News & Updates

How Mapping Will Help Your Apartment Community

Paper maps are a thing of the past and the multifamily industry needs to catch up!

Do you remember unfolding a massive, crinkly paper map across the dashboard during a childhood road trip? Maybe you also recall the puzzling effort to re-fold the map back into an organized pamphlet. Your current family vacations probably include virtual navigation with live traffic updates and suggestions for places to stop along the route. In fact, you probably don’t even have a map in your glove box anymore!

Paper maps are a thing of the past and the multifamily industry needs to catch up! Although they were once the epitome of professional and classy, they now seem slightly outdated and old-fashioned. That’s not the impression you want to give your potential residents. Instead, impress them with your top-of-the line, high-tech navigation solutions.

Our Luminous suite of Parking Boss, Amenity Boss, and Community Boss utilize fully integrated apartment community maps to serve your entire community and solve your everyday multifamily problems. Here’s how.

Solution #1: Digital convenience

Maps have always been a useful asset, but mobile maps take convenience to another level. People search for everything online, including “2-bedroom apartment”, “downtown parking,” and “pool near me.”

Virtual maps simplify life for your residents, plus are a convenient time-saver for your community managers and guests. Instead of performing a vague web search, they can intuitively find what they’re looking for in your Community Boss Directory — without having to visit the leasing office.

Solution #2: Pandemic-approved

This pandemic has heightened our culture’s sensitivity to potential germs. No matter their stance on masks or hand sanitizer, your residents are looking for touchless, keyless, and socially-distanced options.

Community Boss digital maps allow current residents to see live data on occupancy and amenity availability, and they provide contact-less, self-guided tours for potential new residents.

Solution #3: Community directory

We all know the headaches of paper maps. Where am I? Which direction am I facing? How on earth do I get from here to there? Virtual maps relieve the tension for residents and guests! Plus your managers won’t be using their valuable time to guide people around your community.

It’s easier to find the right unit or amenity with a digital community directory than it is to find the ketchup in your own fridge.

  • Where am I? First, the little blue dot tells users precisely where they are.
  • Which direction am I facing? Second, that same little blue dot follows them along their journey so they always know which way they’re headed.
  • How do I get from here to there? Third, seeing their location and destination on a smart map helps them navigate where they want to go.

Solution #4: Shared amenities

You provide outstanding shared amenities for your residents. Make sure they're actually being used! When amenities get “lost” within your community, residents aren’t experiencing the full benefits and you’re paying to maintain facilities that aren’t being utilized.

Digital maps resolve both of those problems! Modern, digital, interactive community maps allow residents to explore and reserve amenities with the touch of a button. Residents can easily identify the coworking spaces, fitness center, package lockers, and dog park.

Don’t forget that maps can also provide live data about common resident questions such as opening hours, time limits, and capacity. This ensures fair amenity use, prevents amenity abuse, and helps management to better understand what residents enjoy.

Solution #5: Simple parking

We know parking can suck, but Parking Boss uses our industry-leading Smart Parking Map to keep your residents accountable and to remove the confusion surrounding guest parking — and even has the potential for extra revenue.

  • Residents have designated spaces, which are easy to identify on their map.
  • Guest parking is not always obvious or simple. Our maps make it easy to find guest parking spaces.
  • Delivery vehicles won’t have to circle the parking lot because a virtual map shows them exactly where to go. And this goes beyond traditional package deliveries. Consider how this can support grocery deliveries, mobile dog groomers, and even ride-sharing drivers (think Uber or Lyft).
  • Special types of spaces can be designated for compact, extra large, ADA (handicap), or electric vehicles.

Oh, and did we mention how a satisfactory parking experience tends to generate more positive Google reviews? Simple and worthy of 5-stars — that’s the goal Parking Boss can help you achieve!

Solution #6: Smooth move-in process for new residents

Filling empty units with new residents is great news for business yet a burden on your staff — but not anymore! Digital maps can facilitate the move-in process for new residents. They can easily identify:

  • The location of their new home (and where to park their moving van)
  • Their assigned parking spaces
  • Nearby guest parking spaces
  • The closest community entrance and exit
  • Their mailbox
  • All of the amenities
  • And more!

Don’t forget that satisfied residents are more likely to renew a lease and recommend your community to others!

Solution #7: Self-guided and virtual tours

How does a potential new renter tour your community? With a staff member? Alone, with the company of a wrinkled paper map? Invite and empower your prospective residents with customizable self-guided tours!

Before someone ever steps foot in your community, they can view a virtual tour on your website. When they're ready to see more, we’ve got you covered.

Our suite of Luminous tools allows you to craft custom on-site, self-guided tours of model units, amenities, parking areas, and the leasing office. You can also embed unit photos and videos, walkthroughs of floor plans, or 360° community walking tours.

In addition to virtual solutions, our community mapping makes provisions for after-hours tours — when your potential new residents are likely available yet your staff are at home.

The result: when prospective renters feel the freedom to explore all that your community has to offer, they're more likely to sign a lease.

A suite of solutions

Paper maps are out and interactive digital maps are in! Thanks to real-world models and live-time data, digital maps can modernize your multifamily community (while also saving some trees along the way).

Want to see this map in action? Connect with us to see a live demo.