Today’s real estate market is nothing if not fast-paced. In an analysis conducted by Zillow Research, found that homes sold faster in 2017 than in years prior, with the trend continuing in 2018, as well. This trend has been pushed, in large part, by a shortage of houses on the market.

“As demand has outpaced supply in the housing market over the past three years, buying a home has become an exercise in speed and agility,” said Zillow Senior Economist Aaron Terrazas. “This is shaping up to be another competitive home shopping season for buyers.”

And with this large number of fast-paced buyers, means that making a great real estate promotional video is a must. Below, we will create a rundown of what it means to shoot and edit a real estate video, so that you can sell your home in no time.

The Gear.

If you want to create a great real estate video, you will need the following:

A DSLR Camera
A wide-angle zoom lens (16–35mm) or 17–40mm
A tripod with a slider
A second tripod head that is to mount on top of the slider
And a drone, if you have one.

Video lighting will not be necessary when shooting a real estate video. Natural light will be sufficient for both indoor and outdoor shots, granted the weather is on your side. As a general rule of thumb, a partially cloudy day will be the best, but if it’s too bright or too dark, you may need to reschedule.

Planning.

Before you start filming, you will need to do some prep work to make sure that everything is in order. Tidying up a bit will do wonders for your shots. Walk around the house and hide anything that may not look so great on camera and which could draw unnecessary attention to it. These distractions include things like pictures of homeowners, open toilet seats, cluttered countertops, pets, wrinkled bedspreads, etc.

For the indoor shots, focus more on the essential rooms such as the living room, kitchen, and master suite. The other bedrooms, as well as the bathrooms, will need a maximum of 2 to 3 shots each. Keep in mind to avoid any overshooting. If you got a good shot, move on to the next as this will help you during the editing process. Avoid the temptation of using fisheye lenses to make the rooms seem more prominent.

As for the outside, 10 to 15 shots will do. Give particular attention to the front and back of the house, some close shots of the front door, as well as several unique parts of the yard that you may want to capture.

Shooting.

Real estate videos are all about motion in a still environment.

Slides are great for capturing the entire room by making full shots more interesting. Glides, on the other hand, make it seem like the viewer is entering the room by moving the camera from front to back.

Be mindful of the camera’s settings while you are shooting. Since the subject is the room, itself, everything needs to be in focus. Keep the aperture number at around f 4 or 5.6 and balance the brightness by adjusting the shutter speed and ISO.

If you’re operating a drone, the procedure is somewhat similar to sliding. Subtle movements such as going slowly from left to right or toward the house from the street are fundamental.

Editing.

The sequence in which you edit your video should be the same as if you were walking through the house, yourself. It will help viewers to understand the layout better and appreciate the property.

Like we said before, don’t be repetitive and show only a few shots from each room. Also, consider adding some background music to add some feeling to the video and make the viewers form an emotional attraction. Websites like Soundstripe, Audio Network, or Premium Beat will allow you to license songs. You can also use one of the free Wistia music tracks.

Conclusion.

Video content, be it in real estate or otherwise, is by far accessed the most over the internet. Going for a real estate video instead of the traditional photos will significantly increase your chances to sell your property at a higher price. But if you don’t feel up to the challenge of creating one such video, yourself, then, it would be a good investment in hiring a professional to do it for you.

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