Last Updated on January 17, 2021 by Jose Barrios

Let me start by saying that this is not a product review, it is a quick tutorial on how to create a video walkthrough of a home with the least amount of effort and the best possible result.

When I started photographing houses one of the products real estate agents kept asking for was video walkthroughs. I researched to see how they were made and bought a smartphone gimbal and gave it a shot.

The resulting video was horrible, and I ended up wasting $100 on a useless gadget.

I decided to up my game and bought a Ronin S, a pro-level gimbal for my DSLR. I love the device, but it ended up being too complicated to use and set up for making a short 2-minute video.

There just had to be a better way.

Then in 2020 the GoPro Hero 9 came to market, things just took a turn for the better.

Quick Links

Welcome to HyperSmooth 3.0

When I saw a video on YouTube showcasing the Hero 9, what immediately came to my mind was video walkthroughs.

If I could produce a 4K video without a gimbal or a DSLR, all without shaking, wobbling, or complicated edits in the time that it would take me to walk a property, I was in.

So, I took the plunge bought the camera, and was amazed! HyperSmooth 3.0 was all that it was cracked up to be and more.

How much should you charge?

My prices for a quick video walkthrough start at $75 and go up from there depending on the size of the home.

The way I got to this price was by researching what my competition was charging for similar services. I always try to be the same as others and always avoid being the cheapest one on the market. People relate cheap to bad quality.

You can read my post on how to price your work here.

Set expectations from the start

I highly recommend doing a couple of video walkthroughs for free when starting out so you can have a sample portfolio, you need to show your customers what the product looks like and show them that this is not a cinematic production.

My camera settings

I kept it simple, just use the default Cinematic setting that’s built into the camera, nothing more.

How to shoot the video

I have a handle grip on my Hero 9, it’s just easier to walk with it this way.

The goal is to film the whole house in one single shot. The fewer edits you must make the faster it will go in the post.

Avoid your reflection on mirrors, again to avoid edits. I find that if a crouch I can avoid showing upon them, especially in bathrooms.

You should be able to walk an entire 2,000 sq. ft. home in under 4 minutes.

How I edit the video

I tried at first to use DaVinci Resolve, it is great and free but too complicated for a simple $75 video.

Premiere Pro, also great, easier than DaVinci, but again, way too complicated for a simple video.

That’s when I discovered Premiere Rush, simple and straight forward. It has royalty-free music, titles, and some basic effects and that is all I need.

It takes me 10 to 15 min from start to finish to edit a video and render it. I export the video in 1080p, you want a small file, no 4K stuff, way too expensive to host large files in the long run.

How I deliver the video

I use Vimeo, the paid basic version, they also have a free tier you can start with. I do not recommend YouTube because it has advertisements in it.

Vimeo also provides very cool metrics so I can track views to a video, this helps me to better market my services by showing customers just how many people viewed their video.

Conclusion

Always keep in mind that this is an inexpensive video you are delivering. It is but a simple way of maximizing your bottom line when out photographing a property.

Do not try to incest your time in color grading, fancy edits, or anything else beyond a basic Premiere Rush edit. Keep it simple.

As always, I hope this short tutorial helps you become a better real estate photographer/videographer.

Jose Barrios

Jose Barrios

Photographer

“What can I say? I love taking photos of houses.”

Based in Orlando Florida, Jose is a real estate photographer specializing in vacation homes, working for realtors and property managers to make their properties look great. You can visit his site at JoseBarriosPhoto.com.