What Multifamily Can Learn About Customer Experience

Looking for an apartment is an experience, and a deeply personal one at that. Operators have been trying to meet evolving renter needs and transform the customer experience into a better, more enjoyable resident life cycle. The key is creating more memorable, intuitive, and personalized experiences for the modern renters who are just as research-driven as they are digitally savvy.

News March 17, 2023

Realync Announces Partnership with Engrain for Automated Unit-Level Media

Today, Realync, the multifamily video engagement solution, announced its newest integration with Engrain. Realync clients may now integrate their unit-level video content in Realync directly with their Engrain SightMap®, making it even easier for properties to keep their interactive property maps updated in real time as they create new unit-level videos.

News March 16, 2023

Engrain Raises $12 Million in Series A Funding led by RET Ventures to Drive Platform Improvements for Property Mapping Tech

Engrain, the market leader in interactive mapping technology and data visualization software for the built environment, today announced that it has raised $12 million in Series A funding to drive platform enhancements across the company's suite of technology offerings. The round was led by RET Ventures, an industry-backed venture fund with a focus on technology solutions for the multifamily and single family rental industries.

News March 15, 2023

Room with a view? Renters can now use interactive property maps to choose their apartment on Zillow

Zillow Rentals' new integration with Engrain's interactive map platform lets renters understand what floor an available apartment is on; if it's facing a shared outdoor space, like a garden or pool; or if the view is of a street or parking lot. The interactive maps also allow renters to click on available units to book a tour or request to apply, in much the same way they would select concert tickets when buying online.

News November 3, 2022

Engrain Announces New Map Views in SightMap

Engrain announced the release of street map and satellite map views within SightMap, multifamily's leading interactive map tool. The new homefront search feature allows renters to toggle between multiple map views and expands context beyond a community and into the surrounding neighborhood.

News November 1, 2022

Meet Andre Dugal | Director of Design

Shoutout Colorado had the good fortune of connecting with Engrain's Director of Design, Andre Dugal. Read the interview to learn more about Andre and his success at Engrain.

News October 27, 2022

The New Frontier of the Multifamily Customer Experience

Multifamily has reached a tipping point: Apartment operators can either continue to evolve with consumers and push the boundaries of the renter experience or get left behind in a highly competitive, tech-empowered industry. We’ve reached the new frontier of the multifamily customer experience—an experience that’s rooted in the customer and developed through the lens of the renter.

News September 26, 2022

Raising the Bar on the Apartment Search with Visual, Personalized Experiences

Renters crave personalized content, flexibility with touring, consistent communication and transparency in the apartment search, which typically happens across multiple platforms. More and more operators have started offering self-service options while centralizing leasing to create a more streamlined approach to renting apartments. But there are still some pieces missing from the apartment search journey in order to meet modern consumers where they’re at.

News September 12, 2022

Build a Better Leasing Experience with Centralization and Technology

Traditionally, centralized staffing has referred to having a central physical office, but today it includes a combination of staffing, physical spaces and technology systems. Most operators agree it means moving tasks and processes from onsite to other people, regardless of location, that are specialized in specific processes or customer touchpoints. This allows operators to free up resources to better focus on tasks that require an onsite presence and provide better one-on-one customer service.

News August 23, 2022

BetterBot adds Community Maps to the Conversation

Prospective renters today want all the information they can get, wherever and whenever. They want real-time responses to their questions, actual pricing and availability, real photography, video and virtual tours at both the amenity and individual apartment level. And, they want to know the exact location of their potential new home.

News August 1, 2022

Mapping the Way to a Better Apartment Search

Modern consumer behaviors are shaped by rapid advancements in online purchasing and the desire for instant gratification. Online shoppers are one click away from finding exactly what they want, researching, evaluating and purchasing faster than ever before. Searching for an apartment – an experience that’s been largely unchanged for more than a decade—is finally beginning to keep pace. But is it fast enough?

News July 19, 2022

Engrain Announces Map Integration With OpenTech Alliance

Interactive maps will enable OpenTech Alliance's self-storage customers, tenants and internal staff to visualize a facility's inventory of storage units. Unit-level data and content is incorporated into a visual map of the facility to make it easy for self-storage operators to manage their inventory more intelligently and allow tenants to have a more efficient self-service experience.

