The best real estate listing videos are not slideshows

The list

1. 1. REA Property Walkthrough Reels

   Portrait, mobile-first walkthrough videos that follow the floor plan on realestate.com.au listings.

   Best for: Agents who will film the walkthrough themselves and want the video on the portal.

   Watch: The agent films and edits it. Homepage placement is limited to higher listing tiers and Ignite uploads, with no minimum exposure guaranteed.

2. 2. Vimeo Create

   Video templates, plus a blog guide to listing, agent story and promo videos.

   Best for: Agents who already have footage and want to edit it from a template.

   Watch: The examples are from the United States. Pricing is not stated on the page we read.

3. 3. Reel-E

   Makes listing tour videos from still photos and publishes a list of 25 video ideas.

   Best for: An agent who needs a quick video from photos and has no time to film.

   Watch: Written around MLS and Zillow. Australian portal formats are not stated.

4. 4. YourPropertyPilot

   Generates a video from the listing photos as part of a full listing campaign.

   Best for: Agencies with no marketing hire that want every listing marketed without extra work for agents.

   Watch: It is not a filmed walkthrough tool. Pricing is by usage, and contracts are mostly 12 months.

5. 5. Placester

   A library of 21 example videos covering tours, branding, education and social clips.

   Best for: Agents who want ideas for pacing and format before they film.

   Watch: Written for US agents and brokers, not Australian agencies.

6. 6. BAM

   Seven standout listing videos from 2024, including the BAMMYs winner Benni.

   Best for: Agents who want creative inspiration for a personality-led reel.

   Watch: US agent examples from 2024. The page also promotes a ticketed workshop in Scottsdale.

7. 7. PropertyMe

   An Australian guide to 10 video ideas, from listing videos to agent and suburb profiles.

   Best for: Agencies planning a mix of video beyond the listing, including property management.

   Watch: It is an ideas list, not a tool. It quotes a four-times enquiry claim we could not check.

Where YourPropertyPilot fits

YourPropertyPilot sits fourth in this list, behind the portal and the tools that suit an agent who films or edits. It suits an agency with no marketing hire that wants a video made from the listing photos inside a full campaign. Agencies with an in-house social team, or customers who are not on social media, should pick something else.

What buyers say they watch

The only buyer voices on page one are in a 2022 r/AusProperty thread. It is one thread, not a survey. The complaints are specific, though. Several commenters skip videos that are a slideshow of the listing photos. Others skip guided tours where the agent talks to camera, because they feel awkward.

The commenters who do watch give clear reasons. One said a video gives a feel for the layout and makes room sizes easier to understand. Another said photos can make a room look bigger than it is. A third liked drone footage that showed the area.

That same commenter said the vendor's video was not linked to the listing, so buyers had to search YouTube for it. A listing video earns its place when it shows the floor plan in motion and sits on the listing itself.

Video on the portal, on social and on your own page

Most Australian agents need the video in three places: the portal listing, the agency's social feeds and a page of their own. Each place suits a slightly different format.

Property Walkthrough Reels on realestate.com.au are portrait, mobile-first videos that follow the floor plan. They are available for all listings on the portal. The agent films and edits the video. REA publishes how-to videos on planning, lighting, filming and editing, plus a free royalty-free music library.

REA says listings with Walkthrough Reels see 29% more views and 43% more inspection requests on average. That is REA's own data about its own product. REA also says a Reel may appear on its app homepage for higher listing tiers, only if the video is uploaded through Ignite. It states there is no guarantee of any minimum exposure.

Australian examples worth copying, and ones to avoid

The AusFinance Gazette ran a list of the best and worst Australian listing videos. Most of the worst were raps, skits and stunts that did not suit the agent. A few comedic ones worked. The Gazette praised Townsville agent Christian Agapiou, who goes by Bruce the Property Spruce, and a Noel Jones Doncaster video that satirised deceitful listings.

Humour works when it sounds like the agent and fails when it is copied. The Gazette page is entertainment, not a how-to, so use it as a warning.

Placester, BAM and Vimeo publish example videos from the United States. They are useful for pacing and storytelling. Outside REA's page, none of the pages we read covers Australian portal formats, so check the format against what you upload.

Choosing between filming, templates and a made video

Pick the method by the job. A filmed walkthrough suits a listing with a layout worth showing. A template suits an agent who already has footage and wants to edit it. A video made from the listing photos suits a quick announcement when nobody has time to film.

Reel-E's guide describes the photo route. It says an agent uploads listing photos and gets six video exports in under two minutes, in horizontal, vertical and square formats, branded and unbranded. The page is written around MLS and Zillow, so an Australian agent should check the formats first.

The Reddit thread is a caution. Buyers there dislike photo slideshows. A video made from photos needs real camera motion to avoid that complaint, and a filmed tour still wins on layout.

Where YourPropertyPilot fits

YourPropertyPilot generates a video from the listing photos. It does that as one part of a listing campaign that also includes a property landing page and organic social posts. The agent lists the property and sets a budget. It is not a filmed walkthrough tool.

Luke Marshall leads growth at YourPropertyPilot. He worked at Google APAC and helped launch YouTube across South-East Asia. He was a client partner at Facebook and launched Australia's first Instagram advertising campaigns. He has spent over a decade working with startups. YourPropertyPilot has not won any awards, and none of this means Google, YouTube, Facebook or Instagram endorses it.

Luke Marshall at YourPropertyPilot says: "Your property pilot is not a fit if your customers aren't on social media." He also says: "It's not a fit if you're a big agency real estate agent that will have an in-house social media team."

He adds: "But even with that in mind, YPP can probably do it more cost effectively than what you're doing today." That is his opinion, not a measured result.

Questions agents ask

What makes a good real estate listing video?

Buyers in a 2022 r/AusProperty thread wanted to see the layout and the room sizes. Several commenters said they skip slideshows of the listing photos and awkward guided tours. A good video follows the floor plan, shows the local area and sits on the listing itself, not on a separate page.

Should I film a walkthrough or make a video from photos?

Film one if the property has a layout worth showing. A phone and good light are enough to start. REA publishes how-to videos covering lighting, filming and editing. A video made from photos is faster and suits a quick announcement or a price change. You can use both.

Will a listing video get me more enquiries?

No tool can promise that. Enquiries depend on the buyer, the price and the property. REA reports that listings with Walkthrough Reels see 29% more views and 43% more inspection requests on average. That is REA's own figure for its own product, so treat it as a guide and not a promise.

Who should not use YourPropertyPilot for listing video?

Luke Marshall at YourPropertyPilot says it is not a fit if your customers are not on social media. It is also not a fit for a big agency with an in-house social media team, or for an agency that is comfortable with its current leads and does not believe in marketing. Those agencies should use their own team.