How Home Builders and Property Managers Use Virtual Showings with AppFolio

Cloudpano
July 14, 2025
5 min read
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🏠 How Home Builders and Property Managers Use Virtual Showings with AppFolio

In today’s real estate landscape, virtual showings have gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have—especially for home builders and property managers marketing new construction or fully occupied properties. 🔑

When combined with AppFolio, a leading property management software, virtual showings provide a scalable, time-saving, and tenant-friendly solution that helps you lease faster, attract better leads, and streamline operations.

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how builders and managers can use virtual showings on AppFolio to boost results—and share the tools that make it all possible.

🧱 Why Virtual Showings Are a Game-Changer

Whether you're managing new builds, single-family homes, or multi-unit properties, virtual showings solve several key challenges:

  • 🛠️ Homes may still be under construction
  • 👨‍👩‍👧 Prospects live out of town or work odd hours
  • 🧹 Scheduling in-person tours slows leasing down
  • ⏳ Leasing teams waste time on unqualified leads

With a virtual showing, prospects can view the property anytime, anywhere, without waiting for an agent or an open house. 🖥️📲

💡 Also Read: Using 3D Virtual Tours to Showcase New Construction Rentals on AppFolio

🔄 What’s a Virtual Showing?

A virtual showing is an immersive, digital walkthrough of a property—often using:

  • 🧭 3D virtual tours (e.g. CloudPano, Matterport)
  • 🎥 AI-generated video tours from property photos
  • 📸 Slideshow-style visual galleries with floor plans
  • 💬 Live video tours via Zoom or Facetime

Unlike a simple photo gallery, a virtual showing mimics the feel of walking the space—making it a much more effective tool for leasing.

📘 Related: The Anatomy of a High-Converting Real Estate Video (with AI)

🛠️ How Virtual Showings Work Inside AppFolio

AppFolio supports embedded media and video links directly in each listing. You can:

  1. Capture or create your virtual showing 🎥
  2. Get a shareable link or embed code 🔗
  3. Paste the link into the listing description or media section in AppFolio
  4. Highlight it with CTAs like “📹 Watch the full 3D tour!”

When renters visit your AppFolio-powered listing, they’ll instantly engage with your tour—and more likely convert.

📌 Setup Guide: Seamless Virtual Tour Integration with AppFolio

🧰 Tools to Create Virtual Showings Fast

You don’t need to own expensive gear or hire a full production crew. Here are fast, affordable ways to produce virtual showings:

CloudPano

Capture 360° tours with your phone or a Ricoh Theta camera. Great for real-time walkthroughs.

🔗 Start a tour on CloudPano

PhotoAIVideo.com

Turn your still photos into animated walkthrough videos with motion, music, and captions—perfect for social, listings, and AppFolio.

🔗 Generate your first video for free

📽️ Read more: How to Generate Real Estate Videos From Just Photos in Under 5 Minutes

🧲 Why Virtual Showings Convert Better

Virtual showings:

  • 📈 Increase engagement and time on listings
  • 📬 Reduce ghost leads by pre-qualifying renters
  • ⏳ Cut down on no-show appointments
  • 💸 Help lease faster, even sight-unseen

Especially for out-of-town relocators or renters with tight schedules, being able to “walk the home” virtually builds trust and reduces hesitation.

🏁 Case Study: 3D Virtual Tours for House Builders: Enhance Rental Listings on AppFolio

🧠 Smart Ways Builders Use Virtual Showings

Home builders can use virtual showings to:

  • Lease homes before construction is finished 🧱
  • Reuse tours across multiple units with the same floorplan 🔁
  • Save time by reducing in-person traffic 🚗
  • Offer agent-free move-ins for remote renters ✈️

🏗️ Bonus Strategy: Turn Construction Projects into Profitable Rentals with AppFolio 3D Tours

📊 Use AppFolio Analytics to Optimize Results

With AppFolio, you can track:

  • Listing views 👀
  • Clicks on your virtual tour or video 🔁
  • Application rate after tour interactions 📝

Over time, you’ll see which types of media convert best and which properties need more visual support to close.

📈 Dive deeper: AI vs. Traditional Video Editing: Cost, Time, and ROI Breakdown

🧑‍💼 Property Managers: Use Virtual Showings to Scale

Property managers can use virtual showings to:

  • Run remote leasing operations
  • Show multiple properties with fewer staff
  • Lease faster in competitive rental markets
  • Automate lead follow-up based on viewing behavior

🔥 Stack It: The Weekly AI Video Content Plan (Template + Tools)

💬 What Renters Are Saying

“I toured the place online and applied within 30 minutes.”
—Tenant, San Antonio, TX

“Loved that I could walk through the whole unit from my phone!”
—Renter, Tampa, FL

With virtual showings via AppFolio, you’re offering the on-demand leasing experience renters expect.

✅ Final Takeaway: Virtual Showings = Smart Leasing

For builders and managers using AppFolio, virtual showings are no longer optional—they're a competitive edge.

They help:

  • 🚀 Fill units faster
  • 💬 Attract better leads
  • 🕒 Save your team time
  • 🧱 Lease-up communities before move-in day

With the right media tools and a streamlined AppFolio integration, you can automate more and lease better.

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Cloudpano

Choose The Right 360° Camera

Insta360 ONE RS 1-Inch 360 Edition

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  • Dynamic range and 6K 360° capture

  • 360° photo resolution at 21MP

Learn More

Insta360 X4

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

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Ricoh Theta Z1

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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.

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