Real estate video is becoming more and more popular whether you’re talking about property videos or talking head videos to establish trust and credibility.

Now, we’re not talking about the Virtual Tours Realtors® were using in the late 90s and early 2000s. What I’m referring to here is creating real estate videos and posting them to sites like YouTube.com and Vimeo, among others.

With the increasing popularity of these types of sites, it’s impossible to deny the power of video, especially given research that shows between 84%-93% of all buyers start their search online! And of those, you increase your chances of buyers looking at YOUR property when you have a virtual tour, video or slide show.

FACT: Most Realtors® are CLUELESS about how to use real estate video effectively.

FACT: Effective real estate videos do not require any fancy equipment or video editing skills

2 Types of Real Estate Video

1. “Talking Head” Video
   These videos are a little different than the typical real estate video we’re used to seeing, but can be extremely effective in establishing relationships with prospective buyers and sellers. (We cover this in detail in another article entitled “’Talking Head’ Real Estate Videos”).
2. Property Video
   Property videos are what most people are familiar in terms of videos in the real estate industry. These may be in the form of the “traditional” virtual tours we’ve all seen, they may be a simple slide show with some music and narration. Or, they may be an actual live video where you walk through the property with a camera and highlight the best features of the home.

In the case of property videos, keep in mind, you’re trying to sell prospects on not only the house, but the neighborhood, community, city, and lifestyle. If you’ve got a particular personality that you like to infuse, you may also be selling that in the video.

Just remember, your goal is to separate your house from the competition and grab the potential buyer’s attention!

This is why it’s so important to know who your target buyer is. It may not be the house itself that’s the dealmaker. It may be the local schools, the community or proximity to nightlife. Whatever these features are, include them your virtual tour. When possible, it’s best to create an actual video and infuse the personality of someone “just like them”. And keep in mind, a touch of humor is always a welcome element!

Consider using a property website and creating videos for all the aspects that you are selling (i.e. A local school, a testimonial from neighbors about the neighborhood, etc. Just be creative!

Here are a few of the main advantages of using video to market your deals.

• Target Market Specific. You can create real estate videos that pinpoint your target buyer and cater to the things that are most important to that person. If it’s lake living, include a clip of the family taking the boat out for the day. If it’s a first time homebuyer, focus on the pride that they’ll have when they finally own their own home and stop renting – and how THIS house qualifies for certain programs for which they may qualify.
• 24×7 Open House. One of the best strategies for a property video is to simply walk through the property as you would guide a potential buyer through the home. Keep in mind, however, that they cannot experience all of the senses, so add in a few touches that make them laugh or remember you (For example, you could pull back the shower curtain to reveal rubber duckies. Then cut to a screen with a message from the duck!).
• Inexpensive. With video posting sites, you can get your videos out for the world to view for free! To create a full video, you can purchase a “Flip” video or a Kodak camera for under $200. With that, all you do is plug it into your computer and click a couple of buttons, and your video is up on YouTube! It’s that simple.

We could go on and on about real estate because we are only just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s going to be possible and how video plays into real estate marketing, both for buyers and sellers.

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