Renders Needed to Start Pre-Leasing an Apartment Building
Most apartment buildings need four to ten views to open pre-leasing: one hero exterior, one or two amenity spaces, one typical unit interior, and a furnished floor plan for each unit type. Exterior and interior views start from $199 per image and 3D floor plans from $149 per plan. The exact set depends on the unit mix and what the leasing site has to show.
Dated 27 October 2026. By Dhaval Parikh, Praxis Studio.
Start with the exterior and one aerial
Prospects judge the address first. A hero exterior in the real street context goes on the leasing site, the signage and the brochure. A day view is the default; a dusk variant of the same camera is cheap to add and works for ads. An aerial is worth the cost when location is part of the pitch, such as transit, a park or a campus nearby. See aerial rendering.
Add the spaces that sell the lifestyle
Pick the two or three amenity spaces you will actually build: lobby, clubhouse, pool deck, courtyard, fitness room. Skip any space that is the same as every competitor’s. Each one is one interior or exterior view at the same starting price.
Show a typical unit, not every unit
One well-furnished living and kitchen view of the most common unit type does most of the work. Render a second view only for a type that differs in a way a renter notices, such as a corner unit with a balcony.
Floor plans carry the unit mix
Renters compare layouts before they compare finishes. A furnished 3D floor plan for each unit type, from $149 per plan, goes on the site, the unit table and the brochure. A project with six unit types needs six plans.
Worked example from our delivery records
In our delivery index, two projects typed multi-family each came to four delivered renders over two revision rounds, and a third to two renders over three rounds. (The type is assigned by a heuristic when we index folders, so treat it as a guide.) Four views over two rounds is a sensible size for a first leasing launch: an exterior, an amenity, a unit and a second angle on the building.
Related questions
- Do I need separate renders for the leasing office and the planning commission? Often yes. Marketing views are chosen for appeal, entitlement views for accuracy to the submitted drawings. They can share the same model, which keeps the second set cheaper to produce.
- How long does it take? A first draft usually arrives in 3 to 5 business days after complete drawings, finals in about 11 business days.
- Can I add views later as units release? Yes. The model is reused, and new views are quoted as a set.
- Do I need an animation? Not to start. Stills open the leasing site; a walkthrough comes once the amenity story is settled. See what animation costs.
Where this sits
This page is the starting point for multifamily rendering services. For the price list, see pricing.
Next step: send the unit mix and site plan and we will quote the set.
