Video is Over-Rated

Video has been the “new” thing now for while and some people are really into using video for blogging and for real estate tours. But not everything that is new is better.  I have not embraced using video in real estate sales or in blogging (vlogging), and here’s why…

The written (typed) word inherently allows you to go at your own pace– read fast or slow, re-read over and over- stare at and study, or speed-read at a very fast pace.

Moving video of something standing still (rooms in a home) accomplish nothing more than a still-shot photo does. Moving around a room with a video doesn’t really show you anything you wouldn’t see in a few photos.

Copy/paste. With a written blog I can copy certain text I want to share, and simply link back to the original. With a video I have to show the whole thing if I want to share it. With virtual tours I can share the photos I want and only the photos I want.

Sometimes people don’t look as good as they write.  

More moving parts= more room for mistakes. I pay a professional to do my tours, but even if I were to do my own virtual tours, I could snap 200 photos and pick the best ones to show my listing. By doing a video, even if I get the lighting right and there are no annoying background noises and I can hold the camera steady, there is still the issue of shooting flattering angles and just as importantly, not shooting unflattering angles of the home, or me.

Difficult to keep your eyes on the ball. When I read a blog I am reading the message the author gives me. When I see a video I am just as interested in the quality of the shoot, the sound, what they are wearing, what they look like, where they are, what’s going on around them, etc. The message is in there, too, but it doesn’t have my full attention.

Movies are never as good as the book. When I read a book I get to know the characters in a different way. I read what they are thinking and feeling and get all the great details that are typically missed in the movie version. Books have my full attention (see above paragraph) on where the author takes me. Movies (videos) sometimes suffer the message for the show. When I watch a horror movie I’m thinking of what they used for the fake blood (chocolate, ketchup, red dye?) and not the plot.

Photos are easier. Much much easier for most people. As I mentioned before, there are lighting and sound issues, and having a steady hand, but I need to plan my steps and route and think about a bunch of little things that affect the shoot. With photos an agent can take them and then sort later for good ones. And if you mess up a little- photoshop.

Start and finish on my time. I can begin to write a post and then stop and finish later. I can snap photos of a house and then go to an appointment and edit through them later. With video you’ve pretty much got to do the whole thing at once.

I understand why some people like video. I like watching videos, too- just not for real estate.