Subhi J. Gharbieh

By Subhi J. Gharbieh

It is very obvious that the Internet has drastically changed the way we do business as REALTORS®. According to the 2010 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 99 percent of buyers started their home search online.

With that said, all the media that we display online can have a great say in whether a buyer will call you about viewing a listing, or not.

I recently shot my first video tour on a listing I have here in Dallas, and let me say: It was quite an experience. I learned many things that I wish I would have known before I was actually in front of a camera.

Here are 5 tips to help you shoot a successful video tour:

1. Plan ahead. Make sure the weather is great on the day you record your video. You want it to be clear that you are a REALTOR® touring your listing, not a weatherman/woman out in the middle of a thunderstorm.
2. Make sure the property will show well in a video. Staging the home if it is vacant will do wonders. Make sure the home is landscaped, neat, and tidy. You don’t want your viewers to catch any dirty socks on the floor while your showing the master bedroom!
3. Mentally walk through the house and take notes on what you are going to say before the camera is rolling. It will make you sound a lot more professional, and people will notice it. Consult with your client. Ask them why they bought their home. Why they chose to live in the specific area. Talk about nearby parks, lakes, shopping, etc. Market the lifestyle of living in that specific area. Don’t just wing it!
4. Have the video professionally edited. If you cannot do that, download a video editing software and do it yourself. There are many simple video editing programs available online and are fairly easy to use.
5. Last but not least, BRAND YOURSELF! There is no point in producing a video tour if your viewers are not going to know who made the video, and who to contact to view the home if they are interested! Start a YouTube Channel and post your videos. There are also many other sites that can help you syndicate your video to the world.

Subhi J. Gharbieh is the broker owner of Gharbieh & Associates in Dallas. Connect with him at www.Gharbieh.com or on Twitter @subhig.