Real estate videos: the types, what a videographer costs, and where they go

The types of real estate videos, and what each one is for

"Real estate video" covers several different products. They are filmed differently, priced differently and posted in different places, so decide which one you need before you book anyone. Lengths below are what videographers publish for each format; prices are covered in detail further down.

• Listing walkthrough. A camera moving through the home in the order a visitor walks it, so a buyer sees how the rooms connect. This is the video most listings need. Fash describes one as 1 to 3+ minutes of footage showing the whole exterior and interior.
• Cinematic or highlight video. A trailer for the home: slow, polished shots of the best rooms and features, cut to music. Open Homes Photography in the San Francisco Bay Area sells three lengths: Highlight (30 to 45 seconds, which skips spare bedrooms, offices and closets), Cinematic (60 to 90 seconds) and Luxury (2 to 3 minutes, with close-up vignettes of amenities).
• Agent on camera. You introduce the home or walk the buyer through it, which markets you as much as the listing. Zillow lets Showcase videos include personal branding, "such as introducing yourself in the video," but not persistent logos or watermarks. Most MLSs don't allow it in the virtual tour field.
• Social reels and Shorts. Vertical (9:16) versions built to stop the scroll. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts both allow up to three minutes, but a reel that opens on the best room in the first seconds is the point.
• Drone or aerial video. The lot, the roof, the view, the street and what's nearby. Usually a short clip inside a walkthrough or cinematic video rather than a video of its own.
• Neighborhood or community video. Parks, schools, shops and the commute, for buyers moving from out of the area. HomeJab sells them as a service. Describe places, not the people who live there.
• 3D or virtual tour. Not a video: the viewer clicks through 360° panoramas or a measured 3D model at their own pace. It's priced and hosted differently; see 3D virtual tour cost.

Do buyers actually watch real estate videos?

Yes, but they rely on photos far more. In NAR's 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report, buyers who searched online rated these listing-site features "very useful":

Videos mattered most to buyers aged 36 to 45 (33%) and least to buyers aged 80 and over (18%). In the same report, 52% of buyers used an online video site at some point in their home search. The survey drew 6,103 responses from people who bought a primary residence between July 2024 and June 2025.

Agents rate video higher than buyers do. In NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Staging, 48% of buyers' agents said having videos for a listing was more or much more important to their clients, against 73% for photos and 43% for virtual tours. Among sellers' agents it was 47% for videos and 88% for photos. Part of video's value is to the agent: a listing video is something to show sellers at a listing presentation and to post on social media.

The practical reading: a listing without good photos isn't rescued by a video, and a listing with good photos gains most from a short walkthrough that shows the layout. For the photos, see our real estate photography tips.

What a real estate videographer does

A real estate videographer plans the shots, films the home, edits the footage and delivers versions sized for each place it will be posted. Many listing photographers also shoot video; others specialize. What the job usually includes:

• Planning the route and shot list with you: which rooms lead, which features to linger on, whether you'll be on camera.
• Filming with stabilization. Open Homes lists mirrorless or DSLR cameras on a gimbal for its landscape tours and an iPhone on a handheld gimbal for its vertical social tours. HomeJab says its walkthroughs are shot with Steadicam stabilization.
• Editing: trimming, color correction so rooms match, licensed music, titles, and an optional voice-over.
• Delivering several cuts. Open Homes' comparison table lists four deliverables across its tiers: a full branded video, a full unbranded MLS video, a portrait social version and a short teaser.
• Aerials, if the videographer is also a licensed drone pilot, or through a pilot they work with.

How long it takes. Open Homes says it needs 1 to 2 business days to edit and color-correct a property video, and most are finished the following business day. HomeJab says most orders are fulfilled within 24 hours, and Manasota360 in Sarasota, Florida quotes 24 to 48 hours for its packages that include a walkthrough video. Book the shoot when the home is ready, the lights work and the weather suits any aerials.

What a real estate videographer costs in 2026

No survey covers every US market, so compare several published price lists. PropPhoto computes typical prices from packages that contain exactly one service; its page was updated October 28, 2026, from 979 packages by 481 photographers:

The video figures rest on few packages, so treat them as a guide, not a quote. Videographers who publish their own price lists price mostly by the home's size and the style of video:

That table is Open Homes Photography's, in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most expensive US markets. It adds $100 for every further 1,000 sq ft, charges $300 an hour for commercial work, includes a vertical social teaser, and sells an agent introduction for $200 and an agent-guided tour for $450 as add-ons. Its aerial video costs $450 for 1 to 2 minutes, or $250 for a 15 to 30 second clip added to a photo or video shoot.

Fash's cost guide, written in March 2023 from research and costs reported by its members, gives national averages that land in the same place: $250 to $600 for a walkthrough, $150 to $400 for a 30 to 60 second highlight reel, $200 to $450 for drone video on its own and $300 to $900 for a walkthrough with photography. By home size, Fash puts a walkthrough at $100–$350 up to 1,500 sq ft, $200–$500 for 1,501–3,000 sq ft, $400–$800 for 3,001–5,000 sq ft and $600–$1,000+ above that.

