We live in YouTube times, and home sellers today are increasingly using video to showcase their homes in the best possible light, both online and on DVDs. As with everything, there are right and wrong ways to do it. After all, you don't want to do anything that would make it harder to sell your home, especially in a buyer's market.

If you want to skip the professional videographer, invest in a high-quality video camera and a basic version of Avid or Final Cut computer editing software. If you're only creating videos for the Internet, consider buying a FlipCam video camera, which is easy-to-use, inexpensive and comes with built-in editing software. A good rule of thumb is to keep your web video less than four minutes. Any longer and you risk losing your viewer's attention.

Try these 10 tips from real estate agents, home sellers and professional videographers for filming a property tour video:

1. Stage your property. "That means all the clutter is gone and the place is immaculate," says Jamie Gibbs, an interior designer in New York. "Flowers and potted plants make it look finished." Learn how to set the stage for a quick house sale.
2. Show off your surroundings. Dalas Verdugo at Vimeo, an online video-sharing website, advises against focusing on just the house. "Show the surrounding area," he says. "A brief overview of the property's location can really help gain someone's interest. If there are good restaurants right down the street, let us know!"
3. Film when there's lots of light. Leah Pollack, co-owner of Elite Professionals, a property-marketing firm in Valencia, Calif., says the time of day you make your video is important. "Film when your home gets the most light," she says. "If that's not possible, film the outside during the day and the interior with blinds down at night. And if you have stellar sunsets, include them."
4. Don't make the customer dizzy. "Don't simply walk around the house with a camera bouncing in your hand. Invest in a good tripod that allows you to pan smoothly," says Brad Nelson, marketing manager for New Broad Street Realty, in Orlando, Fla. "You only get one first impression, and you don't want it to be a nauseating one."
5. Make your home look livable. Halah Scimeca, a Realtor in Montvale, N.J., says the best videos show buyers how they can use the space. "Put a little lunch on the patio table or make a fire in the fireplace," she says. "A video should be live, not just a bunch of dead photos."
6. Keep pets out of the video. "As a seller, you never want to narrow your pool of buyers," says Diana Hathaway Timmons, author of Sell Your Home Without Losing Your Zen. "Many buyers are not pet people, or else they become so enamored with your adorable little bundles of fur that they lose focus on your home."
7. Construct your video from the top down. "If you have the best bathroom or kitchen, begin there and work your way around," says Tim Shisler, a multimedia journalist in Boulder, Colo. "Folks spend less than 20 seconds usually determining if a video is worth watching, start with the best."
8. Create an interesting story line about the home and make sure all the marketing relates to that story line. "One client is an artistic sort with a passion for books," says Mary Kurek, a Visibility Consultant in Atlantic Beach, N.C. "The story line we developed for his house with a fabulous view of the Intercoastal Waterway involved creating a sense of literary and artistic inspiration."
9. Stay away from fades, zooms and fast pans. "One of the quickest ways to look like an amateur is by using wipe-away fades," Shisler says. "Think direct cuts or cross-fades. Zooming and panning is annoying and can ruin a fluid video."
10. Buy a wide-angle lens. "Most videos of homes falter when folks spend too much time zooming or panning around a room," Shisler says. "Spend the couple hundred bucks and get the shot the first time."

Read the Top 10 Tips for Selling Your Home During the Holidays:

1. Deck the halls, but don't go overboard
2. Hire a reliable real estate agent
3. Seek out motivated buyers
4. Price it to sell
5. Make curb appeal a top priority
6. Take top-notch real estate photos
7. Create a video tour online
8. Give house hunters a place to escape from the cold
9. Offer holiday cheer in the form of financing
10. Relax -- the new year is just around the corner

More on FrontDoor:

• FrontDoor's Top 10 Tips and Advice on Everything Real Estate
• Home Seller's Guide
• How to Sell Your House in a Buyer's Market
• 10 Ways to Prep Your Home for Sale
• Designed to Sell Room by Room Makeovers

Comments