Video may have killed the radio star but what has it done for property sales?

·         Nearly 41 billion online content videos viewed in one month in the US (comScore)

·         30.9 million estimated smartphone users in the UK in 2013 (eMarketer)

·         10% of all video starts watched on smartphones and tablets (Adobe)

 

The idea of using video to sell property has been around for some time. Videos can show homes for sale in Virginia Water in ways that brochures and glossy photographs simply can’t. Once shot, a video can be used online for advertising the property, either through an agent or via the creation of a dedicated social media page.

 

Online video content is increasing in popularity. The latest comScore Video Metrix showed that US viewings of online content videos reached nearly 41 billion in May 2013. Interestingly, an increasing number of videos are being watched on tablets and smartphones, with the 10% barrier broken for the first time in Q4 2012, according to the Adobe US Digital Video Benchmark. The same research showed that digital video saw year on year growth of 30% when examined across all platforms.

 

Creating a video allows potential buyers to get a true feel for a property before they decide whether or not to view it in person. The increased use of mobile devices – eMarketer’s research shows that UK smartphone users are set to top 30.9 million this year and reach 43.4 million by 2017 – means online property viewings can now take place when and where the potential buyer chooses. This can avoid inappropriate viewings and save time for both buyers and sellers.

 

Award-winning developer Millgate has used video on its website for a number of years to sell its stunning selection of homes, such as the three storey, five bedroom Rushton House in Oxfordshire’s Hinksey Hill. Designed for modern family living, the home makes the perfect candidate for an online video, which can show off its elegant features perfectly.

 

YouTube is also a popular means of displaying properties online, such as Barton Wyatt’s Wilton– a magnificent family home on the Wentworth Estate in Surrey. This delightful contemporary home can be viewed in full via a YouTube link, giving potential buyers from across the UK (and further afield) instant access to it.

 

When it comes to viewing international properties, video can be even more beneficial, saving potential buyers money on wasted trips abroad to view properties which simply aren’t right for them. Instead, professionally shot videos can open properties up to a global audience at very little expense to the owner. Luxury Italian fractional ownership holiday home Casa Leopardi, which has been lovingly restored by the family-run company Appassionata, can be explored extensively online, including the five bedrooms, five bathrooms, gym, private swimming pool, terraces and gently undulating surrounding hills covered in vines and lavender.

 

Online video content can also be used to show the area in which a property is located, so that potential buyers can see beyond the house itself and know what to expect from its surroundings. Leading Spanish homebuilder Taylor Wimpey España uses the technique to provide a range of information, with the video for its Los Altos del Golf properties showing off the beauty of Andratx, Mallorca, along with exterior and interior shots of the houses themselves. The video also includes practical details, such as a map showing the distance from the airport to Andratx, floorplans of the Mediterranean-style townhouses and the charming coloured façades, verandas, spacious terraces, gardens and communal swimming pools of the village.

 

Video is also increasingly being used to show properties which are under construction, so that investors can see progress being made. North Dakota Developments is employing the technique throughout the construction of its Great American Lodge development, which will offer high-end executive hotel suites to the oil workers attracted by North Dakota’s energy boom. Investors and potential investors are able to view construction progress through a series of videos on the company’s website.

 

Extended even further, this concept can also show investors what a development will look like upon completion, through the use of CGI technology. The luxury 5 star residential development Lalzit Bay Resort and Spa in Albania can be seen in all its glory in this way, enabling investors to picture the finished product while construction is still underway.

 

Whether it’s a professionally shot mini documentary, a series of images, maps and plans set to stirring music or a computer-generated tour, online video inspires an emotional engagement that brochures simply cannot rival. With 59% of smartphone owners using their devices to access the internet daily and 31% having used their phone to make a purchase (according to Google thinkinsights), the use of video to sell properties is set to increase during the years ahead. It will be interesting to see how the medium is developed over the coming years, as videos become more creative and dynamic in order to reach out to an even wider audience.

 

For more information on homes for sale in the Wentworth Estate, contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843000