Video Tips and Virtual Tour Best Practices for REALTORS®
Louisiana REALTORS • May 7, 2020
Video is playing a larger role in our daily lives than ever before. We are also finding ourselves behind the camera more often thanks to technologies like Zoom, FaceTime, Facebook Live, and more. Gone are the days of out of focus home movies shot on a camcorder. Today we have the tools to make shooting in HD an effortless task. While participating in video conferences and seeing friends and family from all over the world is a fun, and convenient experience, the power of video can also be applied to your business.
Video and virtual tours have never been a more popular tool for REALTORS®. They can be accessed from anywhere at any time, meaning that you can always be showing. While there’s no substitute for the real thing, a properly done virtual tour combined with adept camera skills can come pretty close. Here are a few tips and best practices for video and live-streamed home tours.
Ensure the Home is Clean & Uncluttered
This may sound obvious, but having a clean, clear home to show is crucial. Staging is another option, but at the very least, you want the house free from any clutter. Cleaning mirrors, windows, floors, as well as made beds and clear countertops are also very important.
Plan Your Route First
Zigging and zagging won’t work for a smooth, efficient, effective home tour. Without your camera, begin by naturally walking through the home as you would if you had a client with you. Being familiar with where you are going and why you are going there will make you more comfortable when the lights are on. Another option is shooting each area of the home in stages; downstairs, upstairs, outside, etc. and logically putting them together with editing software.
Prepare Answers to Questions
Virtual tours are going to provide the same types of questions as an in-person showing. Whether these questions come via social media, e-mail, or phone call, consider what may be asked and attempt to provide the answer during your video tour. Provide as much information about each space as possible, and as you’re walking, put yourself in a prospective buyers shoes and address what they may be thinking.
Make Sure the Home is Properly Lit
Lighting is the key ingredient for a good video. Too much and everything is blinding. Too little, and everything is hidden. From ambient lighting to supplemental lights that follow the path of your tour, proper illumination is essential. Keeping room lights on and opening windows can also help to eliminate unwanted shadows. Performing a practice recording can reveal problems areas that you can address before the big show.
Select Viewpoints that Reflect a Natural Perspective
When you’re by yourself, behind the lens, it can be easy to forget what the experience on the other side will be. The camera needs to show what your prospective buyer wants to see. From natural stopping points to the way that visitors interact with a space need to be considered. Your video tour should mimic an in-person showing as closely as possible.
Focus on Unique Features
A virtual tour is the perfect time to highlight any unique designs and special features within a home. From built-in shelving to an outdoor kitchen and everything in between, this is the time present every detail and benefit of these elements.
Emphasize Curb Appeal
It’s easy to focus on the interior of the home. Demonstrating the floorplan and flow of the home is essential, but so are the adjacent elements of the home. Offering a street view, highlighting landscaping, and presenting the exterior features should not be overshadowed. The driveway, front porch, back patio, and both yards should be featured, commented upon, and detailed.
Telling the difference between an excellent virtual tour and a poor one is simple. As a knowledgeable, professional REALTOR®
use these tips for each of your clients and provide them with the tour and service they deserve.
