The listing video checklist every agent should have

The reason most agent listing videos look inconsistent from listing to listing isn't skill — it's that there's no repeatable process. One time you remember to shoot the backyard at golden hour, next time you forget. One time captions have the price, next time they don't. The fix is a checklist you run every single time.

Below is the exact checklist I use with my customers. Copy it into your CRM, tape it inside your listing folder, whatever — just run it every time.

1. Two days before shoot day

Before you point a camera at anything.

• Confirm the shoot time with the seller. Book a 2-hour window minimum.
• Ask about pets and children. They need to be out of the house for at least the video portion.
• Send the seller a "prep list." Clean, declutter, all lights on, all blinds up, all beds made, all towels off the floor. Give them at least 24 hours to prep.
• Check the weather forecast. If you're planning exterior shots (drone, aerial, front curb) and rain is forecast, reschedule the outdoor shots or plan alternate content.
• Charge everything. Camera batteries (two of them), phone to 100%, gimbal if using, drone batteries.
• Format the SD card / clear phone storage. You want minimum 20 GB free.
• Scout the address on Street View + Google Aerial View. If Aerial View supports the address, you already have your intro/outro shot for free. See our Google Aerial View guide for how to grab it.

2. Morning of shoot day

Before you leave your house.

• Re-check weather (last 4 hours before shoot).
• Bring a tripod or gimbal. Handheld only works for 5-second clips, not 30-second slow pans.
• Bring a lint roller and dry cloth. For mirror smudges, kitchen fingerprints, dust on lampshades.
• Bring one flower bouquet or a fresh fruit bowl. Kitchen shots look 3x better with a color pop. $10 investment.
• Check the light. Morning shoots suit east-facing homes; afternoon for west. Avoid shooting into the sun through windows — you'll blow out every shot.

3. Walk-through prep (first 15 min on site)

Before you start recording.

• Walk the whole house once with the seller present. They'll point out the features they think are important; sometimes they surprise you.
• Turn on every light. Every single one. Even bathrooms, closets, oven light, range hood light.
• Open every blind and curtain.
• Close every toilet lid. No exceptions.
• Hide pet toys, food bowls, litter boxes. Buyers who dislike animals will notice.
• Move car keys, mail, medications from countertops. Small clutter reads huge on video.
• Adjust cushions and pillows on all sofas and beds. Fluff, straighten.
• Angle a chair or bench slightly in the primary bedroom or living room so it's not perfectly square to the wall — reads more "lived-in inviting" than "showroom empty."
• Ask the seller to leave the house. For the actual filming.

4. The 12-shot shot list

These 12 shots cover any home. Get all 12 before you start over-thinking creative shots.

1. Exterior wide — from across the street, camera at chest height, 5 seconds locked off
2. Exterior slow push — walking toward the front door, gimbal or steady, 6 seconds
3. Entryway reveal — opening the door, looking through into first room
4. Living room wide — from the doorway, capture the full room
5. