Let’s face it, most real estate videos are boring. We’ve got news for all you realtors – they don’t have to be! It’s time to move beyond shooting a virtual tour of the house.
To produce high quality, engaging real estate videos, you don’t need to be a video expert and you certainly don’t need to hire a team of professionals. With this guide, some basic equipment, and lots of enthusiasm, you can do it yourself.
In this post, we’ll show you how to make videos that will help sell your properties faster than ever. We’ll share tips on how to use emotion and humor effectively, explore the surrounding environment, and livestreaming.
Getting Personal
No matter how amazing the property, it’s hard to get your audience truly excited with a virtual tour of the house. It’s difficult to convey the ambiance and the quality. Choosing a home doesn’t just involve the right dimensions and money – emotion is also brought into play. Try making the following videos to tug at viewers’ heartstrings:
Interview with the owner:
In this emotive video, the owner can share stories about the happy times they’ve enjoyed in their home. They probably have some ideas about the type of buyer who would love living there, and why. Their opinions about the best points of their home could be all it takes to persuade one of the viewers to take the next step.
Behind the scenes:
Every home that’s on the market will be absolutely spotless, all junk removed, and items tidied away that aren’t in keeping with the story the owner is telling. But that’s not real life. A ‘hidden camera’ style video of the house in action shows viewers how the home is really used. A time-lapse video over 24 hours would work well.
Making changes:
This type of video is especially interesting for older homes. Ask the current owners to share their renovation story on camera. They should show before and after photos to illustrate the difference their hard work will make for the new residents.
Beyond the House
When you’re making a real estate video, it’s helpful to look beyond the home. That’s certainly what your audience will be doing. With location having such an impact on property prices, a video that highlights the benefits of living in a particular neighborhood will help viewers to make a decision.
A whistle-stop tour of the neighborhood:
You don’t need us to tell you that location sells! Get out there and make a short film of the local parks, greenery, even beauty spots that are in easy traveling distance. Check out our post 6 Tips for Outdoor Filming to learn more about using the right equipment outdoors.
We’re sure you’ll be inspired by this neighborhood tour:
Interviews with small business owners:
One of the things that helps sell a location is an abundance of independent stores. A short video featuring the indie shops, their products and the people who give them their unique personality is sure to be engaging. Plus, it’s great PR for the shopkeepers.
Community events:
Make an effort to attend the neighborhood’s next event and film it. It will communicate the message that this is a vibrant, interesting place to live.
Feeling Brave? Try Humor!
If you’re confident you know what your target audience will find funny, make a humorous video. This approach is better when you’re advertising your realtor services as opposed to a home. Your clients want to know that you are taking their property seriously. They might not appreciate a humorous video of their home.
Humor is difficult to get right, so before you upload anything to your website or social media, run it by colleagues, friends and family. For more impartial feedback, use split testing: one video with a humorous tone, and one without. Our post How to Maximize Engagement by A/B Testing Videos has all the information you need to make an effective real estate video.
Here’s an example of a video that used humor so well, it went viral:
Livestreaming Ideas
When you hold an open house, you choose a time that’s likely to be convenient for most buyers. But, inevitably, this won’t work for some potential clients.
That’s why livestreaming is a tool that could have been developed with realtors in mind! It not only allows you to reach a wider audience, it enables you to develop a closer connection with them.
Be sure to record your livestream to serve as a point of reference for anyone who misses the live event. By uploading it to a professional video hosting platform, like SproutVideo, you can easily share it with future prospective buyers.
Use these tips to truly engage viewers who can’t be there.
FAQs:
Try to address common questions buyers typically have. Whether specific to the house, or home-buying in general, the helpful information you provide will motivate people to pay attention. This is especially useful for first time buyers or those who might be unfamiliar with purchasing or rental regulations in your city.
Ask viewers what they’d like to see.
Someone might want to see more of the storage space. Another virtual visitor might want you to show them the garden. And what about another look at the kitchen? Livestreaming allows you to be viewers’ eyes and ears.
Staging homes.
Chances are, the viewers seeking a home to buy will be selling their own real estate. Share your own professional advice on preparing their property for listing by walking them through how you helped prep this particular house.
Livestreaming these tips gives more of a sense of authenticity. It removes any sense that the content is scripted, and shows them that it really is as quick and easy as you say. Read The Best Way to Make Authentic Videos to ensure you come across well on camera.
Conclusion
A good real estate video is one that takes into account the role played by the head and the heart when it comes to buying or renting a new home. The best way to do this is to make videos that:
- Share the experiences of the current homeowners
- Highlight the positive points of the neighborhood
- Use livestreaming and recorded content to maximize the residence’s exposure
Are you interested in making video for your industry? Let us know what sector you’re involved in, and we’ll share our expertise with you!
