Home tour video: what a house walkthrough is and how to make one

What a home tour video is for

Listing photos show what each room looks like. A home tour shows how the rooms connect: where the kitchen sits next to the living room, how far the bedrooms are from the stairs, and where the light comes in. When Zillow first added video walkthroughs to for-sale listings in 2016, it described them as a way to show things that are "hard to capture in photos", like the layout or how much daylight reaches the kitchen.

People use "home tour" and "house walkthrough" for the same thing. In a listing they mean one continuous route through the home, filmed at walking pace, usually without anyone talking on camera. A home tour on YouTube or social media can be longer and more personal, with an agent or owner guiding the viewer.

For the full list of listing video types and what videographers charge, see real estate videos.

How long a home tour video should be

Two minutes is the practical ceiling for a listing walkthrough. These are the limits we could confirm on each platform's own pages on 30 Oct 2026:

Because the Zillow video plays without sound, it has to make sense with the sound off. Open on the entrance or the best room, not on the agent.

The route through the house

Walk the home the way a visitor would on a showing, so the video doubles as a floor plan:

1. Outside: the street view and the front door, a few seconds each.
2. Entry: step through the door and pause so the viewer can get their bearings.
3. Main living areas: living room, kitchen and dining, in the order they connect. Turn slowly at each doorway to show how one space opens into the next.
4. Bedrooms and bathrooms: primary bedroom first, then the others; one look into each bathroom is enough.
5. Extras: laundry, office, basement or garage, only if they sell the home.
6. Outside again: the backyard, patio or view, ending on the best outdoor angle.

Never cross back through a room you've already shown; if the layout forces it, cut instead. The house tour filming guide covers walking speed, turns and cuts in detail.

Home tour shot list

Before you press record, go through the home and decide what each room needs. A short list that works for most houses:

Those seconds are our planning rule of thumb, not a platform requirement; adjust them so the total stays under two minutes. Tidy and light every room first, the same way you would for photos: our listing photo prep checklist works for video too.

Filming a home tour on an iPhone

• Pick the format at the top of the Camera screen. Tap the resolution and frame rate in Video mode. Apple notes that higher resolutions and frame rates make larger files; 4K at 30 fps is a common choice for a listing.
• Stabilize. Enhanced Stabilization is on by default and crops in slightly. Action mode stabilizes more, works best in bright light and records at most 2.8K. Walk slowly with both hands on the phone, or use a gimbal.
• Keep the color steady. Turn on Lock White Balance (Settings > Camera > Record Video) so the walls don't change color as you move between rooms with different light. Lock Camera stops the iPhone from switching lenses mid-shot.
• Light every room. Film in daylight, open curtains and turn on every lamp. In dim rooms the iPhone can drop to 24 fps on its own (Auto FPS), which shows as stutter when you walk; turn it off or add light.
• Hold the phone level and in landscape for the listing; film a separate vertical pass if you want a Short or Reel.

Step-by-step settings and a gimbal-free walking technique are in how to make a real estate walkthrough video with your iPhone; for a rental unit or a single room, see apartment tour video.

Music and voice-over rights

A song you like is not a song you can use. If a listing video uses commercial music without a license, a platform can mute or block it. On YouTube, a Short over one minute with an active copyright claim is blocked worldwide until the claim is resolved.

• Use licensed or royalty-free music. YouTube's Audio Library has royalty-free tracks that won't get a Content ID claim; Creative Commons tracks there require credit in the video description. YouTube warns that it isn't responsible for "royalty-free" music from other channels or libraries.
• On a Short, check the track's limit. YouTube lets you use most Shorts Audio Library songs for up to 90 seconds in a three-minute Short; some are limited to 60 or 30.
• Plan for no sound on Zillow. Showcase videos autoplay on mute, so a voice-over there is extra, not the main story.
• Voice-over: your own voice is yours to use. Keep names, phone numbers and websites out of the version for the MLS, which usually has to be unbranded.

Where to post a home tour video

• Zillow: for a for-sale listing, video appears on Zillow through a Zillow Showcase listing, uploaded by the listing's photographer.
• Your MLS: as an unbranded link in the virtual tour field, often a YouTube link. MLS Now removes virtual tours 10 days after a listing closes, expires or is withdrawn.
• YouTube: the landscape version as a regular video and a vertical cut as a Short.
• Instagram, Facebook and TikTok: a vertical teaser that opens on the best room, with a link to the full listing.
• Your website and listing emails: embed the YouTube version.

If you are only after photos, the walkthrough can come later; see how to take pictures of your house to sell.

Making the photos and the walkthrough in one visit

Agents and hosts usually need both a set of listing photos and a short walkthrough, and filming them separately means two passes through the home. The October app is one way to do both: it guides you through each room on an iPhone 12 or newer, showing where to stand and keeping the phone level, and an image model then makes finished photos from your capture, and a video model makes the walkthrough as smooth camera moves between those photos, usually within a few hours. A place is up to 6 rooms. Photos cost $49 a place, $99 with a walkthrough video, and the first place is free. Because the walkthrough is built from the photos rather than filmed in one take, check each photo and the video before you publish them. See pricing and how it's made.

Step by step

1. Plan the route

   Walk the home as a visitor would: outside, entry, living areas, bedrooms and bathrooms, then outdoor space, without crossing back through a room.

2. Prepare every room

   Tidy, open curtains and turn on every light, as you would for listing photos.

3. Set up the iPhone

   Choose 4K at 30 fps, turn on Lock White Balance and Lock Camera, keep stabilization on, and hold the phone level in landscape.

4. Film slowly

   Walk at a slow, even pace with both hands on the phone, pausing at doorways.

5. Edit to under two minutes

   Keep the steadiest seconds of each room, use licensed or royalty-free music, and make an unbranded version for the MLS.

6. Post it

   Use the unbranded version on the MLS, Zillow Showcase if the listing has it, YouTube, and a vertical teaser for social media.

Questions