Read Article… Time is money — and now, you can waste less of it apartment hunting — or, at least, that’s the goal behind Tour24.

Founded last year by Boston entrepreneur Georgianna Oliver, Tour24 offers an apartment-touring platform that caters to our on-demand culture. Similar to how Airbnb automated the short-term rental process, Tour24 aims to automate apartment hunting, cutting real estate agents out of the touring process.

Essentially, your phone becomes the “key” to an apartment — and the tour guide as well.

Consumers want to visit an apartment community at their convenience and on their schedule.”

At any apartment where owners partner with Tour24, prospective tenants can take personalized, self-guided tours of the apartments on their own schedule, even if it’s outside normal 9-5 office hours. Using a combination of facial recognition, smart locks and beacon technology, the startup’s app verifies the identity of the prospective renter and gives them access to the apartment building.

“[Consumers] have access to information and services at the touch of a button, and expectations during the leasing process are no different. Consumers want to visit an apartment community at their convenience and on their schedule,” said Georgianna Oliver, founder and CEO of Tour24, in a statement.

Tour24’s platform is currently installed at properties in Austin, TX and Washington, DC, including South Cathedral Mansions, a 165-unit luxury apartment community in the Woodley Park neighborhood. According to Oliver, the startup plans on expanding to other markets in early 2019.

Tour24 aims to do more than help time-crunched prospective renters; they also want to help leasing agents close the leasing process faster.

Prior to and during the tours, property managers get access to activity reports with real-time feedback from prospective renters on amenities, as well as location-based data on time spent at each location of the tour, helping them and agents discern between casual apartment shoppers and serious renters.

“Using a combination of cutting-edge smart home technology, we created Tour24 to bring an application to market that’s easy to use and simplifies and formalizes the touring experience, letting the prospect have control over the process,” Oliver said. “Meanwhile, the app equips agents to host more tours, gather pertinent information from prospective renters, and most importantly, lease units quicker.”

“Using a combination of cutting-edge smart home technology, we created Tour24 to bring an application to market that’s easy to use and simplifies and formalizes the touring experience, letting the prospect have control over the process,” Oliver said. “Meanwhile, the app equips agents to host more tours, gather pertinent information from prospective renters, and most importantly, lease units quicker.”

[SOURCE: BUILT IN BOSTON – link]