Real estate video.
Your video channel garden will grow tall and strong if you plant, weed, water it. It’s quick, easy and a Maine real estate buyer can get in and out of more properties using video. Some real estate video channels do better than others though. The successful video channels see the subscriber and view count increase exponentially because of just a few key ingredients.
This blog post is designed to explain the power of real estate video and ways to make sure your property listings get extra attention using it.
MOOERS REALTY started it’s YouTube Maine real estate video channel back in 2007. Prior to that, a video property walk through got created to burn onto a CD and mail out to a potential real estate buyer. Now real estate drone video is used to show and tell. Aerial video is not new though. Planes, helicopters, heck even balloons have been used for years to collect aerial real estate imagery.
Real estate video saves the buyer time, the agent or broker too.
Why? Because think about it. When a house buyer spies with his or her little eye a place for sale that catches their attention. They want to get inside.. like now, right now. A big part of the how to make a real estate video is knowing why they are necessary and work so well. If you remember who you are gearing them to out in the audience. You show houses, other types of real estate listings right?
If a tenant is renting the house for sale, delay happens. A day’s warning or more to set up a showing and then hoping the buyer is available during that tight time period opportunity. It’s becomes like re-entry for a space shuttle but with video, suddenly come on in happens. That’s a big part of the how to make a real estate video that is successful.
Your real estate videos are like a hot and ready buffet to show and tell, come back for seconds, thirds and more.
Videos make it happen instantly while the buyer has time, when the desire is the strongest.
Every property listing is not created equal right? Real estate video helps the buyer out in the wild blue yonder kick the tires on several, not just a few of your listings. With video, the front door of the property is always unlocked, the light left on to come on in and help yourself.
It is not just far away Maine real estate buyers who use the videos either.
Local buyers sneak a peek. Some are bird dogging for out of state relatives they want to relocate to back where they grew up. With a video url link, that property can be emailed or shared on social media channels so easily.
“Hey Janice, check out this cute cape with a first floor bedroom and close by full bath that would be ideal for Mom”. Then the real estate video link attached so your sister or Uncle Bob, Aunt Mary can check out the priced right, everything fits perfectly listing. And go on to watch, listen to other real estate videos that are arranged on the digital channel.
To be successful with real estate video though, some pre-planning considerations are necessary.
This blog assumes you are the real estate agent, broker, REALTOR who listed the property and wants to market it with video. First, who is the buyer for this property? The how to make a real estate video top tip is think customer.
Create the real estate video with that one person in mind.
Don’t just turn on the red blinking light and charge into a property hurry scurry without any thought of who is the buyer. Have a conversation, heck, even ask questions and provide the possible answers. Showing how this property could satisfy each of the answer scenarios. You are not trying to “sell” or hustle.
No one wants to be “sold” anything today.
But if you can sincerely and creatively show this property is a good match, a solid fit for an individual needing this, this and this. The property “sells” itself because it checks off more of the boxes than the previous property videos could.
You shoot the video clips, write the narrative with that particular real estate buyer in mind.
And if you are lucky, there is more than one niche of real estate buyers this new property listing would be ideal for out in the audience.
The real estate agent or broker just toured the new house listing. Talked with the seller, knows the room sizes, how much it took to heat, how old the roof is and lots more. You have the detailed hen scratchings on your clipboard, did a bang up job collecting the images to upload to the MLS for all to see.
But real estate video, how come less than 5% of real estate professionals use video on a regular basis?
If it was easy, the other 95% would climb on the marketing band wagon. Like anything, there is a learning curve and practice makes perfect.
First things first, your real estate video approach should be every property gets the treatment. Not just your most expensive real estate listings should be shot, rendered, uploaded to a video channel playlist.
Consistency is important with your real estate video channel too.
The buyer in the audience needs to know what to expect. Your format, your intro, outro becomes familiar.
Your brand logo, how to get hold of you easily with questions, weaving in maps, plats, more than just footage of the property listing has to happen.
You realize the buyer is busy and you only have so much time to NASCAR quick gas up, clean the windshield.
Maybe change a couple tires, provide the slurp of ice cold water and then to get them back out onto the life race track right?
Real estate video like any marketing, hear the clock ticking to deliver the message?
Your buyer is under the gun to find a house this week and get it under contract. Real estate video cuts to the chase.
