Making Real Estate Videos:

Shooting your video
Before you begin your upload, please make sure that your videos, images (photos) and listing contents (text) comply fully with our posted Terms & Conditions. Any listing or media file that is in violation may be removed without a warning or reimbursement.

By having the right equipment you can create your video in a matter of minutes. There are a few general steps to keep in mind: Opening Title, Background, Info, Sound, and Credits. None of those are requirements – all of them are optional. Those are just basic guidelines to give you some creative ideas and encourage with your video shoot.

Transferring from camera to computer
Your camcorder will need some kind of direct connection to your computer, either to the USB or the FireWire ports or by inserting the DVD you have recorded. Please refer to your camcorder’s manual for properly connecting and copying your videos to computer.

Another option is to use a card reader. Take the memory card out of your camera and put it into the card reader. To copy files from your digital memory card to your computer, connect your card reader and just copy the video files into a folder on your computer.

Once you have copied/downloaded the video file to your computer, you can upload it to RealestateShot.com or open it with a video editing program for possible editing or improvement.

If you have an analog camcorder (one that uses VHS, VHS-C, SVHS-C, 8mm, or Hi8 tape), you can still get your videos onto RealestateShot.com. This will require some extra steps and some additional equipment. You will need a video capture card to translate the analog video into a digital format and copy it onto your hard disk. These capture cards convert the analog signal from the camcorder to a digital signal that the computer can understand. After the video has been digitized, you can manipulate it further with video editing software or upload it.

Editing and optimizing
Most new computers come with some sort of video editing application already installed, such as Microsoft’s Windows MovieMaker or Apple’s iMovie. There are also more advanced editing programs available for purchase or download online. Using these programs, you can edit your videos, change the file type, compress the file, divide larger files into smaller targeted clips, add specific titles and subtitles, create special visual or sound effects, add audio descriptions or soundtracks, include promotional slogans, etc. We encourage you to look around and find the video editing software that is right for you; utilizing the latest available technology will greatly enhance your video and audio quality.

Working with Listings:

Creating a new listing
Once you have finished editing your Real Estate video and making sure it is less than 200 MB and in an acceptable file format, you are ready to create a listing and upload your clip.

To create a new listing you must have a free account with RealestateShot.com and must be logged in with your Username and Password. Afterwards, to manage your existing listing, again you must be logged in.

To create a new listing:

1. Click on the orange “Add Listing” button.
   
   
2. Enter as much information about your property as possible – the more precise information you provide, the better your chances will be to make serious contacts. If no valid property address is entered, your listing will not appear on a map (if other conditions are met, it still will be included).
   
   
3. On the next page, click the "Browse" button for “Media File 1” to browse for the video/image file. Select the file you want to upload to the first slot - you have to upload at least one video or image (photo) file to create an active and acceptable listing. Optionally, you can repeat these steps for remaining 4 media files – with RealestateShot.com you can upload up to 5 media files at once composed of videos and/or images!
   
   
4. Click "Finish” button to start the uploading process. That process could take some time.
   

Featured listing
This option will position your listing towards the top of the first results’ page. Any type of property listing can be a featured listing – it will be highlighted and styled uniquely with distinctive background to attract the maximum attention. Any listing can be featured, except the private listing; a featured listing is an active listing. There is a nominal fee per each featured listing regardless how many active listings you may have at the time.

Private listing
This option will make your listing hidden – it will be inaccessible to the public and invisible in browsing or search results. Any listing can be a private listing, except the featured listing. Any type of property listing can be private and revertible back to a public listing. The reason you would want to list your property private is to keep it secret (private) from the public, yet have convenient means of showing it to selected people. With a private listing only you have an ability to share via e-mail the specific URL of your listing with anyone you would like to see your particular listing. There is a fee per each private listing regardless how many active listings you may have at the time; a private listing is an active listing. A listing that was private, and then covered to public, can be reverted back to a private listing again for new a fee.

Adding and removing media
To add a video/image to your existing listing:

To remove a video/image from your existing listing:

Replacing old media with a new one
To replace a video/image in your existing listing:

Uploading Media:

File formats
RealestateShot.com accepts a wide range of video files from most camcorders, digital cameras and specialized cell phones in the AVI, WMV, MPG, MPEG, MOV, 3GP and FLV file formats.

We also support the following image (photo) file formats: GIF, JPG or PNG.

If you think your current videos are not supported by RealestateShot.com, you may consider converting your files to one of the supported video formats with MP3 audio.

Maximum file size
Your videos can be up to 200 MB in size. Please note, the longer and/or higher quality your video is, the more compression will be required to fit it into 200 MB. You can compress your video or divide it into smaller clips using specific video editing software.

Video uploading time
Uploading time varies greatly depending on the format of your original video, file size, your internet connection speed, and upload traffic. It can take from a couple of minutes to a few hours for your videos to upload. Generally, if you have a high-speed Internet connection you can expect the upload to take somewhere between 1-5 minutes for every 1MB. However, the experience is different for every user because of the variation in connection speeds and other extraneous factors.

