How to Film a Great Video Tour of Your Rental
Key Takeaways:
Video tours reduce vacancy time by expanding your reach and making your rental more accessible to prospective tenants.
Preparation is everything. A clean, well-lit, and decluttered space helps your rental look its best on camera.
Steady, high-quality footage matters. Shaky or poorly edited videos can turn off renters—use stabilizers or editing apps if needed.
At C&C Property Management, we’re well aware that vacancies are every landlord’s worst nightmare. They are costly, and the longer a unit sits vacant, the more money your investment will bleed out.
To avoid this, many landlords are turning to video tours. These tours save time and money for both owners and prospective tenants, while expanding your reach beyond local boundaries. But before you hit record, there are a few essential steps to take to ensure your rental video tour makes a strong impression.
First and foremost, make sure the property is in tiptop shape. Depersonalize and declutter the space to help tenants visualize themselves living in the unit. Paint the walls with a neutral color palette for broad appeal.
Also, make necessary repairs that may impact the unit’s livability. The goal is to make sure your rental property looks stunning for a great video walkthrough. And the best thing is that you can use the video tour as many times as you wish.
Below, we’ll review our top tips for filming a rental property video tour.
6 Tips on How to Film a Great Video Tour of Your Rental Property
1. Have a Plan
Everything successful begins with a plan! As such, have a plan on how you are going to film your rental property. This will ensure that you don’t backtrack or have a film that shows the same thing or area multiple times.
Ideally, you should begin the filming from the outside. Ensure the curb appeal looks attractive for a great first impression. And just as with a physical tour, curb appeal can make or break your efforts of trying to fill a vacancy.
Get as much light as possible as you move from the property’s exterior to the interior. Fully open all the curtains, blinds, and drapes. Also, open all doors to allow light to flow between rooms.
During the filming process, make sure to shoot with the light at your back. This will avoid silhouetting the interior if you shoot into a bright window.
2. Make an Introduction at the Beginning
Before you can begin the video tour, make an introduction first. Make it short, sweet, and to the point.
Just like you would with a rental ad’s headline, make sure to include certain important things to capture prospective tenants’ attention. Including the property’s location, rent amount, unit’s address, and an attractive feature.
Attractive amenities or features are anything that makes the unit stand out from the competition. Such as dedicated parking, in-unit washer and dryer, stainless steel appliances, hardwood flooring, or extra storage spaces.
And best of all, you won’t need to be on camera while making the introduction. The important thing is to make sure the audio can be heard clearly by prospective tenants.
3. Steady the Film to Minimize Distractions to Viewers
The last thing you want is the video tour to be shaky. It will look messy and won’t engage the attention of prospective tenants.
To avoid shooting a shaky video, try keeping your hands as steady as possible. Also, film the video at the right angle, which is going to be at the corner. Hold the camera as close to your body as possible. Then, carefully move around while filing the room.
If the video still appears to be shaky, consider buying a video stabilizer or stabilizer software. It’ll analyze the intensity of the movement, take each frame, and align it for smoothness.
4. Limit the Zooming In and Out
Nowadays, almost all the new smartphones have zoom capability. This is a feature you won’t want to play around with frequently. Why? Zooming usually affects the pixilation of a film. The result of this is making the film look washed out.
Rather than zoom in on a particular subject, walk closer to it for a more defined shot.
5. Make the Appropriate Edits
If the film needs some editing before sharing it, there is a smorgasbord of apps you could use. You can usually find these for both PC and mobile app versions.
You can use them to do a ton of edits. Including adding soundtracks, trimming individual clips, slowing down or speeding up clips, and/or adding text overlays.
6. Hire a Property Manager
Marketing your rental property doesn’t have to feel like a chore. It can be, especially if you’re still new to being a landlord or have a growing investment portfolio.
An experienced property manager can help handle everything for you so you can focus on other important things. They can help you:
- Stage your home before the filming.
- Advise you on any upgrades you could make to the unit to make it pop.
- Shoot a professional film.
- Write a proper video description for SEO and maximum engagement.
- Distribute the ad to different platforms for maximum reach.
What’s more, a full-service property manager can help manage every aspect of your rental property. From the legal aspects, to tenant screening, to property maintenance and repairs, and everything in between.
Bottom Line
A well-made video tour can make all the difference when marketing your rental. It helps you stand out, attract serious renters, and reduce vacancy time. At C&C Property Management, we’re here to support you every step of the way. From marketing to full-service property management, our California-based team is committed to protecting your investment and boosting your returns.
