We all have made purchases online, perhaps even yesterday. When you are looking for a specific item, you read multiple reviews, crowd source your family and friends and do as much research as possible before you decide to buy. And when the item finally arrives, you are hoping the online depiction of the product is an accurate representation. Will the item live up to what the description says it is? Is the item the color it says it would be? Is it the size really accurate? An apartment home is quite the same.

Today’s renter is more likely to do up front research before contacting a community. Searching a community’s website wanting the website to be a wealth of information and not an advertisement. A renter’s offline journey starts with confidence due to what they have learned online. In our 2019 Online Renter Study a renters “trust in a community’s website” has drastically decreased from 35% in 2017 to just 9% two years later. Renters are trusting a community’s website less as a community’s online presence is found to be saying one thing online, but showcasing something different in person.

Due to the decline in trusting a community’s website, reviews have moved to the #1 most trusted source. Renters have determined reviews to be most trustworthy and want know the authentic story, the good and bad. They need to feel confident they are making the right decision.  Touring the community is now a means of verification as renters need reassurance to what they’ve seen online is accurate in real life. How do you make sure everything on your website reflects what a renter will see when they tour a community?

Common website features

A community’s online presence includes its website, reviews, photos and even social media which must be an authentic representation of the community. As with online purchases, if the item doesn’t live up the description, you will return it for a refund. Renters feel the same way, quickly losing trust and possibly moving on to tour another community.