Let’s chat about apartment lease-ups, shall we? A common question we get asked is, “When should we start marketing our new apartment building?”.
Recent data from the National Association of Home Builders shows that in 2024, the average time from permit authorization to completion for a multifamily building was approximately 19.6 months—an improvement of about 0.3 months compared to 2023.
Of course, build times vary widely by building size and location: for example, projects with 20 + units averaged ~22.1 months, while smaller 2-4 unit buildings averaged ~15.3 months.
With this in mind, the timeline below remains a useful guideline, but you should always calibrate marketing start-points to your specific project size, region, and construction risk profile.
Too often, marketers and multifamily property managers find themselves uncomfortably close to opening their doors without a solid plan in place. From our experience, we know that an effective marketing plan will take extra time to create and implement – and with rising competition in the housing market along with economic impacts, it’s now more important than ever to plan for your apartment marketing efforts.
18 months out:
Construction plans are in place, the architect and interior design finishes are solidified, and things are heating up. Ground-breaking has likely begun – depending on the unit count, project size, and construction timeline.
Marketing-wise, budgets are often tight, and teams are cautious about where marketing dollars are being spent.
But it’s also imperative to get the word out about your new apartment, because the local community is wondering what is coming and when – and you don’t want to disappoint!
Lorne Bourdo and Robert Willsie from Oz Architecture mention a few game-changing concepts to revolutionize construction practices and keep everything on track.
With the help of Bluebeam Revu digital print sets, active RAILs (Rolling Action Item Logs), and Pull Planning project management, they’ve been able to maintain high-efficiency levels and “[utilize] all key players in the project, [so] everyone’s expertise is meshed together into one cohesive group, working as one to identify potential problems and cut down on unnecessary time spent.” – Lorne Bourdo, Oz Architecture
Provided your construction company has made similar work process adaptations, you can rest assured that your new apartment building is well on its way to completion, shifting focus back to your marketing timeline.
Deliverables:
- Brand creation (logo, colors, fonts, patterns, brand voice, tone, etc.)
- Purchase domain name(s)
- Finalize exterior & amenity renderings
- Great for sharing sneak peeks of the property on social media, in email newsletters, etc.
- Request construction signage, construction fence banner, temporary signage, etc.
- Claim social media profiles
- Send a press release
12 months out
Development has started, but you’ll want to keep a close eye on the ongoing timeline – especially since Lorne Bourdo of Oz Architecture: Colorado Architectural Design Firm, has confirmed that “Construction delays are definitely expected [and] it is more anticipated to be an elongated schedule because of the delays that can inevitably arise.”.
As long as you maintain close communication with your contractors, you can adjust your marketing plan accordingly. Provided everything is on-schedule, you can start driving interest and begin to direct prospects into your marketing funnel. A website landing page and construction signage with logo and basic information should be in place.
Deliverables:
- Design a website landing page
- Begin collecting leads and develop a waiting list!
- Utilize construction signage, construction fence banner, temp signage, etc.
- Send a press release with updates
6-9 months out
Time is flying, and hopefully there’s some word around town about your new apartments. We’ve highlighted key deliverables for marketing your new apartment as move-in dates are getting closer each day.
Deliverables:
- Release teaser social media posts
- Send email newsletter
- Send every month or so with updates on the timeline, construction photos, and any progress updates you can provide! Drive excitement.
- Begin ordering brand merch and move-in gifts
3 months out
In many instances and in our experience, the majority of renters are looking to move now, i.e. in the next 30-45 days. Pushing too soon can quickly eat through your marketing budget. You also want to be very transparent with any potential renters about the move-in date – it can and, very likely, will change.
Deliverables:
- Launch a website for your multifamily property
- Highlight community amenities, neighborhood attractions, galleries with renderings, and any construction photos, and a lead form!
- Corliss recommends an emphasis on “fast load times, mobile optimization, and strong copy that is SEO friendly.”
- Post more regular ‘teaser’ social media posts
- Claim your Google Business Profile (GBP) listing and optimize the profile
- Begin to post on Facebook Marketplace
- Design printed marketing collateral needs
- Think brochures, business cards, flyers, etc.
