AppFolio Virtual Showings for House Builders: A Property Management Solution

Cloudpano
July 14, 2025
5 min read
Share this post

🏗️ AppFolio Virtual Showings for House Builders: A Property Management Solution

As a house builder transitioning into rental property management, your biggest challenge isn’t construction—it’s leasing efficiently. From lease-ups on new builds to managing pre-finished units, showing homes quickly and professionally is critical. That’s where AppFolio virtual showings come in. 🔑📱

Virtual showings allow builders to pre-lease faster, reduce in-person traffic, and scale their rental operations without adding headcount. When integrated with AppFolio, they become a powerful tool to turn builds into income-generating assets with less effort.

In this guide, we’ll break down how virtual showings work for house builders inside AppFolio—and how to use them to speed up leasing and maximize ROI.

🔍 What Are Virtual Showings in AppFolio?

Virtual showings are 3D tours or walkthrough videos embedded directly in AppFolio listings. They allow potential renters to:

  • Walk through properties remotely 🧭
  • Visualize layout and flow in real-time 📐
  • Make faster, more confident leasing decisions 📝

For builders managing dozens of similar units or floor plans, virtual showings provide a scalable way to market multiple homes without multiple in-person visits.

🧠 Read more: Seamless Virtual Tour Integration with AppFolio

🧱 Why House Builders Should Use Virtual Showings

Builders face unique challenges when managing rentals:

  • Homes are often vacant or unfinished during marketing 🧰
  • In-person tours may not be possible due to construction or remote leads
  • Leasing staff may be minimal—or none at all

Virtual showings solve these problems by offering:

  • ✅ 24/7 self-guided showings
  • ✅ Remote viewing for out-of-town renters
  • ✅ One tour asset reused across similar models

📘 Also see: Turn Construction Projects into Profitable Rentals with AppFolio 3D Tours

🎥 How to Create a Virtual Showing for AppFolio

You don’t need a full media team. Here’s how to get started in just a few steps:

Option 1: Use CloudPano or Matterport

  • Capture a 360° tour using a 3D camera or smartphone
  • Generate a public share link
  • Embed that link in your AppFolio listing

Option 2: Use PhotoAIVideo.com

  • Upload photos of your new build
  • Generate an AI-powered video tour with motion, music, and branding
  • Add the video link directly into the listing or media tab

🛠️ Tutorial: How to Generate Real Estate Videos From Just Photos in Under 5 Minutes

💻 Embedding in AppFolio: The Easy Part

Inside AppFolio:

  1. Go to your unit listing
  2. Paste the tour or video URL in the listing description or multimedia section
  3. Add a headline like:
    “🎥 Virtual Tour Available – Click to Walk Through This Home Now!”
  4. Save and publish 🚀

Now your listing becomes a virtual experience, not just a photo scroll.

🧠 More help here: The Weekly AI Video Content Plan (Template + Tools)

📈 Real Results for House Builders

Builders using virtual showings inside AppFolio report:

  • ⏱️ 30–50% faster lease-up timelines
  • 📬 Higher quality leads (fewer tire kickers)
  • 💸 Shorter vacancy gaps post-CO
  • 🧱 Easier pre-leasing during construction phases

And with AppFolio’s built-in analytics, you can track:

  • How many leads watch the virtual tour
  • Which listings convert fastest
  • What media performs best by unit or community

📊 Check out: AI vs. Traditional Video Editing: Cost, Time, and ROI Breakdown

🧰 What Builders Need to Get Started

🔧 Read more: Real Estate Tech for Builders: AppFolio and Virtual Tour Integration

🔁 Virtual Showings at Scale for Builders

Managing a subdivision, build-to-rent community, or duplex portfolio?

Use one virtual tour per floor plan, then:

  • Assign that tour to each unit of the same type
  • Include in automated AppFolio listing templates
  • Syndicate to Zillow, Apartments.com, and your own website

This creates a frictionless leasing funnel across dozens of homes.

🏡 Learn more: 3D Virtual Tours for House Builders: Enhance Rental Listings on AppFolio

💬 What Renters Say About Virtual Showings

“I loved seeing the layout without needing to drive there. It saved me time and helped me apply quickly.”
—Prospective Tenant, Dallas TX

“This tour helped me lease sight unseen from another state. I was able to move in the day after closing!”
—Renter, Phoenix AZ

Virtual showings build trust, reduce uncertainty, and help renters make informed decisions—even before construction is complete.