News June 28, 2022

Multifamily Gains Greater Understanding, Use of Centralized Leasing

Momentum for using a centralized leasing strategy continues in apartment management. But first, for many, it comes down to understanding the concept – something not all operators are grasping. Centralized leasing is not moving all leasing to one centralized location, explained a panel on Wednesday during NAA’s Apartmentalize conference.

News June 23, 2022

Engrain and LCP Media Announce Map Integrations to Visually Manage Virtual Tours in TourBuilder

Engrain, the market leader in interactive mapping and data visualization software for the built environment, today announced that LCP Media, a national visual media technology company, has integrated with SightMap to give property leasing teams a simple and automated way to create, manage and promote unit-level virtual tours within the TourBuilder platform.

News June 21, 2022

Engrain Announces the Release of TouchTour Flex

TouchTour Flex is a new generation of Engrain's technology reimagined to meet the needs of the rapidly changing leasing environment. Traditionally TouchTour has been used by onsite leasing teams as part of an in-person tour. Recently, operators have been experimenting with fewer leasing associates, flexible office hours, centralized leasing scenarios and self-guided tours as part of a more dynamic touring strategy.

News May 9, 2022

These Proptech Startups are Changing the Real Estate Game

In an industry dominated by less than a handful of legacy property management operating systems, technology integrations become prohibitively expensive, slow to implement, and remain fragmented from an end-user standpoint. And when these solutions are acquired by legacy platforms, do they ever really reach their full potential, benefiting the lives of operators and residents alike? You might say this is where the innovators’ risk-taking and brilliant ideas wither on the vine, rarely achieving the scale or audience that could so benefit from their solution.

News May 5, 2022

Budget friendly Tips to Develop and Stand Out from the Competition by Enhancing Your Community’s “Neesh.”

The upcoming generation of renters all grew up with a phone in their hand. They are looking for apartments on a mobile device. If your website is not formatted for mobile, you are losing potential leads and renters. They are engrained to be digital nomads, and quite frankly, demand it for a more accessible and on-demand leasing experience. How are you incorporating technology as part of the follow up and leasing process? Are you using video, text and 24 hour virtual tours? This can be your “neesh” when it comes to marketing your community to attract the Digital Nomad.

News April 26, 2022

Engrain Announces Partnership with Real Estate Business Analytics

Engrain, the market leader in interactive touring, mapping and data visualization software for the built environment, today announced a partnership with Real Estate Business Analytics (REBA) to integrate Unit Map into REBA's business intelligence platform.

News April 26, 2022

Personally-Guided Virtual Apartment Tours the Next Upgrade for Leasing

Coming out of the pandemic, marketers have more and better tech tools to build their virtual tours either through images, video or virtual reality. The most advanced tool is through 360-degree cameras that can capture individual apartment homes from various angles and produce a walk-able video where the prospective resident chooses their own path, rather than a pre-recorded, set video designed for the community itself.

News April 18, 2022

What is RentTech?

Smart apartments can have a significant positive impact on the operations of a building, and most importantly on NOI. When an apartment is vacant it can be difficult to recognize issues that are taking place within the unit. Even the leasing process can be streamlined with technology by activating self-guided tours so that interested parties can visit apartments at their convenience without the need for building management to be present.

News March 16, 2022

To Bootstrap or Not: Proptech Founders On When to Take VC Money

For a number of proptech founders, avoiding the siren song of venture capital funding can lead to greater control of their startup’s development. However, knowing when to pivot to accepting VC largess can make a large difference in a company’s ultimate success, according to founders who have gone through the process.

News January 25, 2022

Livly Partners with Map Visualization Technology Leader Engrain to Optimize Livly's Solution for Property Managers

The integration with Engrain's Unit Map platform will provide value to on-site teams across a wide range of use cases, enabling on-site teams to visualize, filter, and group critical property data such as occupancy, resident, pet, and vehicle information, outstanding maintenance tickets, and much more.

News December 17, 2021

Tech Trends to Watch for 2022

The recent NMHC OPTECH in the Washington, D.C., area was a milestone moment for the multifamily industry in its post-COVID recovery. More than 2,000 apartment executives and technology partners were finally able to gather and celebrate the industry’s resiliency and set a path for what’s next.

