How to take a great listing video with your phone

The easiest way to elevate your listing on Apartments.com is to add a video of your property. A video is a quick way to increase leads and interest by showing renters what your property has to offer! 

In this guide, we'll explore:

Video Basics: 101

1
First, locate the video function on your phone by looking for the Camera icon and selecting Video.
2
Once you press the red button, a clock timer will start and will start filming what your phone is pointing at. To stop filming, press the red button again.
3
Apartments.com's Architectural Photographer, John Williams, shares his top tips on how to shoot stunning video all on your cell phone:

Do's and Don'ts

  • Always hold your phone horizontally– renters can be watching your video on their computer which can make vertical videos difficult to view
  • Turn the phone with your body: left to right and then right to left in one shot
  • Try some lower shots so that you can show things like countertops, appliances, and sinks
  • Avoid closeups of things such as doorknobs and random objects
  • For smaller bedrooms, take a video from the entrance. For larger bedrooms, you can also take a video from the kitty corner which is directly diagonal from the bedroom door
  • Videos should be about 1-2 minutes

I've finished filming— what's next?

The next step is to edit your video which can be done on your laptop or even on your phone. If you've taken multiple shots, you'll need to combine the clips using a video editing program or app. 

Suggested for PC users: 
Photos App
Animotica
Movie Maker   

Suggested for Apple users:
iMovie 

Suggested for advanced users: 
Adobe Premiere Pro - Pc/Apple 
Final Cut Pro - Apple 

In this video, we'll show you how to take the clips you've filmed and edit them to make one seamless video– all on your iPhone:

Note: Videos uploaded to Apartments.com must be AVI, MP4, WMV, or MOV format and cannot be more than 1GB in size.

Uploading a video to a listing

If you have a Premium listing, you can upload a video (bear in mind that it can take up to 48hrs to display online):

  • When you add a new property– Select the Add Videos button or drag and drop your video file if you're using a desktop or laptop.
  • When you edit an existing listing– Once you access Properties & Listings and select Properties, select Edit Listing.

If you're a multi-family customer with a Diamond Package or higher, you can upload a video by following these steps:

1. Log in to Apartments.com, go to Properties & Listings, select Properties, then select Edit Listing on the property where you'd like to upload a video.

2. Go to the Media tab, scroll down to Step 3 (Upload Videos) and select Add Videos. A maximum of 6 videos are allowed.

3. To add a caption, insert text where it says "Edit Caption Here".

4. To change the order your videos appear on the listing, select the video and drag it placing it before or after another existing video.

Tip: You'll want to make sure that you have a stable internet connection–a slow internet connection can cause a network error and prevent the video from uploading onto your listing.

Once you've uploaded a video, renters will see a Play icon on your listing and they can sort through listings results based on Video:

photo that has Play button in bottom left corner and the 3D button in the bottom right corner

For tips and resources on how to make your video and videos tours stand out, check out more at our Rental Manager resource center.

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