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Week 10 brought meaningful movement on several Louisiana REALTORS® priorities affecting real estate, property rights and insurance. And Week 11 is shaping up to be one of the most important stretches of the session. The biggest developments last week were the final Senate passage of HB 468 by Rep. Troy Hebert with amendments, movement of HB 1027 by Rep. Hebert to the Governor for executive approval, continued Senate progress on HB 1187 and HB 1166 , and final legislative action on SB 180 . REALTOR® Day at the Capitol also came at an important time, giving members the opportunity to reinforce industry priorities with legislators as several key bills neared final passage or awaited committee, concurrence or floor action. Just as importantly, the Louisiana REALTORS® legislative package has now cleared most of its major hurdles, and barring any late-session surprises, the remaining package’s bills should be headed to the Governor’s desk shortly. On the core real estate package, HB 468 , the wholesale regulation bill, remains the most immediate priority. The Senate passed the bill 34-0 on May 12 with amendments, and it now returns to the House for concurrence. That places it in a fast-moving posture, and members should be prepared for quick House action once concurrence is called. HB 1027 , the appraiser liability bill, has now moved into final executive posture after passing the Senate 35-0 without amendments and being sent to the Governor. Together, those two bills represent major wins for consumer protection, market integrity and greater certainty in the real estate transaction process. Insurance remains one of the busiest and most important policy areas as we head into Week 11. HB 1187 , dealing with Louisiana Citizens for emergency assessments, was reported favorably by the Senate Insurance Committee and is now pending Legislative Bureau for review in the Senate. HB 759 , addressing fortified roof endorsement offers, remains one of the more important insurance and mitigation bills still in play and is positioned for Senate floor action. HB 408 , which would prohibit insurers from non-renewing residential policies when homeowners timely mitigate risks, remains pending in House Insurance, as does HB 1210 , which would create a mandatory pre-suit claim review process for residential property insurance. Additional insurance measures, including HB 850 on Standard Fire Policy cancellation notices, HB 1162 on contractor verification in insurance claims, and SB 241 on adjuster and appraiser license-number disclosure, also remain active. These bills continue to matter because insurance affordability, mitigation, claims handling and policy stability remain central to property ownership and transaction viability across Louisiana. On disclosure and regulatory matters, HB 1166 by Rep. Kim Carver , requiring disclosures for vacant residential property and carrying out the adopted LREC reform amendment, was reported favorably by the Senate Commerce Committee and is now pending with the Legislative Bureau for review in the Senate. That keeps the bill in a strong position for Senate floor movement and makes it one of the key bills to watch in Week 11. SB 180 , allowing a surviving spouse of a deceased disabled veteran to transfer an expanded property tax exemption under certain circumstances, has completed legislative action and is now in final processing. Week 10 and the run into Week 11 also reflected an important defensive win for Louisiana REALTORS®. Our team successfully worked to block and tackle HB 617 and HB 750 to ensure real estate and nonprofit activity were not swept into overly broad consumer protection frameworks. On HB 617 , Louisiana REALTORS® opposed the bill as drafted and worked to posture it so that real estate professionals would not be caught up in a fee-disclosure framework that does not fit the realities of real estate transactions. On HB 750 , we worked to ensure the bill would not be interpreted to reach real estate or nonprofit operations in a way that could create unintended compliance burdens for leases, property management arrangements, association activity, or recurring charges authorized under those structures. That effort helped keep broad subscription-style language from bleeding into housing and nonprofit operations where it plainly does not belong. Civil justice and broader property rights measures also remain active entering Week 11. HB 437 , dealing with expert witness fees, and HB 1089 , creating CARE Accounts for certain damages arising from delictual actions, remain pending in Senate Judiciary A and remain high-priority tort reform measures to watch. HB 472, the rent stabilization bill, remains involuntarily deferred and stays on the watch list for any attempted revival through another vehicle or amendment. Additional redevelopment and tax-related measures, such as HB 214 and HB 217, also remain relevant to the broader conversation on blight, reinvestment and neighborhood stabilization. A few additional housing and valuation bills are also worth noting HB 292 on security deposits, HB 297 on early lease termination in stalking and cyberstalking situations, and HB 300 on appraisal thresholds for bank-owned property have all advanced and remain part of the broader housing policy landscape. The practical takeaway is straightforward: Week 11 will likely move fast, and late-session maneuvering can matter as much as headline floor votes. Louisiana REALTORS® should be prepared for House concurrence on HB 468 , further Senate movement on HB 1166 and HB 1187 , continued action on insurance and tort reform, and the possibility of late amendments or procedural pivots on bills affecting real estate transactions, private property rights, housing affordability, nonprofits, property managers and the broader real estate industry. The package is in strong shape, but this is the point in the session when the finish line comes into view and traffic gets thick. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