Other types of media content
RealestateShot.com Website is principally designed to host and promote Real Estate video listings. As a secondary option, we also accept listings with high quality property images (photos). Other types of media, including music and flash files that do not contain a video stream will not process and the listing will be rejected.

Long upload time
Uploading a video can take several hours, depending on the variety of factors. If your video upload is taking longer than 16 hours to complete, we recommend canceling the process, checking the file size and settings for your video, and uploading it again.

Please make sure that any firewall or security software you may have is allowing the connection to our server. If you are on a corporate network, the connection may be blocked, and you may need to check it with your network administrator.

You could also run a quick general maintenance by clearing your browser cache and cookies, restarting your computer and try uploading your video again.

Common Issues:

Upload errors
If you receive an error, you should make sure you are attempting to upload a file that is supported by RealestateShot.com. If your video meets our format and size requirements and still refuses to upload, it may be due to a problem with the video compression you are using. We recommend the MPEG4 format at 640x480 resolution with MP3 audio. Resizing your video to these settings before uploading will help your clips look and sound better.

Windows Movie Maker files
If you are using Windows Movie Maker, it is also possible that you tried to upload the MSWMM file. This is not an actual video file – it is a Windows Movie Maker project file. If you are satisfied with your video, choose the "Publish Movie" or "Save Movie File" option (depending on which version you have) under the "File" menu and create a movie file such as .avi or .wmv.

Video uploaded partially
If your Internet drops out while you are in the process of uploading a video, only part of the file may appear on the site. You can try replacing the partial video, or removing it from your listing, and try uploading it again using a stable Internet connection.

If you attempt to upload a video file larger than the allowed 200 MB, only a part of the file may appear on the site. Our server will process the maximum allowed size and will cut the remaining portion from your video. You can use editing software to amend and bring your video in compliance and replace the partial video or remove it from your listing and upload again.

Useful Tips:

Important
Before you begin your upload, please make sure that your videos, images (photos) and listing contents (text) comply fully with our posted Terms & Conditions. Any listing or media file that is in violation may be removed without a warning or reimbursement.

By having the right equipment you can create your video in a matter of minutes. There are a few general steps to keep in mind: Opening Title, Background, Info, Sound, and Credits. None of those are requirements – all of them are optional. Those are just basic guidelines to give you some creative ideas and encourage with your video shoot.

Title
If you want to have an on-screen title, make it as simple and memorable as possible. Have it captivating enough to tempt a potential viewer watch the video. This title is not associated to your listing title or to the description of your property – this is only an optional title that may be presented at the beginning of your video. It is not a tag or a key-word, but more of an artistic expression of your video making talent.

Background
Shoot your video on a clear and bright day – use the sunlight for the best exposure. Refrain from using animations and effects, or anything that is not directly related to your property.

Info/Audio
This may sound hard, but it is not! Just write in your own words a paragraph or two describing your property, and read it in your natural (hopefully reasonably loud) voice while shooting your clip.

Sound
Those are the background sounds you may want in the video. Customarily your voice will be on the background, and you also can add music or other attractive sounds, if you desire to do so. You can have anything: an upbeat drum loops, an original composition, or just any old tune. Make sure your video sound is not in conflict with your audio and is not too “noisy”.

Credits
Give credit where the credit is due – it could even be you! It is also good to leave a brief message at the end of the video asking to check out your other video listings, assuming of course you have more than one active posted listing.

Improving your video listing
If you want to be a bit more hands-on with your video, most new computers come with some basic video editing software installed (like Apple's iMovie or Microsoft’s Windows MovieMaker). There are also more advanced video editing programs available for purchase or download online. Once you have copied the video from your phone, camera, or camcorder to your computer, you can convert the file into these programs. Most allow you not only to process the video, but add effects, titles, audio descriptions and music, thus making your Real Estate video listing look and sound more alluring and more professional.

Best settings to save and upload
Once you are satisfied with the final result, you will need to save the file in a format that RealestateShot.com can recognize in order to process and create an acceptable listing. Unless you are a professional video producer, we recommend that you save your videos as either QuickTime .MOV, Windows .AVI, or .MPG files - these are the most common formats, and they work well with our system. We specifically recommend the following settings:

Video Format: MPEG4
Resolution: 640x480 pixels
Audio Format: MP3
Frames per second: 30
Length: 2-3 minute clips
File size: maximum 200 MB

Editing and standardizing your videos to these specifications before the upload will make them look better! Your video may not win an Oscar, but our visitors will appreciate your diligence; having an attractive and ingenious video listing will give a boost to your chances of a useful feedback.

Making your listing easy to find
When you create your listing, we require that you to select the category (Sale, Lease/Rent, Roommates) and enter all necessary property information to create a complete descriptive listing. Choosing the right category and entering correct and precise information helps visitors to find listings they are interested in, so if you want serious contacts, help them find the right property – your property!



Creative shooting leads to successful marketing!