Get started with Real Estate Video Production

You have perfect real estate website and have published plenty of professional and stunning real estate photos. But it seems your content doesn’t attract more viewers as you expected. So why not try a new content format – Real Estate Videography which has been proving its effectiveness through an overwhelming number of statistics.

If you’re telling yourself, “I need to get started with real estate video production, but I have no idea where to begin,” this guideline will help.

Pre-production:

Real Estate video production ideas

Video is proven to generate more leads for realtors. However, besides the traditional types of real estate video production – listing video – there are many types of video that can help realtors get more trust and reputation

Listing video

Listing videos remain the most popular video agents produce. It will not only create better market the property for sale, but also leverage your current listings for spin off business. Listing video will bring viewers a realistic experience about the house with professional and well-sequenced footage. Showing off the properties in stylish fashion via video is an effective means of impressing buyers at the first sight.

Interview video

The best promotion for your business is word of mouth. Interviewing some people such as buyers and sellers you’ve worked with in the past, local business owners, professionals working in other facets of real estate (e.g. mortgage lenders, architects, construction company executives) … will not a bad idea. Remember to catch good words on camera for your audience to see.

Video tutorials

This type of video is considered to generate more leads. Offering valuable information such as key housing market data, mortgage regulations, building codes, or tips to sell/buy home… for clients is a great way to get the contact list of targeted clients.

Live-stream Video

Live stream video allows agents to give live listing tours for viewers in the real time. This type of video is super realistic because the video does not undergo post-production step. Therefore, let think of what aspects of your business can and should be shared with your audience.

Besides that, Live stream video allows you to answer directly the questions from your potential clients when you are streaming. That is the good way to get interaction with your clients.

Video Equipment for shooting video

High-quality video equipment can cost you thousands of dollars, but there are plenty of affordable options for shooting an HD video that looks professional online. You can either record video on your smartphone/iPhone, or you can invest in a DSLR camera for higher quality.

Iphone 6 plus, 7 plus, Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6 and Google Pixel have incredible video capabilities and be able to convey the most important element in video marketing, which is, Creating and Delivering your Message.

However, for real estate video production agents which want to have a long term video marketing purpose, higher video and audio quality is a must and investing in DSLR camera is essential.

Camera bodies

Here are some types of camera bodies for real estate video production. Choosing the best one which is most suitable with your budget.

Lense

The next equipment you should invest in is Lense.  Wide angle lenses in the 18 mm to 30mm focal length is a good choice. Because what we need is to go wide enough to showcase the interior spaces of the property in a pleasing and complementary way, not to go too wide or the distortion becomes too great (fish eye).

Tripod with a slider

Not like shooting stills, shooting video includes moving footage, therefore shaking is unavoidable. To solve this problem, a tripod and a slider is the key.

Sliders are very sensitive to dust and debris so to make sure you have a smooth footage, you should maintain them properly by keeping the rails clean and to lubricate it prior to every use using oil seals (they should come with your slider).

How to shoot a video?

When you have right equipments and be ready to shoot a video for real estate, there is a question coming up: how to shoot a good real estate video at the first time?

Here are some tips for you to follow:

     – Thinking of the video styles: This step is considered the soul of the video. Take a look at some real estate videos on Youtube to get some ideas. Then think about your audiences. Whether you want to appeal millennials or older homebuyers, or you want to engage specifically to resellers in the condo market? Choosing a focus will help you connect better with your audience.
     – Staging for your video shot: Like real estate photographs, video shots also need to be showed up neatly and stunningly. Not only should your property be decluttered when you’re filming but it should be absent of any homeowners, kids, pets, aliens and other assorted types that could pop up in the video.
     – Before shooting interior shots, open all windows and the curtains to let the sunlight flood into the house
     – Set-up your tripod in the corner of each room and record smooth pans (moving the camera horizontally: right to left and left to right) and tilts (moving the camera vertically: floor to ceiling and ceiling to floor).
     – When filming the interior: be sure to get shots of each room, highlight some special details (updated kitchens, fancy bathrooms)
     – When filming the exterior: Set-up your tripod in the corner of each room, shoot slow pans and tilts of the front and back of the house as well as nice shots of the surrounding neighborhood: local parks, public transportation stops and shopping areas.

Real Estate Video post-production

Video post-production is the final step to edit together all the real estate video footage. Sequencing all the shots following an order, adding music, information and other effects are all the things you need to do in video post-production.

Video editing software recommendation

• Final Cut Pro X: Best tool for Mac users with roughly $400 USD to purchase outright. Extremely intuitive interface, slick design, and amazing editing tools make this the go-to choice for Mac.
• Adobe Premiere: Offering the same video editing features you’ll find in Final Cut Pro, but Adobe Premiere is extremely affordable with $20 monthy fee. Adobe Premiere is available for both Mac and PC.

If you don’t have time or don’t want to invest into any real estate video editing software, you can try  Windows Moviemaker which is free or you can outsourse real estate video editing service.

Oursourcing real estate video editing can cost you a bit. However, you will have more spare time for other activities. It is especially helpful for those who have time constraint. And if you are going to expand your real estate video production services, outsourcing will be your wisest choice.

Depending on your purpose, you will have your own decision.

SUMMARY

Video production for Real Estate does really take time and effort but it is really worth it. Integrating real estate video with your online content is a great marketing strategy for tech-savvy real estate professionals