When I won a large sum of money when playing the lottery a few years ago, I decided to invest some of it in real estate. My dad used to always tell me that bricks and mortar where a great way of protecting a large sum of money. Unfortunately, my father wasn't a real estate expert so his advice did not go beyond this very simple statement. I didn't know what to do for the best so I contacted a real estate agency. They were really great and they helped me to plan my property investments wisely. I started this blog so I could offer advice to others.
One of the interesting things to emerge from the 2020 coronavirus pandemic is how video can be an efficient alternative to many things that would traditionally occur in person. After all, how many companies switched to video conferencing meetings with a minimum of fuss? The same trend can be seen in real estate, with video becoming an ideal substitute for a physical inspection of a property for sale. As the crisis subsides, will this become the new normal? Perhaps not, and while coronavirus has resulted in a forced reliance on video, it's not as though most prospective purchasers will buy a new home sight unseen. Still, the demonstrated efficiency of video as a real estate tool means it might become an essential complement to in-person inspections, and this is why video can be so effective when selling a property.
Easy to DIY
Many real estate agents will already make a short video of their listings, and you can also utilise the DIY approach, in addition to, or instead of anything your real estate agent was considering. You don't need to be a budding Spielberg to make a good quality video of your home. All you need is an HD video camera, and you generally don't need to look further than your smartphone for this.
What to Shoot
Your video doesn't need to be a single take masterpiece, taking in all the rooms of the home in one long tracking shot. You can take a short video in each room (after each space has been tidied and made as presentable as possible, just as you would for an open home). Don't forget to take some shots of the backyard and front yard, as well as a street view of the front of the property.
How to Shoot
Invest in a steadying gimbal attachment for your smartphone. This is a small, strategically weighted handle piece that makes the motion of the camera far more fluid, and is essentially a smartphone version of a steadicam. The shots of each room can be edited together easily enough, and your computer will probably already have a basic editing software that allows you to combine your footage into a short clip.
Editing Your Footage
The clip should only be a few minutes long (in order to hold your audience's attention) and you should resist the urge to insert distracting transitions between shots. A simple cut or a quick fade will be perfectly sufficient. Your video editing software can easily extract all sound from the footage, and you should add appropriate music so the clip is not silent. Avoid potential copyright infringement issues by using public domain music.
Live Video
It's simple to cater to any prospective buyers who might wish to see more of your home based upon your video. An inspection can be presented as a live stream, either broadcast on Facebook Live, via Facebook Messenger, a WhatsApp video call, or Skype. They can simply instruct you or your real estate agent to direct the camera in the direction of any other portions of your property they wish to inspect more closely.
A video might never truly replace an open home, but it should be part of your sales plan when your home goes on the market.
For more information, reach out to a real estate agent in your area.
Share7 April 2020
