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11 Real Estate Video Tips & Ideas

  • By Ushir Shah

Real Estate Video Ideas

Promoting your property or development can be daunting, so let’s try and help you outline key elements that should be in your video. This will help give you the edge over your competition by showcasing its true value. First we can cover the fundamentals followed by what to include in the video.

The Fundamentals Of Any Video:

1. Keep it interesting

Watch it again and again and eliminate the boring bits… too much of a single scene will have clients clicking away and opting for viewing the images and the write up instead. 

Today consumers are very impatient so every 2-3 seconds it needs to be interesting.

Using captions and overlay text providing further information keeps it interesting and informative, otherwise, it’s just looking at a slideshow of images with music… which without the music they might as well just look at the images. 

2. Get The sequence Right

What’s the most important aspect to any buyer? The actual property /apartment or whats around it? I think starting off with the property and then covering the amenities and points of interest might be your best bet. Think of them as additional bonuses. 

Imagine a Real Estate agent showing you a property but instead of showing you the property they take you to to all the points of interest shows you the building then shows you the apartment only to find out it’s too small. What a disappointment and waste of time for everyone involved. Rather show them the apartment and if they are on the fence then hopefully the complex and points of interest could seal the deal for you 

If you are still in two minds test it out with two videos and see which one performs best based on audience retention and conversions. 

3. Eliminate the Fluff

Buyers are intelligent they know exactly how to stack up whether something is worthwhile or not… having visuals of people playing on the beach is beautiful and makes a really cool video but the beach is free and they are not buying it… so spending too much time on that scene can indicate the lack of something tangible in the property you are trying to promote. Rather let the points of interest compliment your offer and not it be the offer. 

The typical flashy videos that promise the world but lack the practical information they need might not help as much as you think it would. 

It’s important to create a constant flow of painting the life they could live whilst backing it up with actual facts and figures

4. Win their hearts with the right music

Music is such an important aspect of any video which is often overlooked.  Is it pleasant to listen to or in the way of enjoying the video? 

Is it timed well to the clips or just out of sync altogether? 

Great music is meant to put the viewer in an emotional state. Failing to do so will just result in a sub-par video experience.

I normally spend hours listening to various royalty-free tracks to find just the one that fits the branding of the development. 

5. Position it as an investment

You are also speaking to potential investors so be sure to include information regarding questions a potential investor may have. You may want to include things such as: 

  • Expected Rental return (speak to rental agents)
  • % of buyers renting out 
  • Other Further information that might be useful to investors

6. Benefits Vs Features. Don't just stop At features

Sometimes we get stuck on just mentioning the features without converting them into benefits. Benefits are what the client will get from the feature. Benefits are the emotional aspect whilst features are factual and from the brain. You don’t ever hear Apple using features to market their latest iPhone… well if they do now they never used to.  They could have sold the iPod by saying it has 1GB of space. Instead, they used these words “1000 songs in your pocket. “To illustrate further here are 2 examples:

Example 1:

Feature:

Benfit:

“24 x 7 CCTV Security & Patrolling Guards”

“Sleep in peace with patroling guards protecting you around the clock and 32 Cameras recording every move”

Example 2:

Feature:

Benfit:

“Drive to Your Door”​

“No more carrying parcels long distances, enjoy the convenience of Drive to Your Door” 

what you can include in your video:

7. Property features

If the property is unfurnished I would come through and stage the property.  I had two inflatable beds, two stacked on top of each other with boxes underneath so people could see what the apartment looks like furnished. It’s hard for people to gauge whether their bed will fit comfortably in certain rooms. If your property is not developed yet then having 3D renders that show this is would be helpful.

You could mention the following along with some visuals: 

  • Finished and Tiles etc 
  • Kitchen stove etc 
  • Bathrooms 
  • Bedroom sizes and views 
  • Balcony patio 
  • Floor level 
  • Sunlight exposure
  • Storeroom 
  • Proximity to parking 

8. Complex amenities

When you are buying into a sectional scheme the amenities are just as important. 

Don’t just mention that there is a “GYM” but rather “exercise in the comfort of their residence” This simple change of wording can have such a great impact because it paints a picture of what will really benefit them directly. 

Try to cover the following:

  • Fitness (Pools, Gym Etc)
  • Recreation (Braai Area)
  • Security 
  • Views 
  • Visitor Parking 
  • Convenience 
  • Communal Facilities

9. Points of interest

Understanding the type of clients you are trying to attract help narrow down key POI. You can also find out what is key by asking people in the neighbourhood about what they enjoy about the area. Then use this information to help you narrow your focus on what’s important.  

Make sure you don’t just list the point of interest but key in the benefits with them along with visuals such as video or images. 

  • Popular Restaurants 
  • 24-hour convenience stores 
  • Entertainment 
  • Shopping malls 
  • Recreational activities 
  • Access to Routes

10. Testimonials

Video, Audio or written testimonials can go a long way to building trust. 

I would randomly walk up to passers-by to interview them. I would ask them for a video or audio of them speaking normally they would decline the video option and therefore accept the audio voice note. By giving them an option it forces them to choose. If you send us their voice note we can add it to the video with subtitles which is as good as gold. 

Types of Testimonials:

  • Build trust in the Developers by contacting past buyers for other developments. 
  • Build trust in the area by contacting other residents.
  • Build trust in the complex by contacting past buyers. 
  • Build trust in the agent by contacting past buyers of that particular agent. 

If they don’t have the time to send you something, make a phone call write down their points and send it to send them for confirmation. 

11. Pricing

Let’s Get Real with Value.  What are the most important aspects to any buyer?  My understanding is the price and square metres, well for most buyers that is.  Then why is that left out of the video?  If you find there are so many different properties it’s difficult to mention all. 

You could state: 

Studios from R… 

1 Bed from R…

2 beds from R… 

By leaving vital information out you may come across like you’re trying to hide something that you are not happy with… showcasing the price and the square meterage shows your confidence in what you’re selling and also filters out buyers that may be just wasting your time. You are going to end up giving that information to them anyway. 

When I was in Real Estate I would always start my video off with that information, knowing that I don’t want to waste their time on watching a video of something they can’t afford. 

This may sound counterintuitive to raking up leads but this is the type of open honesty is that buyers appreciated from me. Having only really interested in Leads contact me and help me focus my time and energy on those who are serious about buying this property. 

Some developers only mention starting from prices which is a studio… which may count for a small number of buyers. 

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