News November 11, 2021

Data Mapping Emerges as an Optimal Tool for Apartment Teams

How data is generated, comprehended and visualized for apartment companies at the site level is having a bigger impact on performance than ever before.

News September 20, 2021

How to Solve the 5 Big Data Challenges Holding CRE Back

Businesses are looking at how to better tap the potential of big data and PropTech as data is becoming an indispensable aspect of decision making in commercial real estate.

News September 17, 2021

The Future of Apartment Buildings Without a Leasing Office

As owners and operators are learning that prospects and residents have become much more comfortable with self-service concepts, they are switching gears to accommodate these preferences and modernize operations.

News September 16, 2021

Open, Map-Based Technology Redefines Apartment Data

Recent advancements have been made—keyed by mapping technology—that are not only uncovering critical, cost-saving and time-saving capabilities, but are bringing greater comprehension to the onsite team.

News August 10, 2021

Engrain Expands Senior Housing Focus with Strategic Product, Company Growth

Engrain Developing Dedicated Team for Senior Living Community Focus, Expanded Senior Living Product Line

News August 3, 2021

Operators Still Tapping the Capabilities of Innovative Sitemaps

It’s no secret that apartment operators are moving toward more of a self-service model to keep pace with an increasingly digital world. This trend was already underway before the pandemic made it even more of a necessity.

News June 17, 2021

The Self-Guided Experience: Using Interactive Map Technology at Self-Storage Facilities

Wouldn’t it be handy if, at the time of rental, you could offer your self-storage customers an interactive, real-time facility map to show them unit availability, pricing, features and location? It could even guide them to their space. Thanks to new technology, you can! Plus, this super-useful tool provides important revenue reporting. Read on to learn more.

News June 2021

Breaking Down the Pandemic Tech Trends That are Here to Stay (and Those That Aren’t) at AIM Reconnect

“Should I stay or should I go now?”

News June 2021

Your Guide to Self-Guided Tours

How to create the optimal tour experience while maintaining a secure community and boosting conversion rates, creating a win-win for both leasing teams and prospective residents.

News May 26, 2021

SmartRent Announces Exclusive Integration with Engrain

SmartRent announces an exclusive integration with map visualization technology leader Engrain, to optimize SmartRent's new parking management solution, Alloy Parking.

News May 12, 2021

Venterra Realty Partners with Engrain to Enhance Renter Experience

Venterra to launch Engrain interactive mapping tools to provide industry-leading property tours.

News April 21, 2021

Baseline Growth Capital and Engrain Announce Financing Partnership

Baseline Growth Capital and Engrain today announced the launch of an integrated Software and Hardware as a Service solution that provides touchscreen, interactive mapping and self-guided touring products to allow for safe, socially distanced touring of apartment communities.

News February 22, 2021

How Multifamily Pandemic Investments Are Changing the Industry Forever

Like any industry, residential building operators saw their entire work lives change in a matter of weeks at the onset of the pandemic.

News December 1, 2020

Apartment Industry Reassess Data-Sharing Processes: Economic downturn prods historically private industry to loosen reins

The apartment industry has operated on old-school principles for quite some time. Even with a concerted shift to tech-based processes over the past half-decade, the industry often refuses to share data, thinking proprietary information provides a competitive edge.

News November 25, 2020

Technology-Enabled Self Tours Helping Fill COVID-Era Apartments

A second novel coronavirus surge currently sweeps the land. Herd immunity remains at least months off. Apartment building vacancies continue climbing. And according to the National Multifamily Housing Council, rent collections have fallen in November 2020 versus their levels of both last month and November 2019.

Case Studies April 25, 2023

Visualizing data to identify pricing outliers, location-specific trends

Rental housing has rapidly transformed into a data-driven industry. But even data-driven insight comes with some challenges. Data can often be difficult to analyze and put into a real-world context, and sometimes the data tells a story that isn’t easily discernible.

Case Studies February 3, 2023

Seamless navigation around self-storage properties

Extra Space is one of the most innovative companies in the industry and was seeking methods to provide a better customer experience and create more self-sufficient ways for customers to find and secure a storage unit.