Here you go, take it and run. Rewind, re-watch, consider is this the best fit? If this one does not quite fit like a glass slipper, your buyer moves on to what else you got that I can tour online tonight, right now? The local community flavor videos show you what the quality of life is like around the property listing.
Shoot and upload simple run and gun local community videos.
How long should a real estate video?
Lots of myths about anything surrounding real estate video how to do it best. Remember under 5% are using real estate video even though 90% of us go online looking for video to make the best purchase decisions?
Consider the source of your real estate video advice.
Check out their real estate video channel and see if it is successful? If the last video uploaded was a slide show, not full motion with natural sound and five years old. There’s your sign. Not the best mentor for real estate video. What little things affect your real estate video?
Weather is a big consideration on whether to shoot the video loops and exterior still images today or not.
For the sake of time, after the hour and half listing at the kitchen table is done, it would be nice to do the video and image collecting all in one fell swoop. Check the local weather, you may need to return when you are not shooting into the sun. When the drone is not struggling with gale force winds. When dark clouds and freezing sleet or rain or snow is in the forecast for the day. Barking dogs, neighbors fighting, everyone mowing their lawns with the buzz of cutting grass. Timing is key to making a quality real estate video experience.
This real estate video shot close to dusk which is a magic of day for images, for the drone footage.
Don’t forget the audio sound tract on your real estate video production.
Real estate video audio is 40% of the experience. The natural sound of water lapping down along the lake shore of a waterfront property listing hits deep. Lake loons singing or crying as you slowly pan the perfect sunset glistening off the water. Nothing works better than combining the eyes and ears to partner them together to deliver the property to the buyer. Not matter where that real estate buyer is right now.
Anything is a good time to see and hear about a new property listing using video.
You can transport the buyer to the property listing with real estate video. You are using his or her mobile device, desktop, whatever they are tapping, sliding, scrolling on to share a new to the market listing. No delay, no phone calls to set up a real live showing yet (fingers crossed).
This may surprise you too. When I study the You Tube video channel analytics, the graph above illustration it teaches volumes. There are peak times with purple bars to post for better video channel results. Ten o’clock at night and for thirty minutes after that is one hot spot for real estate video channel activity. Why? It may not be 10PM where they are landing on your video channel.
The viewer in their jammies, waiting for the sandman’s visit, your out of town, state, country real estate buyer is on your channel at 10 PM.
Maybe the kids are in bed, dog walked for the last time, cats napping and there. Whew. Finally, a few minutes to myself to go online before boom boom, out go the lights. To see what’s new for real estate listings and hopefully it has a companion video to watch. To learn more about it. Your buyer wants to toggle the easy to watch and listen to video… not always to read read read. Or study a handful of pictures to figure out how this one is different than the last and the next. A house video property listing tour from the night may gets another view too.
With real estate video, a quick decision can be made to determine is it worth taking the trip.
And during COVID many bought the property listings for sale based on the real estate video. Often I would shoot another face time, what’s app type personal walk through to top it off. Cash sales, meeting the buyer in person after the real estate closing. And hearing them say, even better than I expected or just as the video showed. Love it. On to the next set of buyers and sellers to match them up and provide them what they need on the real estate mission assignment.
Why don’t more agents and brokers produce real estate video?
Here are the excuses for not using real estate video even though real estate professionals agree they should. Videos don’t work if all you shoot are like personal selfies. The customer on the house hunt does not want to see you face. Turn the video camera around and capture the property, the community flavor. Go very very easy on the Little Jack Horner, look at me. Your talking head is in the way and what if you were the buyer wanting to quickly see what’s for sale and to hopefully take a video tour.
Think real estate customer.
What would you need if your house there is selling and you need a replacement in a new area? Not to waste time with an agent or broker attempting to impress the viewer with their real estate expertise. Or one after another branding video bragging about how many awards they have in the trophy case.
Feed your real estate video channel and make it well rounded.
Something for everyone, like a menu when you are hungry as a horse and loaded for bear. The real estate buyer does not have time for a slide slow called a video of the same images already viewed. Add all the gyrations that zoom in or slide out and cause vertigo. Would you hang around or quickly continue the search for a real estate broker that promises and delivers full motion video with natural sound?
Reach out for questions and here to help jump start your video channel marketing.
Hope this blog post on real estate video gives your some tips and inspiration.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Real Estate Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA
