Does Real Estate Video Help to Sell Houses?

This is still an open question to many agents and brokers, judging from the low percentage of listings that feature videos of the property. The reason for this may be the cost of having a video made--$200 or more, still not a lot in my opinion--or perhaps it's the fact that most agents do not have the equipment or expertise to make videos themselves. I did not find any definitive studies of the subject online but found a few pages and documents below that addressed the utility of video in real estate or, more broadly, in any business.

The link below is to an article posted in 2012 concerning the use of video in selling homes costing less than $500k. It quotes the general manager of a company in Australia that owns the well known site, domain.com.au, who states that listings with a video receive 400% more enquiries than those that don't.

Videos for sub-500k homes

A more general recitation of statistics related to consumption of video, how effective it is in getting customers to engage and click through to websites and how it improves conversion rates is available at the page below. The report notes that it's important for a video to quickly engage a user's attention.

Video Marketing Statistics

Further discussion on the use of video in real estate marketing is available in the paper below:

Video in Real Estate

The two links below from 2011 go together. They're from the excellent site, http://photographyforrealestate.net, and compare the effectiveness of still photos in virtual tours versus videos of properties. There's also a survey regarding the future of video in real estate.

Video vs Still Photos

Future of Real Estate Video

Finally, the link below is to a video of a panel of experts on the use videos of various types in real estate. They cover property videos and community videos as well and get into some of the nuts-and-bolts issues.

Real Estate Video Panel of Experts

My own opinion? I think that videos help sell properties and they help me engage with my customers. Videos are not a replacement for still photos but rather allow the viewer to feel what it's like to move through a home and tour the grounds. In my opinion, still pictures, a video of the property and a floor plan, integrated into a virtual tour provide the best value to the customer.