Bundles are cheaper than buying video alone. HomeJab's real estate video starts at $220, and one of its most popular packages is 15 HDR photos plus a video walkthrough for $325. Manasota360's most popular package, for homes under 2,250 sq ft, is $349 for 25–50 photos, 5–10 drone photos and a 3–5 minute walkthrough video.

What pushes the price up, per Fash: hourly shooting at $80–$200 and editing at $70–$180 an hour on bigger jobs, a voice-over at $50–$150 per minute, $100–$400 for each extra minute of video, music licensing at $20–$50 a song (some videographers include it), travel at $1.00–$1.50 a mile outside their radius, and $25–$100+ for rush delivery. What photos, drone and 3D tours cost on top is in our real estate photography cost guide.

How to hire a real estate videographer

Look at listing videos they've made, not wedding films or ads: walking a home smoothly at an even pace is its own skill. Then ask every candidate the same questions, so the quotes compare:

1. What's included? Length, number of cuts (full, unbranded MLS, vertical, teaser), music, voice-over, revisions and aerials. Fash suggests getting a written contract that spells out what's included, refund and cancellation terms and the video's copyright terms.
2. Will I get an unbranded version for the MLS? Many MLSs reject branded tours (see below). A videographer who works with agents should deliver one as standard.
3. Can you deliver to Zillow Showcase? Showcase videos have to come from the same photographer who provided the listing's other media and be uploaded through Zillow's Aryeo platform.
4. Are you, or your drone pilot, FAA Part 107 certified? The FAA lists "taking photos to help sell a property or service" as non-recreational flying under Part 107, so the pilot needs a Remote Pilot Certificate: be at least 16, pass the aeronautical knowledge exam and complete recurrent training every 24 calendar months. Ask to see the certificate. Our drone real estate photography guide covers the rules on site.
5. Is the music licensed for commercial use? A listing video is advertising. Ask which library the tracks come from.
6. Who owns the footage, and can I reuse it? If the listing comes back, or you want clips for your own marketing, you need the right to use them. See who owns listing photos; the same questions apply to video.
7. How fast, and what does it cost to speed up? Ask about turnaround, travel fees and weekend surcharges before you book.

Where real estate videos go, and the rules for each

So plan two cuts of every listing video: a landscape version under two minutes with no branding, for the MLS and Zillow, and a vertical version with your intro for social media. Most videographers who work with agents deliver both.

Making real estate videos yourself

Every type except drone footage can be filmed on a recent phone, and NAR's July 2025 member technology survey found 52% of REALTORS® already use drone photography or video, so plenty of agents hire for aerials and do the rest. The do-it-yourself routes, from cheapest effort to most:

• Film the walkthrough on an iPhone. 4K at 30 fps, one clip per room, under two minutes for the listing. Step by step in how to make a real estate walkthrough video with your iPhone.
• Film a simple house tour on any phone, for a for-sale-by-owner, a rental or a sublet, with privacy and posting tips in how to film a house tour.
• Turn the listing photos into a video with a slideshow tool such as iMovie, Canva, CapCut or AutoReel. Fast, but every shot is a still with movement added, so it can't show how rooms connect. Compared in turn listing photos into video.
• Make a 3D tour with the Zillow 3D Home app or a Matterport plan, if the layout is the selling point. Prices in 3D virtual tour cost.
• Hire only the editing. If you film yourself and want it polished, Fash puts video editing at $70 to $180 an hour.

Where October fits

October's walkthrough video isn't filmed footage. The October app guides you through each room with an iPhone 12 or newer and takes the photos. An AI image model draws the finished photos from your capture, and an AI video model (Kling) makes the walkthrough as smooth camera moves between those finished photos. The photos and the walkthrough usually come back within a few hours. Photos plus a walkthrough cost $99 a place (up to 6 rooms), or $199 with the 4K walkthrough, and the first place is free. See pricing and how it's made.

Because the photos are AI-generated, check each one and the video before you publish, and label them where your MLS requires. October doesn't film footage, fly drones or put you on camera, so if a listing needs a filmed walkthrough, aerials or an agent-led tour, hire a videographer or film it yourself as described above.

Step by step

1. Pick the video type

   A walkthrough to show the layout, a cinematic or highlight video for a premium listing, an agent-on-camera or vertical reel for social media, and drone video if the lot, roof or view sells the home.

2. Compare published prices

   Expect about $200 for a walkthrough and $250 for drone video (PropPhoto), $300 to $900 for cinematic tours by home size (Open Homes, Bay Area), and less in a bundle with photos.

3. Check the portfolio

   Watch listing videos the videographer has made: smooth, level movement at an even pace, consistent color from room to room and licensed music.

4. Ask the same questions of everyone

   What's included, an unbranded MLS cut, Zillow Showcase delivery through Aryeo, an FAA Part 107 certificate for drone work, music licensing, footage ownership and turnaround.

5. Prepare the home

   Tidy every room, switch on all the lights, open the curtains and the doors on the route, and book a dry day if there are aerials.

6. Post each cut where it belongs

   The unbranded landscape cut under two minutes in the MLS virtual tour field and on Zillow Showcase, and the vertical cut with your intro on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and your website.

Questions