How to Film a Great Video Tour of Your Rental Property
Since the beginning of the Covid 19 virus, virtual viewings and tours have replaced physical showings of properties. With travel restrictions in place, most people are unable to travel unless it is absolutely essential to do so. However, accommodation and housing are a basic necessity, and that is when virtual tours come to the rescue.
Virtual tours are beneficial for both the prospective tenant and the landlord. The tenant is able to save resources and still get to look around for property. As a landlord, the use of virtual tours is a great way to market your property as you are able to reach a greater audience with your video. You can use the virtual videos together with photographs to give your audience a better perspective and view of your property.
Contrary to what most people think, creating a tour video is not difficult and doesn’t require expensive equipment or extensive video editing knowledge. You can make a quality video using your phone. The most important thing is to ensure that the property is in good condition and looks inviting.
In this article, the team at Alltrade Property Management will share with you a few tips on how to film a great video tour for your rental property. You might be surprised at how a good video tour can help market your property and get prospective tenants knocking on your door.
Ensure the Filming Area is Clean
This is one of the most basic factors that contribute to a great video. Make sure that everything being filmed is clean and the whole area looks tidy and appealing. It goes without saying that a clean space is attractive. Remember that this video will be the face of your property and it could help build or destroy your reputation.
Floors should be vacuumed or polished, walls should have a fresh coat of paint if necessary and the landscape trimmed to perfection.
Plan Your Shots
Your intention for the video is to capture the attention of the viewer and bring out the best. The video should feel like a journey with an intended goal in mind. To help you achieve this, put yourself in the place of the prospective tenant.
Let the video have a systemic flow from the lobby, taking the client through every space in a chronological manner. In other words, the tour should feel like a normal walkthrough to the person viewing it. Also, ensure that the focus is on the amenities of the unit. Rehearse and go through the points to highlight before shooting the actual video.
If you plan on talking through the video, have a well-written script to help you go over the most important aspects of the unit. This will help avoid confusion or forgetting important details.
Title, Intro and Caption
In order to have a great tour video, it is important to break down the video into smaller bits. This will allow you to concentrate on particular rooms or features of the property. Titles help inform the viewers what the video is about, an intro helps the viewer get acquainted with the space and the captions will help them follow through with the video.
Use Natural Lighting
Natural lighting is the best when filming a video. Good lighting is very essential to the success of any video. However, you need to plan the time for your shoot. The best time to capture the perfect lighting is either early in the morning around sunrise or in the afternoon when the sun is already out.
During these times, the light is softer and shadows are lighter. You want your video to have that golden light that will be the icing on the cake. Making use of natural light is a cheaper way that will still give your property the best look.
Length of Video
The length of your tour video is also very essential. Even though you need to show all spaces in your property, you need to be mindful of the length of the video. Having a long video could be a bore to your audience, no matter how good it is. This is why it is important to plan ahead of the shoot.
It is preferable to have a video that is around three minutes long, or shorter, if possible. Try to squeeze everything needed in that time. Highlight the essential features that you would want to showcase to your viewers. Avoid having irrelevant details in your video such as over-explaining. State the basics and let the video speak for itself.
Shoot in Landscape Format.
When shooting a tour video, the best format to use is the landscape mode. Using landscape gives viewers a wider view. By using landscape, you will capture more in the video and therefore there will be no need to keep moving the focus around in order to capture more details.
The landscape format makes it feel more natural and is more comfortable to watch.
Edit Your Video
After you are done filming, make sure that you go over the video checking to see that everything is as it should be. Often times a video will need a little tweaking in order to have the desired look. Editing enables you to remove background noise if any, improve on lighting and any other details of the video that you may want to improve.
There are a number of video editing applications out there that could help you. Once it is done and you feel that you are satisfied, watch it a few more times to have the final feel before uploading it.
A few things to avoid
- Avoid having distracting things in the shot. These could be either thumbs or fingers in the shot, people or animals moving around or things that could distract the viewer. Ensure that only the important items are shown.
- If your property has mirrors, ensure that there are no reflections of objects or the videographer on them. Reflections make the video look unprofessional.
- Shaky camera. When shooting ensure that the camera is held in a steady position. There are a number of affordable equipment that can help shoot your video in a steady position.
Bottom Line
Marketing is one of the many other responsibilities of a landlord. By following the steps provided above, you can have a great video that will help advertise your property despite the COVID-19 situation in Kentucky. For more property information or advice on the Louisville property market, reach out to Alltrade Property Management today.