The hot trend now for the real estate industry is the video house tour. Thanks to digital cameras and editing software, it is relatively easy to create a video house tour. Social media such as YouTube and vimeo makes it easy for Realtors® to showcase their listed homes, attract more buyers and sellers, increase their reach, and keep on top of the latest technology. Plus, prospective buyers can easily and virtually “visit” a house. Here’s the breakdown on video house tours:

Why Should You Make a Video House Tour?

• A video house tour will draw more prospective buyers and sellers to your website.
• Video house tours can reach out to potential customers who would not otherwise know about your services.
• Becoming an expert in video house tours will be another tool in your real estate marketing arsenal.
• You can establish yourself as a real estate agent who is “in the know.”

Research shows that people are more likely to click on a video rather than a traditional website. In fact, Google has added YouTube videos as part of its search results. Which means that when potential customers are looking for a house, one of the first things they will see is your video house tour.

Reach out to more prospective buyers with the simple use of “tagging.” Use basic real estate keywords like keywords, such as “house for sale,” “open house,” “video tour,” along with the location of the house.

Printed real estate marketing materials become equally important and powerful with the addition of a QR code that points to your video house tours. Prospective buyers simply scan the QR code to view the tour.

Where Do You Begin?

• Invest in a high-quality digital camera and learn how to use it properly. Research the best type of equipment for your needs and get advice from others who are currently using this type of equipment. Be sure to purchase accessories such as a tripod, dolly and video editing software.
• Plan: Prepare for your video house tour. Create an outline of all which rooms to feature, and in what order.
• Practice: Use your own house to experiment with a video house tour. Ask your friends if you can “produce” a tour of their homes. Even if they aren’t even thinking of selling their homes, it’s good practice for you.
• Get feedback: Solicit opinions from your friends and colleagues and get honest feedback. Find out what’s missing and what needs improvement.
• Test: Be sure to play the video on everything from a desktop to a smart phone. Make sure it’s compatible with all types of devices.
• Lighting: Just like staging a house for sale, the importance of proper lighting cannot be emphasized enough. Your video house tour will illuminate, if you will, the most attractive aspects of a property.
• Remember your audience: You are trying to attract the average homebuyer, so get the opinion of people outside of the industry.

How Do You Produce A Great Video House Tour?

• You are now the director and the producer of this film. Create a natural flow to the video—beginning, middle and end. Then, establish the lighting, camera angles and which equipment will be used.
• Consider filming the outside of the house, like landscaping, walkways, and even nighttime shot for added drama.

Take Two!

• Editing: The advantage with editing is that you can make your video house tour be the best it can be. Cut out those shots that are blurry or too dark. Be sure to edit your video to make sure it’s not too long.

• Before you include audio (whether its music or narration), make sure the video is perfect. You can’t disguise a rushed video house tour with music.

Get Ready for Your Close-up

• Don’t be nervous! You’ve done plenty of house tours before—just not on camera. A video house tour is nearly the same as the one you would give in person. You start by introducing yourself; show the customer around, emphasize what makes the house special; perhaps talk about the neighborhood or the school system.

Time to Sell

Think about it: videos are a great place to give your own sales pitch. What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? Why should somebody hire you? What kinds of services will you provide? What will you do for the customer that other real estate agents will not do? Answer those questions in a way that is brief (no more than 2 minutes), but engaging. You want to make a personal connection with potential buyers and sellers.

Video house tours will establish yourself as an expert in your field. It will increase your visibility and help with your real estate marketing efforts. Include your video house tours on your website and on your printed real estate marketing materials so that everyone will know about your listed homes.