The Internet Adventure Study Part VI:

J Turner Research’s latest The Great Online Apartment Adventure—Surviving the Rise of AI Search continues a research tradition spanning 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023, and 2025—tracking how technology and renter expectations are reshaping the apartment search. This year’s findings reveal one of the most significant shifts yet: 45.9% of renters now use AI to research apartments, and 5.7% began their most recent search with an AI tool before visiting a listing site or Google.

The study explores what this rapidly changing search journey means for multifamily owners, operators, and marketers as renters arrive more informed than ever before.

Five Major Findings:

• The Apartment Search Funnel Has Fundamentally Changed

• The Impact of AI in Apartment Search

• The Veto Effect is in Full Force

• Technology to Aid, not Replace Human Connection

• Retention Must Be a Consistent Effort