Spring is the most popular time of year to buy or sell a home. May has historically had the highest number of home listings in Canada and also sees the highest number of home sales (along with June). Sure, there are a lot of responsibilities tied to home ownership, but there’s also an undeniable sense of satisfaction. We’re celebrating the first day of this popular home-hunting month, and New Home Owners Day, with a blog on real estate videos.
Toronto Real Estate Board
We worked with the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) to create a pair of videos in the spring of 2018. This not-for-profit corporation has been around for almost a century, acting as a collective voice for commercial and residential realtor members. In the Toronto area, TREB represents more than 53,000 licensed real estate brokers and salespersons.
The real estate videos produced for TREB were made for social media. We started with a script that evoked the warm feelings of home. It was our goal to connect with the audience emotionally. Talking about the people, celebrations, and comfort provided by a home was an effective way to make the viewer think about their own positive home-related experiences.
The first real estate video was comprised of stock footage. We open with a drone shot of a neighbourhood and the question What is a home? Images depict warm and intimate moments of family togetherness and personal relaxation. These are followed by footage of new homeowners moving in. The audience sees a couple conferring with a realtor and the piece ends with a celebration and the CTA.
The second real estate video is a mix of whiteboard animation and stock footage. The script begins with a literal definition of the structure of a house. We see hand-drawn animation morph into a real house when the voice-over talks about the people who make a house a home. Stock footage of three different families working with realtors plays as we hear about the advantages of working with TREB. As with the first video, the second video ends with a CTA.
Living Realty
Real estate broker Wins Lai was the focus of two videos we produced for Living Realty. Lai works with developers, sellers, and buyers in resale and new pre-construction condos in the Toronto area. She specializes in luxury properties and her fluency in Mandarin and Cantonese enables her to work with overseas investors.
Lai wanted to create real estate videos for her website and the first one has a lifestyle focus. The client wanted to show her daily routine as a way to connect with clients on a personal level. The video opens with a shot of the CN Tower, then we see Lai at home with her dog and doing some work on a laptop. The rest of the video is the story of Lai meeting with clients, showing them a beautiful condo, and sealing the deal. This simple concept allowed us to tell the story using only footage and music. Lai’s contact information and credentials appear as graphics at the end of the video, along with the words: Hire an agent that lives your lifestyle.
The second real estate video is a series of three testimonials. After an introductory page with Lai’s name and title, we hear from a real estate lawyer. Then we hear from a mortgage agent who has used Lai’s services. Finally, we see a real estate investor speaking Mandarin. Using this last testimonial helps Lai connect with overseas clients and gives her credibility with a specific segment of the market. As with the first video, we end with Lai’s contact information, credentials, and lifestyle slogan.
Sold on Real Estate Videos
If you’re buying a home this spring, congratulations! And if you know someone buying a home, don’t forget to give them a housewarming gift. For those who facilitate home sales, you may want to consider the power of real estate videos. For more information and a free quote, give Key West Video a call today.
