How to Make an Effective Virtual Property Tour Video

Creating a virtual tour of your property is a great way to attract more potential tenants to your listing and also makes showing your property much easier and time-efficient. 

‍

People like being able to see a property without actually visiting the location when they are first interested. So having a virtual tour as an option for people who are interested makes it much easier for them to see your unit, which then translates to an increase in the exposure your property will receive.  

‍

Have A Plan

Before you make your virtual tour video, it is important to make sure you have a plan in place and not just pick up a camera and start filming on the fly. There are two aspects of your video that you need to make sure to plan out before you start filming: 

‍

1. Map Out the Area  - Before you start filming, you want to make sure you plan out the route you are going to take in your video. Make sure you cover each and every area of the property and plan out roughly how long you want to take in each room. 

‍

You don't want your video to be too short as potential tenants may feel like it was rushed and you aren't putting in enough effort. You also don't want the video to be too long or too focused on one area since the people watching may get bored and then leave the viewing process with a bad first impression. 

‍

2. Highlight the Best Features - In order to attract interest from potential tenants, you want to make sure to highlight the aspects of your property that set it apart from the competition. 

‍

Whether it is location, amenities, or square footage, you want to make sure you put emphasis on that area and explain why that particular aspect of the property makes it stand out. 

‍

Set Up Your Recording Devices

In order to make the best video possible, you want to set up your equipment in a way that brings the best quality of footage to your audience. In order to make this happen, it is important to set up your equipment beforehand, and have a plan for each shot of the video so you can show off your property using the best angles and lighting you can.

‍

Implementing tools like a tripod or stabilizer will make for a much better video as they reduce camera sway and make everything look more professional. If the camera is bobbing up and down as you walk through the property,  people will not get as clear of a view, and they may miss big selling points that could sway their decision to buy or rent from you. 

‍

Test Your Equipment

Testing things out like different angles, recording equipment, and routes through the property will allow you to understand the best way to show your property. For example, if there is an area with bad lighting, you will find this out during the testing period and can then make adjustments to fix the issue. 

‍

You can also test out different angles to show certain rooms and then pick the one you think is the most flattering to use in the final version. Testing things before you shoot will ensure you have the best quality of video you can, and will limit mistakes or bad shots from making it to the final cut. 

‍

Spruce Up the Place

The purpose of shooting a virtual tour is to try and help potential tenants picture themselves living in the property, and you want to make that picture in their head as welcoming and positive as possible. 

‍

This means keeping the house tidy and free of clutter. If the building and surrounding area doesn't look presentable and welcoming, viewers of your video will have a much harder time picturing themselves living there. 

‍

Consider hiring an interior decorator or stager who can come in and stage the property to look as presentable as possible. They will also know how to highlight certain features and put less emphasis on others, making your property look as attractive to potential tenants as possible.  

‍

Edit, Edit, Edit!

Once you have all the shots you need, you are ready to edit your video. You have two options, you can send it off to a professional to edit for you, or you can save some money and do the editing yourself. If you picked option two, here are some things to consider when editing the final version of your virtual tour: 

‍

1. Sound - Although you may be tempted to talk as you walk around the property and show the house, this is not the best way to do it. Instead, consider adding a voice over to the footage instead, this makes it easier to get the video just right as you can re-record any parts you make mistakes on. 

‍

Also, this limits the sound in the video to just your voice, and cuts out any background noise that may be in the video like construction noise or dogs barking. 

‍

Having a voice over also sounds more professional, this is because your voice will sound calm and consistent throughout. If you are going up a set of stairs or some other obstacle, your voice may change and become a bit more laboured, this is something you want to avoid since it lowers the quality of the audio and sounds less like you know what you are doing. 

‍

2. Length - Like mentioned previously, you don't want your video to be too long and drawn out or two short and rushed. In order to get your video the perfect length, make sure to be consistent about the time you spend in each room, and cut out any parts where you linger in the same area for too long. 

‍

There may be some areas of the property where you want to stop and talk about a particular feature which is perfectly fine, but make sure you get the information across in a concise manner and then move on. 

‍

Talking about how great the view is for 10 minutes for example will make potential tenants feel like you are trying too hard to emphasize one area to make up for other problems with the property. This could cause them to lose interest or think you are untrustworthy. 

‍

Putting these methods to the test when you go to shoot your next virtual tour will ensure you show off your property in the best light possible, save you time and money, and have applications flooding in. 

‍

‍

Find great imaging vendors in your area on VendorPM to get the perfect video, panorama, or photos of your property before putting it up for sale or rent! Click the button below to get quotes!