From Bleeding Edge to Leading Edge
Why Scale Is the Real Innovation in Self-Guided Tours

There’s a big difference between being first—and being right.
At Pineapple, we didn’t race to be the bleeding edge of self-guided touring. That title belongs to the early solutions built for the single-family rental (SFR) market—smart locks, lockboxes, decentralized everything. At the time, it worked. It had to. Operators like Colony American were managing sprawling portfolios where traditional leasing offices weren’t an option.
Fast forward to today, and the question is no longer does self-touring work? That debate is over. The data is clear. The adoption is widespread. The consumer demand is undeniable.
Now the real question is: who can scale it?
Because that’s the difference between the bleeding edge and the leading edge. It’s not about novelty. It’s about sustainability. About building something that doesn’t just work—but works everywhere, for everyone, without draining teams or budgets.
At Pineapple, we skipped the “me too” phase. We studied the cracks forming in the first wave of self-tour systems and asked ourselves: what breaks when you actually try to scale this?
Turns out, it’s the same problems—over and over:
1. High Maintenance
Most legacy systems rely on moving locks or reprogramming devices from unit to unit. That work doesn’t fall on your leasing team—it falls on your maintenance team. And guess what? They weren’t hired to lease apartments! They’re supposed to be turning units, fixing issues, and keeping the property running profitably. Every minute they spend fiddling with tech is a minute they’re not doing their core job.
2. Restrictive Pricing
The early systems were built for A-class assets with high-margin rents and generous budgets that allow big risk taking. But the majority of the market is B and C class—and they’re the ones who need leasing efficiency the most. Pricing models that leave them behind aren’t just limiting—they’re short-sighted.
3. Half-Measures
Because of issues 1 and 2, most operators end up offering self-guided tours of just one or two units—or worse, a single model. That defeats the whole purpose. Prospects are forced back into the traditional leasing flow, bouncing between self-guided and in-person visits. That’s friction. And friction kills conversion.
So we built something different. Not a white-labeled SFR system. Not a retrofitted smart lock scheme. But a platform built for multifamily, by multifamily people. A FUBU approach to leasing automation.
Here’s what that looks like:
💡 Low Maintenance
No lock juggling. No reprogramming. One centralized leasing kiosk that is access agnostic and simple to manage. Leasing teams stay focused on leasing. Maintenance stays focused on maintenance. Everyone wins.
💡 Flexible Coverage
Whether you have two units available or twelve, Pineapple scales with you. Because we work with the locks and keys you already have, we make the math work at any occupancy level.
💡 Real Tours of Real Units
Let’s be honest: if you’re asking someone to spend 40% of their income on rent, they deserve to see the actual unit they’re going to live in. Not a model. Not a sales pitch. The real deal.
The Bottom Line: Scale Is the Innovation
The first wave of self-guided tours proved the concept. But they also hit a ceiling. Pineapple is breaking through that ceiling by making self-guided tours cheaper, easier, and—most importantly—centered on the renter. We’re not just innovating the technology. We’re innovating the business model, the user experience, and the path to mass adoption.
This isn’t about being flashy. It’s about being smart. Bleeding edge got us here. Leading edge takes us further.
Let’s go!


