Pre-leasing helps you build demand before tours open, so you can launch with a full queue of interested prospects.

In Showdigs, pre-leasing is done by setting a future start date when you activate a unit or start showings. While the start date is still in the future, prospects can still inquire, but they will be placed on a waitlist instead of seeing available tour times.

As your start date approaches and tour availability opens, Showdigs begins allowing new leads to schedule ahead. This gives you a concentrated block of tour activity right when the unit hits market.

Pre-leasing is configured during the unit activation flow. The key step is setting a future date as the showing start date.

1. Go to Properties and select the unit you want to pre-lease.

2. Click Start Showing and choose your showing type (Agent Showing or Self Showing).

3. Complete the setup steps for your chosen showing type.

4. In the Showings step, set the Start Date to a date in the future — the date you expect the property to be ready for tours.

   

5. Click Enable Showing to activate the unit in pre-leasing mode.

Remember: Your listing and scheduling page will be live immediately after activation, even though tours won't start until the date you set. Prospects can begin expressing interest right away.

The prospect experience changes depending on how close the showing start date is.

When prospects visit your scheduling page before the start date, they won't see available tour times. Instead, they can add their name to the waitlist. Showdigs will automatically send them a text notification as soon as tours open up.

Once the start date is close enough for tour slots to appear, prospects visiting the scheduling page for the first time can book a tour directly rather than joining the waitlist. Prospects who are already on the waitlist receive a notification with a link to schedule.

Showdigs sends a text notification when tours become available so they can move forward quickly.

Building a waitlist before showings begin means you have a pool of interested prospects ready to schedule the moment tours open. Rather than waiting for inquiries to trickle in after the property goes live, you launch with demand already in place. The result is a concentrated burst of tours early on, which typically leads to faster lease-up times.

Depending on the market, building a waitlist while a property is still occupied, or being turned, can be an effective strategy to lease properties faster. However, you'll be building the waitlist during your early days on the Zillow, Zumper, etc, which are typically the most active, so this strategy typically works best for more highly desirable properties, where prospects are willing to wait a few weeks before touring.