4 Ways to Add Flair to Listing Videos

Let’s be honest: listing videos are a great real estate marketing tool, but sometimes you need more than a basic walk-through.

Maybe you’re selling in a buyer’s market and need something to make your listings stand out. Or perhaps you’ve scored the listing for a luxury property (you know, the one every agent in your area was clamoring to get), and the seller has very high marketing expectations. Whatever the reason, there are several ways to add flair to your listing videos.

One note of caution: these options usually require an advanced skill set and special equipment. If you’re using a pro, they’ll usually cost extra, too, so be sure to ask about fees up front.

Voiceover

Especially if you do the voiceover yourself, this is usually the least expensive way to add value. A voiceover allows you to point out the listing’s best features or communicate any special information. For instance, if you’re selling a newly renovated home, you might describe the updates completed by the seller. One tip: work from a script. It makes the process more efficient and, by extension, more affordable. And if you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, marketplaces like Fiverr make it affordable to outsource (just make sure you listen to samples of work before you sign on the dotted line).

Agent on Camera/Pre- or Post-Roll

Agent on camera is a guided tour of the property. Pre- or post-roll is video footage inserted before or after the main listing tour. Both options help personalize the video and allow you to point out what’s special about the property. For example, you might highlight a newly renovated kitchen or state-of-the-art media room.

Neighborhood Tours/B-Roll

If the listing is in a highly desirable community, why not extend the video to include the surrounding area? Consider including a guided tour or just B-roll (supplemental footage) of parks, recreational areas, or downtown shopping and dining districts. If you regularly sell homes in the area, ask if your video pro will sell you the rights to reuse the footage in future listing videos. You will pay a bit more up-front, but it will be cheaper than hiring someone to shoot the footage from scratch each time.

Drone Footage

Certain property features can be difficult to capture at ground level, especially if the property has significant acreage or the home is very large. For this reason, many agents are turning to drones, especially for luxury properties. There’s just one caveat: make sure you use a provider (like HouseLens) who’s checked all the regulatory boxes. Otherwise, you can run afoul of FAA rules and end up in court facing stiff fines.

However you choose to add flair to your listing videos, these are all excellent ways to stand out from the crowd – to put yourself in the top tier of agents who are visionary and savvy enough to employ video marketing.