5 Tips for Better Video Tours

Last week, we worked with RentJuice to bring you some helpful hints for better real estate photos. This week, we’re bringing you 5 of their tips for video tours. Although RentJuice is the rental marketing expert, their tips are certainly helpful for those of us selling properties. For all of the tips, download their excellent whitepaper “The Essential Guide to Apartment Video Tours.”

1) Choose the right equipment.

First of all, Smartphones are not proper equipment for video tours. Just to make this absolutely clear, I’d like to reiterate: do not use your Smartphone to film your video tour. Instead, RentJuice recommends:

• Choose a mid-level quality camera or higher.
• Choose a camera with HD.
• Choose a camera with built-in stabilization.
• Use a wide-angle lens.
• Use a microphone.
• Use a tripod.

2) Stage your property.

Before you start filming your video tour, make sure the property is clean and tidy! This isn’t just removing a layer of dust or spills on the kitchen floor – it means organizing clutter. Although keeping furniture in a shot can help potential buyers/renters visualize themselves in the space, be sure that the furniture is tasteful, minimal, and strategically arranged.

3) Give a complete tour.

First, get in front of the camera yourself so that people know whose voice they’re hearing. Then, continue with proper “flow” - beginning with the exterior of the house and moving to the interior. Move through the house in an organized way, filming all of the major rooms. Give priority to major areas like the kitchen, dining room, living room and master bedroom.

In their whitepaper, RentJuice has several other excellent tips for filming your tour – including where to hold the camera when walking through a hallway. For full details, download the whitepaper.

4) Invest in editing software.
No one can get it right the first time – or the first take, when it comes to video. That’s why editing software is essential for quality video tours. However, investing in complex and expensive software is unnecessary. RentJuice recommends finding a simpler, easier-to-use option such as Windows Movie Maker or Video Spin.

So, what should one do when editing? RentJuice offers several tips:

•  Add narration
• Fix problems with sound such as static and background noise
• Use caution if you’re adding music – certain tunes can be a turn-off for perspective buyers or, if there’s a copyright issue, might get your video kicked off YouTube
• Keep your video under 5 minutes
• Save in different file formats: Flash video (.flv), AVI (.avi), Quicktime (.mov), MP4 (.mp4), MPEG (.mpg) and Windows Media Player (.wmv)

5) Share the videos online.
Don’t just post your video tour on your own website, publish it on sites such as YouTube and social media channels like Facebook.

And, finally, a bonus tip:

6) Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
There are companies that specialize in creating (or helping to create) exceptional virtual tours. To learn more about your options, check out our product directory. For additional information on video tours/virtual tours, browse our article archives.

These are only some of the tips found in the RentJuice whitepaper. For the full scoop, download the whitepaper at RentJuice.com.

About RentJuice
RentJuice is a rental marketing platform. It provides brokers and property managers with the tools they need to find tenants and sign them to leases as quickly as possible. The company is growing by leaps in bounds – announcing recently that they have hit over a million listings and officially launched in San Francisco.

To learn more, you can visit www.RentJuice.com.