📌 Related: Why AI Video is the New Standard for Listing Presentations

✅ Final Thoughts: AppFolio + Virtual Showings = Builder Advantage

AppFolio already gives house builders the tools to manage leases, collect rent, and run reports. But when you add virtual showing capabilities, you unlock the power to:

  • Lease faster
  • Attract better tenants
  • Reduce friction
  • Market smarter from the very first unit

If you’re building homes to rent, it’s time to adopt virtual-first leasing—and AppFolio is the perfect platform to make it happen.

Share this post
Cloudpano

Choose The Right 360° Camera

Insta360 ONE RS 1-Inch 360 Edition

  • Compact, ready to go anywhere

  • Interchangeable lens that’s upgradeable

  • Dual 1-inch sensors for improved clarity and low light performance

  • Dynamic range and 6K 360° capture

  • 360° photo resolution at 21MP

Learn More

Insta360 X4

  • 8K 360° video recording for ultra-detailed visuals.

  • 4K single-lens mode for traditional wide-angle shots.

  • Invisible selfie stick effect for drone-like perspectives.

  • 2.5-inch touchscreen with Gorilla Glass protection.

  • Waterproof up to 33ft for underwater shooting.

Learn More

Ricoh Theta Z1

  • 360° photo resolution in 23MP

  • Slim design at 24 mm thick

  • Built-in image stabilization for smooth video capture.

  • Internal 19GB storage for photo and video storage.

  • Wireless connectivity for remote control and sharing.

Learn More

Ricoh Theta X

  • 60MP 360° still images for high-resolution photography.

  • 5.7K 360° video recording at 30fps.

  • 2.25-inch touchscreen for intuitive control.

  • USB Type-C port for fast charging and data transfer.

  • MicroSD card slot for expandable storage.

Learn More
Property Marketing
Allows potential buyers to explore properties in detail from anywhere, enhancing the real estate marketing process.
Automotive Spins
Create an interactive virtual showroom and engage affluent digital buyers with live 360º video calls, all through the CloudPano mobile app for a complete automotive sales solution.
Interactive Floor Plans
Create 2D and 3D floor plans with measurements in 4 minutes or less, all from your phone. Download the Floor Plan Scanner app and get your first scan free.

360 Virtual Tours With CloudPano.com. Get Started Today.

Try it free. No credit card required. Instant set-up.

Try it free
Latest posts

See our other posts

Interviews, tips, guides, industry best practices, and news.

Drone Profit Secrets Review: Zach Calhoon’s Guide to Making Money with Drones

Drone Profit Secrets is a powerful, step-by-step drone entrepreneur guide created by Zach Calhoon to help pilots turn their flying skills into real income. This review breaks down the core lessons, including market opportunities, niche selection, pricing strategies, service packaging, and proven drone business growth strategies. You’ll learn how the book teaches a complete drone business blueprint—from landing your first client to scaling with automation and recurring revenue. Whether you're a beginner, side hustler, or established pilot, this book provides clear, actionable insight to build a profitable drone business with confidence.
Read post

Top Lessons from Drone Profit Secrets: Turn Your Drone Skills into Cash

This article breaks down the most valuable lessons from the Drone Profit Secrets book by Zach Calhoon, offering a practical and proven drone entrepreneur guide for anyone looking to turn drone skills into a profitable business. Readers learn how to choose profitable niches, price services correctly, market effectively, and scale using Zach’s drone business blueprint. The guide also explores essential drone business growth strategies, including client acquisition, branding, automation, and service expansion. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned pilot, this summary shows exactly how to turn aerial expertise into predictable revenue.
Read post

Drone Profit Secrets by Zach Calhoon: How to Start a Lucrative Drone Business

This article explores Drone Profit Secrets by Zach Calhoon—a complete drone entrepreneur guide that teaches readers how to start, grow, and scale a profitable drone business. It highlights key lessons from the book, including niche selection, pricing frameworks, equipment recommendations, and proven drone business growth strategies. The post explains how the drone business blueprint outlined in the book has helped countless entrepreneurs succeed in real estate, inspections, construction, and event photography. Readers are encouraged to apply these strategies to create long-term, sustainable income through aerial services.
Read post