 minutes in the space so you can really get a feel for what it would be like living there.
7. Explore the outdoor common spaces to get a feel for the neighborhood. You’ll be amazed at what you can get a feel for as you drive or walk the neighborhood. Does it have lots of green space? Are there neighbors out enjoying the area or does the outdoor space leave a bit to be desired?
8. Follow up with the leasing office the next day. You may receive a call or email, but if you’re anxious to get your questions answered, need photos/videos/measurements, you can always contact them first.

Taking a self-guided tour is a great way to get around the scheduling difficulties you may have, or just to avoid contact with people as much as possible. But if you need more information after, you can always get in touch with the leasing team. Many apartment communities also offer virtual tours, so you could video chat with someone as they walked you through the apartment again. The beauty of the digital age is that you have a lot of options for how you see a prospective apartment!

Discover Self-Guided Apartment Touring Options Near You

Redwood Neighborhoods now offer self-guided tours at select locations, so people can truly envision how the Redwood Advantage can enhance their lifestyle. Want more information about taking a self-guided tour at Redwood? Just click here.