Case Studies October 26, 2022

Providing innovative, tech-centric consistency across portfolio

In the new era of self-service leasing and personalized shopping experiences, Griffis wanted to further accelerate its efforts to provide an intuitive, visually engaging apartment shopping experience with the key information renters need to do their own research and make a confident decision.

Case Studies September 6, 2022

Tracking resident trends in a visual format

The multifamily industry relies on real-time data more than ever before to track resident trends and enhance asset value. As a nationally recognized apartment company with more than 40,000 apartments under management, Village Green understands the value of utilizing location-specific data to accelerate asset performance.

Case Studies July 7, 2022

Enhancing the Customer and Touring Experience

Greystar has always looked to innovate and transform internal strategies for associates and improve leasing and living experiences for residents. The addition of data visualization technologies tailored to Greystar’s portfolio could enhance different aspects of the company from leasing to asset management and provide a better overall customer experience for its residents.

Case Studies November 23, 2021

Eliminating Pain Points in Digital Leasing and Enhancing Customer Journey

The multifamily customer journey has evolved to a point where technology is no longer an option -- it’s the foundation for modern leasing and operations. But new renter pain points emerged during the industry’s rapid technology implementation and proptech boom.

Case Studies September 7, 2021

Streamlining Leasing Processes and Making Informed Pricing Decisions

Pricing is a critical component of any leasing strategy. With a growing number of residents searching for apartments online, user-friendly platforms with real-time data and accessible information are key to attracting and retaining great residents.

Case Studies August 31, 2021

Don’t just ride the wave of self-guided touring, control it.

Just as the multifamily industry was dipping its toe into self-guided tours, the pandemic came and pushed it into the deep end. Flexible touring, or more accurately referred to as “tours your way”, is a term used to describe touring solutions that best fit your leasing workflow.

Case Studies March 16, 2021

Introducing an Innovative Apartment Search

Community websites have undergone a metamorphosis in recent years as apartment teams clamor to attract residents. But for all the optimized features and visually alluring layouts added to these sites, one concept has remained the same.

Case Studies August 12, 2020

The Need to Recruit Senior Housing Prospects Earlier in the Development Process

As a top-tier senior living consultant and manager, Greystone understands the importance of getting the word out early. It’s not a wise strategy, after all, to waste any valuable time before reaching out to prospective residents.

Case Studies August 4, 2020

Finding an Intuitive Way to Track Leasing Trends

Tracking absorption rates has always been a primary objective in the apartment world. That mission was no different for Leon Capital Group’s multifamily branch, but Director of Multifamily Operations Crystal Martin believed there had to be a more intuitive way.

Case Studies June 10, 2020

The Need to Upgrade to Intuitive Visualization Technology

LMC, a Lennar company, was ahead of the curve. The Charlotte, N.C.-based multifamily developer, which always has an abundance of lease-ups in process across the country, knew a visualization platform was a must to accommodate waiting prospects.

Case Studies June 9, 2020

Matching Prospect’s Location Preferences with Their Budget

When a prospective resident walks through the door, they usually know what features they want in their next home. Two bedrooms. Open floor plan. Upper level. But they also have location preferences that might not be as obvious until they tour the community in person, such as proximity to the pool or elevator, interior or exterior views, and distance from the leasing office or their assigned parking space.

Case Studies April 29, 2020

Finding a Competitive Differentiator in the Lease-Up Process

Lease-ups had been going fairly well for Trinitas Ventures, but Antonio Holmes saw room for improvement. The director of leasing believed more could be done to cater to the digital-savvy student market and help achieve the company’s leasing objectives on new development projects a bit more rapidly.

Case Studies April 12, 2020

Real-Time Availability Needed on Websites

Four years ago, Utah-based ICO Multifamily Property Management was already generating an impressive number of leads from its website. Unfortunately, all too often a prospective resident who found the apartment of their dreams online would arrive at a community for an in-person tour, only to find out that the home they had their heart set on was no longer available.

Case Studies March 3, 2020

Standing Out in an Emerging Submarket

With its massive size and longstanding reputation, The Residence at North Dallas possessed plenty of charisma of its own. But in an emerging submarket that featured several new developments and a variety of Class A options, the 1,032-unit community needed to find new ways to set itself apart.

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