How can I ensure good lighting for my house walkthrough video?

Use natural light as much as possible by filming during the day. If needed, supplement with artificial lighting to avoid dark or shadowy areas. Avoid backlighting to keep the focus on the house's features.

Should I use a gimbal or stabilizer for filming on my smartphone?

Yes, using a gimbal or stabilizer can significantly improve the smoothness of your video, eliminating shaky footage and making your walkthrough look more professional.

Is it necessary to add music or narration to my house walkthrough video?

While not necessary, adding background music or a voiceover can enhance the viewing experience. Ensure the music is royalty-free if you're posting on public platforms, and keep your narration concise and informative.

How can I highlight specific features of the house effectively in the video?

Use close-up shots and slow pans to focus on unique features. You can also use text overlays or brief pauses in your narration to draw attention to specific details.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when filming a house walkthrough?

Common mistakes include poor lighting, shaky footage, too much irrelevant content, and not having a clear route through the house. Plan your walkthrough route beforehand and focus on showcasing the house's best features.

How to film a house walkthrough on smartphone for Instagram Reels and Tiktok

Q: How to film a house walkthrough on smartphone for Instagram Reels and Tiktok

Ideally, keep your house walkthrough videos under 60 seconds for TikTok and 30 seconds for Instagram Reels. This length is optimal for viewer engagement and meets the platform guidelines.

blog article image for creating property walkthrough videos for tiktok and instagram reels

Written by Daniel Willmott

With smartphone cameras improving every year, filming high-quality home tour videos has never been easier. A short walkthrough video can showcase a home’s best features and give potential buyers a comprehensive look without having to visit in person. Social platforms such as Tiktok and Instagram Reels give realtors access to a vast hungry audience but to tap into this potential buyer base you need a house walkthrough video that uses the correct media format. In this article, we’ll cover the benefits of filming house tours on your phone, as well as provide tips on preparing the space, shooting techniques, editing, and how to best utilize the videos for marketing. With some planning and practice, anyone can produce professional-looking real estate videos to attract more interested buyers and sellers.

Table of Contents

Benefits of Walkthrough Videos for Tiktok & Instagram Reels

Sharing real estate video content on Instagram Reels and TikTok is an effective way for agents to showcase listings creatively while reaching broad new audiences. The short video formats allow highlighting a home’s best features in an eye-catching, engaging manner. And the platforms’ algorithms make it easy to gain expanded visibility. Overall, visually compelling listing videos on Reels and TikTok promote properties memorably to fresh groups of potential buyers.

Here are a few ways posting house walkthrough videos on Instagram Reels and TikTok can help real estate agents reach a wider audience:

Increased visibility – The algorithms on Reels and TikTok help push videos to a larger number of viewers who may not already be following the real estate agent. This expands reach to new potential buyers.
Viral potential – Compelling or entertaining Reels and TikToks can go viral, getting the video and listing in front of a massive new audience organically.
Younger demographics – Both platforms are highly popular with Millennial and Gen Z home buyers who spend a lot of time scrolling these apps. It helps connect with younger crowds.
Condensed previews – The short video formats allow showcasing just the highlights or best features of a home to capture attention quickly before viewers click through for more.

Realtors Already Killing it with Reels and Tiktoks

Here are some examples of successful real estate agents who use Instagram Reels and TikTok to showcase their properties:

.Chad Ochs (@chadochs)
- Top 1% of Realtors in Florida who frequently posts property tours and area highlights on Reels to showcase listings
Tina Chen (@tina.chen) –
- LA-based agent who gained a large TikTok following by posting funny/informative videos about the home buying process.
Taylor Parrish (@taylorparrishh)
- Utah agent who does weekly “Sunday Showings” on TikTok previewing new listings in an engaging way.
Nina Dooley (@ninadooley)
- Nashville agent who does behind-the-scenes “Day in the Life” Reels to build her personal brand.
The Perez Team (@theperezteam)
- Miami real estate team using Reels to give virtual tours with facts about properties over trending beats.

Preparing to Film a House Walkthrough

Before filming, clean and stage the property to show it in the best light. Ensure good lighting conditions and reduce background noise. Check your phone has enough storage space for high quality, long videos.

