How Home Builders Use AppFolio and Virtual Tours to Attract Buyers

Cloudpano
July 12, 2025
5 min read
Share this post

🏗️ How Home Builders Use AppFolio and Virtual Tours to Attract Buyers

In today’s digital-first housing market, buyers are doing more online than ever before—and that includes shopping for new builds. 🏠 But static floorplans and still photos just don’t cut it anymore. If you're a home builder looking to attract more serious buyers faster, you need two things:

✅ A reliable platform like AppFolio
✅ And immersive 360° virtual tours

Together, these tools help you pre-sell homes, boost buyer confidence, and cut down time on market. Let’s break down how forward-thinking home builders are leveraging AppFolio and virtual tours to win in 2025. 🚀

📦 What Is AppFolio and Why Builders Love It

AppFolio is more than property management software—it’s a powerful marketing and listing platform that’s becoming increasingly popular with residential developers and builders.

Key benefits for builders:

  • 🧰 Easy-to-manage new home listings
  • 🖼️ Support for images, video, and virtual tours
  • 📈 Insightful analytics and lead tracking
  • 📨 Lead capture and communication tools
  • 🔗 Centralized listings for communities or developments

With AppFolio, you can keep everything—from project listings to virtual tours to buyer inquiries—organized and optimized.

🔗 Related: Seamless Virtual Tour Integration with AppFolio: A Complete Guide

🎥 Why Virtual Tours Make All the Difference

Virtual tours are no longer a "nice-to-have." They're an essential tool for new construction sales.

Here's why:

  • 🏠 Buyers can “walk” a model home anytime, anywhere
  • 🧭 Perfect for out-of-town or relocating buyers
  • 🕒 Saves time by pre-qualifying serious leads
  • 💬 Reduces questions and builds buyer confidence
  • 🔥 Creates emotional connections early in the process

🔗 See also: Virtual Tours for New Construction Homes: AppFolio Listing Strategy

🧱 How Home Builders Use Virtual Tours Inside AppFolio

Most buyers won't visit a new build in person—unless they're already emotionally invested. Virtual tours fast-track that process.

Here’s how top builders use tours inside AppFolio:

1. 🛋️ Showcase Staged Model Homes

Highlight finishes, upgrades, and layout options through 360° walkthroughs.

2. 📐 Visualize Floor Plans

Interactive tours give buyers a feel for space and flow—something static floorplans can’t do.

3. 🚧 Pre-Sell Under Construction Homes

Show potential buyers what’s coming soon and sell homes before they’re built.

🔗 Bonus: From Static to Cinematic: Transforming Property Photos With AI

🛠️ How to Add a Virtual Tour to Your AppFolio Listings

It’s simple to get started:

  1. 🎥 Capture a virtual tour using CloudPano, Kuula, or Matterport
  2. 🔗 Copy the share or embed link
  3. 🧑‍💼 Log into AppFolio
  4. 📝 Paste the tour into the Marketing Description or Media section
  5. ✅ Save and publish

Your listing now gives buyers a 24/7 open house experience—even while you're still building. 🏗️

🔗 Related: Real Estate Tech for Builders: AppFolio and Virtual Tour Integration

📈 Real Results: What Builders Are Seeing

When you embed a virtual tour into your AppFolio listings, you’ll likely see:

  • 📊 3x more listing views
  • 📩 More qualified leads
  • 🧭 Higher engagement and longer time-on-page
  • 📆 Faster sales cycle with fewer showings
  • 🧲 Better pre-sale activity for new projects

Buyers aren’t just looking—they’re buying faster, and with more confidence.

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

💡 Pro Tips for Better Builder Listings

Take your listings to the next level with these strategies:

✅ Use AI Staging on Empty Homes

Don’t have furniture in place yet? Use PhotoAIVideo or virtual staging software to make your tours visually compelling.

🧭 Add Hotspots and Feature Labels

Point out kitchen upgrades, bonus rooms, or energy-saving features.

📬 Add CTA Buttons

Include “Schedule a Tour” or “Download Brochure” links right inside the listing.

📹 Repurpose Tours Into Video Clips

Turn your 360° tours into 15–30 sec social clips using AI editing tools.

🔗 Try this: Top 5 AI Video Editing Tools for Busy Creators in 2025

📣 Promote Virtual Tour Listings Across Channels

Once your virtual tour is live on AppFolio, share it across all your marketing channels:

  • 📧 Email campaigns
  • 📲 Instagram reels and Facebook ads
  • 🧲 Google Business Profile
  • 🧠 Realtor referral networks
  • ✈️ Relocation partnerships

The goal is to get that tour link everywhere your ideal buyer is browsing.

🔗 See also: How to Use AI Video to Sell Rental Units Faster

🧳 Who Are Virtual Tours Perfect For?

These buyer profiles benefit most from virtual tours:

  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Busy families who can’t tour in person
  • 💼 Investors looking for turnkey deals
  • 🧠 Analytical buyers who like comparing homes visually
  • ✈️ Out-of-town buyers relocating for work or family

If you're targeting any of these markets, virtual tours are a non-negotiable tool.

🔗 Bonus: AI Video Trends We’re Watching (Q3 2025 Update)

✅ Final Thoughts: Attract Buyers Before the Build is Done

Smart home builders are no longer waiting for the paint to dry before marketing. 🎯

With AppFolio and virtual tours, you can:

✅ Start marketing at the foundation
✅ Pre-sell properties with confidence
✅ Close deals faster and smoother
✅ Create better experiences for today’s buyers

If you’re not using virtual tours with AppFolio yet, now is the time to upgrade your sales strategy. 🔧🏠

🔗 Internal Link Recap

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.

How Photographers Can Sell AI Listing Videos to Their Agent Clients

AI technology is transforming real estate media — and photographers who adapt early have a major competitive advantage. This in-depth guide explains how to sell AI listing videos to agent clients by positioning them as a premium marketing upgrade rather than a technical novelty. The article walks through practical sales strategies, pricing models, subscription opportunities, and common objections, while showing how AI-powered talking head videos can increase average order value and create recurring revenue. Readers will learn how to package AI listing videos into photo bundles, monthly content plans, and brokerage-wide solutions that elevate their services from simple media delivery to full marketing automation. If you’re a photographer looking to future-proof your business and increase profitability, this guide provides a clear roadmap to selling AI listing videos effectively.
Read post

How to Build a Recurring Revenue Stream Using AI Avatar Videos

AI avatar videos are transforming how real estate media professionals build stable, scalable businesses. In this comprehensive guide, we break down how to turn one-off video projects into a predictable recurring revenue real estate media model using AI-powered talking head technology. Instead of selling per-listing shoots, you’ll learn how to package automated listing videos, market updates, and branded content into monthly subscription offers that increase client retention and lifetime value. The article explores practical use cases, pricing strategies, workflow automation, competitive advantages, and common objections — all designed to help photographers, videographers, and marketing agencies shift from transactional income to recurring revenue. If you’re ready to move from freelancer to scalable media platform, this guide outlines a clear roadmap for building consistent monthly income in real estate marketing.
Read post

How to Create an AI Avatar Listing Video From One Headshot (Step-by-Step)

Learn how to create an AI avatar listing video from a single professional headshot using simple, step-by-step software tools. This guide walks real estate agents, brokers, and photographers through the exact process of turning one static image into a talking AI avatar that delivers listing presentations automatically. Discover how AI avatar listing videos save time, boost engagement, improve consistency across marketing channels, and help agents scale their video content without recording new footage. Perfect for anyone looking to modernize their real estate marketing with AI-powered automation.
Read post