How to Film a Great Video Tour of Your Rental

Key Takeaways 

• A well-planned, visually appealing video tour is one of the most effective tools for attracting qualified renters, helping them understand the layout, lighting, and overall condition of the home before an in-person showing.
• Cleanliness, steady camera work, good lighting, and intentional room-to-room flow are essential for creating a professional, easy-to-follow tour that builds trust and accurately reflects the rental.
• Staying legally compliant and using narration or professional support when needed ensures a smooth, efficient marketing process that can reduce vacancy periods and improve the overall leasing experience.

Most tenants these days start their search for a rental online. A strong video tour can pull in more qualified applicants, shorten vacancy time and reduce back and forth. It is one of the simplest marketing tools you can control, yet many landlords overlook it.

To help you effectively marker your rentals and shorten vacancy periods, EquityTeam put together this article to walk you through how to capture a clean, steady and useful video tour that showcases your rental.

Understand What Tenants Want to See

Before you record anything, decide what a renter actually needs to understand. Ask yourself what a viewer cares about when they watch a tour. They want to see the overall flow of the home, natural light, storage, bedroom sizes, and the condition of kitchens and bathrooms. They want to feel confident that what they see in the video will match the in-person experience.

Make the Space Visually Appealing 

A video tour cannot hide clutter. If the space is not clean, viewers will assume the home is poorly managed. 

As such, before filming, open blinds, turn on the lights, sweep floors, remove trash, wipe down surfaces and clear hallways. Prepare the space the same way you would for an in-person showing. 

Get Your Equipment Ready

If you’re filming on a smartphone, check your battery level, free up storage and close other apps. Then turn off notifications so messages and alerts do not interrupt your recording. Right before you start filling, set your camera to the highest resolution available. Most modern phones record in 1080p or higher, which is more than enough for rental marketing.

Use the Right Orientation and Keep the Camera Steady

You want to film your videos in landscape mode and this captures a wider point of view. Horizontal videos also look more professional. You should also keep your elbows close to your body or use a simple handheld stabilizer if you already have one.Walking slowly and keeping two hands on the phone will further stabilize the shot.

Capture Each Room with Intention

Start your shot of each room by pausing for one second before you begin moving through it. This gives viewers a clean opening shot. Then walk along the walls rather than cutting across the middle of the room. Moving slowly makes the video easier to follow and gives renters time to process what they’re seeing. 

Use Natural Lighting Whenever Possible

Good lighting makes the rental look more inviting. Film during the day when possible or during the golden hours. Open blinds fully and turn on overhead lights and lamps if there are harsh shadows in certain shots. 

Avoid pointing the camera directly at windows because the exposure may shift and make the room appear darker. Instead, stand with the windows behind you or at your side for a more even distribution of light.

Make Use of a Voice Over

You can use a voice over to help guide renters through the space, but keep your tone calm and your sentences short. Mention room sizes and total square footage and highlight what the camera may not capture well, such as updated plumbing, new flooring, energy efficient windows fresh paint, or exciting amenities. 

You can also mention compelling neighbourhood amenities like proximity to groceries, schools or transit without overselling it. Make sure to record the voice over in post-production as this will make writing and timing the script easier. It will also result in clearer audio. 

Don’t Forget Exterior Shots

Record a short clip of the exterior to show curb appeal, parking, and yard space. If you manage a multi-unit building, show the common areas such as laundry and mail rooms.

Show the Full Layout

A common mistake is filming each room separately without showing how the rooms connect. Renters want to understand the flow of the home. Give them a sense of where the kitchen sits in relation to the living room and where the bedrooms sit in relation to the bathroom.

A good way to approach this is by mapping out your route ahead of time. Open all the doors ahead of time so you can easily move from one space to another. You can also clean up the flow of movement in post with subtle transitions. 

Keep the Final Video Short 

When marketing the property, you need to maintain engagement. As such, aim for two to five minute long videos. That length usually covers everything without exhausting the viewer. Make sure you trim out awkward pauses and moments but don’t over edit as this can distract from the actual content.

Stay Compliant with Local Laws

Do not record tenants or their belongings without permission. If the unit is occupied, schedule filming when the resident can remove personal items they do not want shown. Ohio law requires reasonable notice for landlord entry, so plan ahead. Make sure no confidential documents, mail or identifying information show up in your footage.

Work with a Professional Property Manager

If video makes you uncomfortable, or if your time is limited, consider outsourcing the task to a property management company. They understand what renters want, and know how to film efficiently while following local laws.

Bottom Line

A strong video tour helps renters understand your property quickly, sets honest expectations and reduces wasted time for both sides. When you plan your shots, clean the home, use steady camera work and walk viewers through the layout with care, you create a tour that keeps applicants engaged and speeds up the leasing process.

EquityTeam can take this work off your plate entirely. Our property management team handles marketing and compliance so you do not have to. If you are ready for a hands-oof approach to management, reach out to EquityTeam today!