Filming the Walkthrough

Start recording outside the front of the property, then walk through the rooms in order, filming as you go. Move slowly and steadily, fully panning around each room. Use a selfie stick for a wider, smoother shot. Talk through features and benefits as you film. Capture at least 20 seconds of footage per room. Film outdoor areas too. When you record the virtual tour, walk slowly, and only record 5-10 second clips at a time, recording each one individually can save you alot of time if mistakes are made as you can delete individual clips and not have so many files to search through in post-production.

How long should the house walkthrough be?

It’s important to keep in mind the limitations of where your walkthrough video will appear. In most cases realtors are looking to share these videos on social platforms such as Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube. The length of an Instagram reel can be up to 90 seconds so we would advise to use 90 seconds as the maximum length of the video. Tiktok allows for much longer videos but by filming at 90 seconds it allows the footage to be repurposed and posted on multiple platforms. Ofcourse you can always edit and film different videos depending

General Tips for filming House walkthrough

– Wipe your phone’s camera lens regularly with a microfiber cloth to remove dust and dirt. This takes little time and improves image quality.

– Always film videos vertically in portrait mode. This optimizes for social platforms such as Reels and TIktok that use 16:9 aspect ratio.

– Use a tripod or selfie stick to stabilize and minimize shakiness in videos. Steady footage looks more professional.

– Write multiple scripts for video clips to ensure you communicate key points instead of rambling. Stay on message.

– Film extra clips and review the footage later to select the best shots for your video. More options means better final edits.

– Avoid using the digital zoom on phone cameras. It can make footage look grainy.

– Put your phone on airplane mode when filming to prevent disruptive notifications and sounds.

– Planning thoroughly in advance leads to better final videos. Preparation is key.

– Charge phone fully before filming or plug into a mobile power bank

– Use microphone for improved audio if possible

– Record each room/clip individually.

– Make sure you have enough storage available on your device

Tips to prep the rooms before filming:

Here is a rewrite of the bullet points without using paragraph format:

– Verify all light bulbs are operational and emitting the same color temperature. Replace any burnt out or mismatched bulbs.

– Eliminate clutter throughout the home, including concealing trash cans if feasible.

– In bathrooms, shut toilet lids, clean all glass surfaces like mirrors and shower doors, limit items on countertops like soap dispensers, and hang fresh towels.

– On sitting furniture, arrange plump pillows.

– Mow front and back lawns neatly.

– Relocate vehicles from the driveway for an uncluttered exterior.

– Conceal entertainment system remotes using RF extenders to control devices stored out of sight.

Equipment needed for filming house walkthrough

Here is a summary of the key equipment you need to record property walkthrough videos on your phone:

Essentials

– Smartphone with good camera and enough storage space

– Selfie stick/tripod for stabilization

– External microphone for improved audio

– Wide angle lens to capture whole rooms

– Mobile power bank to avoid running out of battery

Optional Extras

– Gimbal for smoother footage

– Video editing software to polish final videos

– Green screen studio for background effects

The most important things are having a smartphone with a decent camera and enough storage, plus some way to stabilize the phone while filming such as a selfie stick or small tripod. An external microphone can also dramatically improve sound quality. Other accessories like lenses, power banks, gimbals etc further enhance the videos, but aren’t absolutely necessary to get started.

Editing the Footage

Transfer footage to a computer and use video editing software to stitch clips together into one video. Trim unnecessary footage. Enhance with music, graphics, captions etc. Export final video and upload to YouTube and other platforms.

If you want to save time and make sure your videos has the best chance of impressing potential clients then we have a done for you property walkthrough video editing service where our professional editors polish your videos to make sure it looks as luxurious as possible.

Post the walkthrough video

The last step is to upload the full walkthrough videos to TikTok and Instagram Reels to maximize exposure. It’s important to use relevant hashtags like the neighborhood or city to help local buyers find the listings. Also be sure to monitor comments and questions on the videos to build connections with potential buyers. Provide links or directions in the captions to make it easy for interested viewers to schedule showings or open houses. Interacting with the videos and nurturing leads is key to converting views into real connections.