23 Comments on Real Estate Video - Does It Sell Homes?
JUN
07
2008
If consumers start their search on the web (80%) then video is probably just as good or better than photos. If given the choice between the two, as a consumer, I'd prefer to see the video and a property detail sheet.
The only problem I see with this is that the videos could be bad sound and video quality and not showcase the home well. I saw one on youtube where the person was backlight and the house dark and you couldn't even make out what room she was in.
Now, if all real estate video looked like this then that would be great.
I'm adding real estate video walk-thrus to my list of services that will be shot with professional sound and camera equipment.
Just got back from showing property and heard it again......."this house sure does not look as good as the pictures on the internet.
Think about it......if the media is too good then the house showing is a big fat disappointment and can cause a buyer to not want to make an offer. If your video is over cooked you'll run into the same problem.
Ted... the nice thing about video is it DOES look just like the property! Warts and all.
With photos, you can shoot just the 'nice areas'... conveniently leaving out bad parts of the house.
With photos, you can Photoshop out bad things if you want.
With photos, ultra wide angle lenses make tiny rooms look huge!
With photos, you can conveniently shoot the picture when there are no cars on the very busy street right outside the house, even though it's a major highway.
With video.... you can't doctor it up. It pretty much IS what it IS. Nothing is distorted. Nothing is out of proportion.
A good video tour shows the home in the most realistic way, short of actually being physically there.
On the other hand, bad videos such as these should get the realtor FIRED. You are doing a disservice to your seller, and making yourself look completely unprofessional.
You need to determine whether you can do the job propery.. or if it's better to hire someone. If you can't do the property justice, then it's best to just have [good] photos.
Jeannette - I agree. I'm blown away by how many $1 million+ homes in the LA area have bad photographs on the MLS. Now here comes the bad video.
Mike - Good question. Were they tooling around YouTube and just stumble upon this video and say, "hey, I think I'll buy that." Since they don't really say, I'm guessing that the out of town person was searching the MLS and saw the house and then follow links or the agent sent them the video.
Ted - Is the house in the same condition that it is in the photos?
Fred - You can do a lot of tricks with video in After Effects. I took a look at that link. Wow. Those agents should be fired. If people only knew how their homes were being "marketed" they would be furious.
Georgina - The more I think about it the more I'm realizing I should totally add video services to the line-up. I was one of the Top 10 directors for Project Greenlight and I have my own gear for filmmaking. It only makes sense to use those skills to make some great professional real estate videos.
Glad to see this video has stimulated some great conversation here. I love it when other members share ideas, concerns, and opinions with each other. We all learn from these types of threads. Thanks! :-)
I have a series of street interviews coming out soon that show just how many people prefer video over photos. Whether or not video sells homes can be argued and dissected for the months and years to come. Doesn't matter. Cats out of the bag.. consumers love it that's for sure.
In my mind the question is not, "Does video sell homes?"... rather, it's "Is video a differentiator? Does the Agent that uses video beat out competing agents who don't?"
Jeanette, that's what the video pros are for, they make you look good.
Greg, I just sent you a beta invite to try out WellcomeMat. Post a reel and let people find and hire you.
Fred, I hope to meet you some day. You're one of those humans who's rarely wrong on video.
Mike, I believe it was a You Tube video with a link from Craigslist. WellcomeMat offers a self-publishing Craigslist ad for your uploaded videos. You can't embed the video but you can certainly link to it. I've seen videos viewed 600-800 times in 24 hours with that tool. It's the perfect 1 - 2 punch.
Stop and remember what we do. I use both video and still photos. My photos are designed to feature the highlights of a house not to show the challenged features. Our job is to get them in the car. Please remember we are all co-op agents and that if the house with the super sleek video isn't the one the we should be asking enough questions to show them more homes. I always ask "what will this video do for me?" Sometimes the answer is about selling more, making more money, but on occasion it is that it will simply make the seller happy. Here's a link to how I use video.
My company just started using video to showcase properties. Some people like to see, some people like to hear, some people like videos. It is a way to show the property without showing the property. It is great for specialized markets, like lakefront homes or lots. It is also excellent to keep those investors aware of what is available. You know when someone calls you after looking at the video, they are pretty interested.
Jerry Hill, GRI, Network Real Estate, Inc., Little Rock, AR
THIS IS THE SIGN OF THE TIMES,PERSONLY I LIKE IT.SHOWS PRODUCT,PERSON,PLACE.KNOWLEDGE OF VALUE IS WHERE EXPIERIENCE COMES IN!
HENRY WALLACE HEGLAND
www.thedreamcatcher.ca
Video's are great...of course there's the cost factor and the "how to" that I think prevents most agents from embracing this...therefore...this is definitely a "differentiating factor".
Doew anyone know what the simples way to take a video and post it to YourTube is?
I'm doing it next...I just got the flip and I just need to learn how to put it on youtube.
could you do a blog on that???
lynne pope teamatthebeach.com
Video (only good quality video) is perfect tool to introduce your real estate business and increase your exposure online. Just by using power of video you can raise above your competition and diferentiate yourself or your company from other agents in your area.
I have just recently been using videos to promote my listings. I just stubled upon this site www.expresshometours.com which I was able to post for free too.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
;)
;)
If consumers start their search on the web (80%) then video is probably just as good or better than photos. If given the choice between the two, as a consumer, I'd prefer to see the video and a property detail sheet.