As you transition into the next stage of your apartment search, from finding and selecting buildings, to scheduling and taking tours, new questions might form in your mind about what to expect, especially for anyone experiencing their first home hunt. If you worked with an AptAmigo agent to choose your favorite buildings, our team will schedule all of your tours for you and send a geographically optimized itinerary to your inbox. If not, that task will take a good bit of time, so be prepared for that reality.
When touring an apartment, you’ll want to absorb as much of the experience as possible so that you can make a good decision. Give yourself a chance to take it all in, snap photos, and take notes. But, while it may take the better part of a day to complete all of your tours, each one won’t take too long.
How Long Does an Apartment Tour Take?
Plan to spend one whole day on apartment showings, and, if you can, keep them all on the same day in order to weigh your impressions with all of them fresh in your mind. Performing the tours on a single date will make the decision process easier and speed up the time it takes to get from tour to application, which matters because available apartment units in big cities get snatched up fast.
As for how many buildings to tour in total, we asked Kellie Koren, our Regional Operations Manager, to share her expertise: “We suggest seeing between 3 to 4 apartment buildings. It’s the perfect amount to make a decision and not get overwhelmed.” Visit too many buildings, and they all blur together and muddle the decision process. Besides, you can weigh the pros and cons of buildings, to a large extent, as you narrow your list down. By the time you tour, the only buildings left should really rank as high contenders on your list.
When you arrive at each building, you’ll spend a minimum of 20 minutes there, but preferably more because most places want to show you the amenities in addition to the actual apartment units. Kellie says that “All of our buildings are individually special, and they want you to see what makes them differ from the rest. Each tour takes around 45 minutes to an hour to show off all of their unique spaces.” So, plan for the whole hour, and if you end up with extra time, use it to take a break, assess what you saw, and ready yourself for the next place.
In addition to the time spent at the actual apartment buildings, you will need time to get from one place to the next. The bigger the city, the more traffic, so expect congested routes and plan accordingly. If possible, take a break after the first few tours and grab a coffee or snack. It helps to clear your mind and think, and, if you can walk around the neighborhood a bit to get a feel for the area, that’s even better.
What to Know about Your Upcoming Apartment Tours
While that covers the essential information you need about the amount of time it takes to tour apartments, other questions might also need answering. For a full rundown of what to expect and how to prepare for your tour day, see our article on “What to Expect on Your Apartment Tour Day.” If, by chance, some or all of your tours will take place virtually, we assembled a guide for “Virtual Apartment Tours” as well. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Apartment Locator for information or advice. They will happily answer any of your questions.
How Long Does It Take to Get Approved for an Apartment?
After you tour, you will apply for your top choice. Your Locator will gladly support you through this process, and you can learn more ahead of time about “How to Get Approved for an Apartment” to prepare. Luckily, the approval process moves fast, and you typically receive a response within 24 hours.
If you find yourself struggling to make that final decision, we polled our agents for advice on “Choosing an Apartment” and presented our suggestions to assist you through that process.
Let AptAmigo Schedule Your Luxury Apartment Tours for You
Now, should you still need to begin your apartment search, AptAmigo’s Apartment Locators will help you for free. They know the city, the buildings, and the individual floor plans. Once you tell them what you want in your next luxury apartment, they will get to work searching for the closest match and the best deals in your area. Reach out to connect with a Locator today!
