Sign InWhat is a Self-Guided Apartment Tour & Is It Worth It?
What is a self-guided apartment tour exactly? It's a modern property viewing method that allows prospective tenants to explore apartments independently and virtually through digital tours without an agent present.
Self-guided apartment tours have become the go-to option of property viewing for agents and buyers alike, especially since 2020. They differ from traditional agent-led tours because clients can view self-guided tours multiple times, whenever, and wherever they want.
Property managers can showcase units interactively and globally at any time—reducing staff dependence while helping convert more leads, as well as eliminating scheduling challenges.
Self-guided vs. agent-led tours: when to use each
Self-guided tours won't solve every challenge. Sometimes agent-led ones are more appropriate, and sometimes both methods complement each other.
When self-guided tours work best
Self-guided virtual tours offer exceptional support in the following common situations:
When prospects want to explore independently before engaging with staff
To provide 24/7 access and off-hours tours without extra staffing
For broader regional or global reach for remote or international workers
For properties with simple, easy-to-navigate layouts
For initial lead qualification or remote revisits
To improve lead conversion by removing scheduling barriers
To better qualify serious prospects while reducing staff time on showings
To capture valuable analytics on prospect behavior and interests
To gain a competitive edge in a tech-forward market (especially Gen-Z digital natives)
Self-guided tours have proven valuable for marketing properties. Ben Goldberg highlights how virtual tours influence decisions:
Redfin's experience backs this up—they used Matterport Digital Twins, and they found that 71% of home buyers would purchase a home sight unseen if the listing had a 3D tour.
Using digital twins for self-guided tours offers property management companies and marketing execs clear benefits, according to Sebastian Fuentes, Business Development Representative at Matterport:
"What Matterport [self-guided tours] actually does is reduce bad or unqualified showings while increasing the quality of the serious buyers." — Sebastian Fuentes
To hear more from Ben, Sebastian, and others on the benefits and use cases of Digital Twins for real estate property managers, check out our webinar – Add Life to Every Listing:
When agent-led tours are preferable
Agent-led tours are valuable in other scenarios, including:
When you have a complex property with unique features that require explanation
When leads might have a lot of specific questions
When you're marketing luxury properties, where clients expect a white-glove service
When personal connections are key to closing a deal on a lease
These situations highlight potential drawbacks of self-guided tours, including:
Limited immediate answers to prospect questions
Possible technology barriers for less tech-savvy prospects
A lack of personal connection that might nudge prospects to close
Another potential drawback is the initial cost and technology implementation of self-guided tours. Though, as Real Estate Analytics shows, the technology can offer significant ROI, generating the following results for clients:
50% increase in engagement on online property listings
40% increase in satisfaction levels among property buyers
20% increase in property sales
Since both methods offer benefits, property managers can use a hybrid approach to deliver unique value.
Creating a hybrid approach
Using both self-guided virtual tours and agent-led tours covers several bases for property managers, especially if you use them as part of a holistic strategy, for example:
Self-guided tours work well for pre-screening and should be one of the first interactions prospects have with your property listings.
From there, use Matterport features like the Business Card plugin to encourage interested prospects to become qualified leads.
These qualified leads can then book agent-led tours where agents add personal touches and answer complex questions.
Meanwhile, self-guided tours remain a resource that leads can reference during their decision-making process. For example, they can check accurate measurements and digitally defurnish the property to more deeply assess suitability.
This strategic approach has helped PlanOmatic clients generate 101% more leads, 38% more rental applications, and 30 days faster time-to-rent compared to still photography.
How to create a self-guided apartment tour
Now that you understand the benefits, let's look at how to create them in three steps, with a few tips included for maximizing conversion rate opportunities.
Step 1: Assess your property's readiness
Remember, not all properties work for virtual self-guided tours. Start by evaluating which units would make the most use of the technology — here's a quick criteria to help you get started:
Does the unit have a simple or easy layout? → Simple layouts are critical for virtual navigation.
Are there any complex issues/terms with the unit that need explanation? → This isn't a deal-breaker with sufficient descriptions, but complexity reduces suitability.
Is there sufficient space to include multiple viewpoints? → Depending on the specific technology you want to use, you'll need at least some space to capture the environment.
Are you able to effectively stage the unit with good lighting? → Lighting is key for setting a mood and keeping the visual experience consistent across viewpoints.
As you gain experience with creating self-guided tours, you may decide to add additional criteria to tailor your future approach.
Step 2: Create an immersive digital twin
Once you've chosen a unit, start capturing a digital twin of the space.
You can use the Matterport camera app with a smartphone, a supported 360° camera, or for the best results, a Pro2 or Pro3 camera. Mount your device on a tripod, then move systematically through the property, scanning each room and ensuring that camera placement overlaps with the previous scan for accurate stitching.
When scanning:
Start at the entrance and move room by room in a logical sequence.
Position the camera 4–6 feet off the ground to mirror a natural walking perspective.
Avoid moving objects (like pets or people) during capture to prevent stitching errors.
Scan thoroughly—including hallways, closets, and stairwells—so viewers have a complete experience and floor plan.
Once your scans are uploaded and processed in the Matterport cloud, you can refine the tour:
Add Tags to mark up details such as appliances, finishes, or key property notes.
Use a Highlight Reel to guide prospects through the most important areas.
Integrate measurements and schematic floor plans directly from your model, giving clients precise spatial data.
These digital twins form the foundation of your virtual self-guided apartment tours. After creating the tours, make sure you use them to market your real estate brand and help the units stand out.
Step 3: Develop follow-up procedures
Your strategy shouldn't stop at listing units—you need follow-up procedures to maximize conversions. Thankfully, you can automate several follow-up procedures.
Use live chat on your listings
One of the drawbacks of virtual self-guided tours is the inability to ask questions. Address this by adding live chat or chatbot widgets to help viewers during tours. This approach helped AgentRelay generate a 38% increase in conversion rates for their client Uni2.
Use automated emails or texts after tours
Matterport has the flexibility to integrate with other systems such as CRMs and marketing platforms, through SDKs or APIs to help you automate follow-up nudges.
Use analytics data to personalize follow-ups
With a more advanced approach, you can even personalize your follow-ups based on tour analytics, such as dwell-time data. For example, if a lead spent a long time viewing a tour, you can tailor the message with a "like what you saw?" opener.
Whatever approach you choose, timing is critical. Too soon seems pushy; too late risks leads to forgetting your listing.
Use a data-driven approach to find the right balance for your business by analyzing email or text open and click-through rates alongside conversion data.
The future of apartment touring is self-guided
Flexible, self-guided touring options are not just a luxury in today's market—they're an expectation.
Virtual self-guided apartment tours help screen serious prospects, boost lead conversions, and reduce staff time on showings.
Matterport's Digital Twin technology bridges the gap between virtual and physical experiences, creating seamless transitions and personalized exploration. Plus, with helpful add-ons and marketing integrations, you can develop detailed customer acquisition strategies to stay competitive and build lasting relationships with your clients.