- Launch Social & Google Ads campaigns
- Begin light advertising, pushing leads, and building retargeting marketing lists
- Send a press release announcing move-in dates
- Submit an update to local media for a high chance of getting picked up!
- Include any photos and links to your social media, landing page, or website.
1 month out
Construction dates are fairly solid, and the excitement is building. Final touches are being made, hard hat tours are in full swing, and your leasing team is likely taking pre-leases. All marketing efforts should be ramped up and full steam ahead.
Several factors should be considered when determining marketing and advertising budget at this time, including: competition, location, total number of units coming online (if not all at once), and projected absorption schedule (which indicates the time required for available units to be leased).
When creating social media content, keep the updates consistent. Corliss mentions virtual or self-guided tours in addition to “new technology to enhance the renters’ journey while maintaining a human element whenever possible.”
In addition, she offers unique solutions to pandemic-related marketing efforts, such as: “introducing video leasing tools like Realync, having our teams create ‘meet the team’ clips on YouTube, launching chat bots, using companies like The View Pro or 3D Plans to create 360 virtual community tours, testing platforms like Rentgrata…” to name a few.
Here are some basic deliverables you can focus on…
Deliverables:
- Create and schedule a full social media content calendar
- Launch SEO efforts
- Launch heavy advertising (at least 35-50 days prior to official move-ins)
- Launch ILS campaigns
- Plan a grand opening party
And…Go! Move-in time
The magic paper is in hand – the Certificate of Occupancy (COO), and it’s move-in time! The leasing office is moving into its official office, maintenance and construction are working non-stop on fixing up last-minute repairs, phones are ringing, and leads are (hopefully) coming in.
Deliverables:
- Create and schedule a full social media calendar (ongoing)
- Integrate your multifamily website with live pricing and availability once entered into the property management software
- Begin collecting reviews from the first residents
- Schedule a photo shoot, video shoot, and virtual tours.
There are a lot of moving parts and marketing deliverables when dealing with a new apartment lease-up. Get in touch with our apartment marketing agency to learn how we partner with multifamily communities to drive leads and enhance their online presence.
Lease Up FAQs
As a best-practice guideline, begin marketing activities about 18 months before estimated move-in (or certificate of occupancy). However, because current national data show average build time is ~19.6 months, you may want to allow an extra buffer. Factor in your site’s regional construction timeline, permitting risk, and sub-market competition.
If a delay occurs, pause or adjust “heavy marketing” activations (paid ads, ILS, large budget) until you have more certainty. Use the pre-leasing phase (18 → 12 months) to build awareness, generate leads, and nurture prospects without over-promising a move-in date. Then, ramp paid activity when you’re confident of dates.
Yes—but with caution. Early brand awareness (pre-site signage, social “coming soon” posts) is useful in the 18 + month window, especially in tight markets. But heavy lead-generation or paid media too early may waste budget if construction slips. Use that early period to build the brand, claim social profiles, capture leads, and warm-up the funnel.
Track leads per month, site-visits to lead-form ratio, conversion rate (lead → tour → lease), cost-per-lead, cost-per-lease, absorption rate (units leased per week/month), and time to lease (from lead to move-in). Benchmark these against typical market norms and adjust your spend and timing accordingly.
The most common mistake is waiting too long to build awareness. Starting heavy marketing only 30–60 days before move-in forces higher ad spend, limits lead nurturing time, and increases risk if construction dates shift. The strongest lease-ups build brand awareness early, collect leads months in advance, and warm the audience before paid campaigns launch.
A healthy benchmark is to have 1.5–2x the number of units in qualified leads before move-in. For example, a 200-unit community should aim for 300–400 leads in the pipeline prior to opening. This ensures coverage for churn, unqualified prospects, and timing issues — and gives your leasing team a strong starting absorption rate.
Sources and related articles:
The multifamily sector added 263,209 units to the market in Q1 2020, the highest level of deliveries during the first quarter since Q1 2018. – The End of the Recovery Begins, NAAHQ
According to the Census, more than ⅓ of all households are living in apartments. For this reason, many builders and investors are considering building new apartment buildings.
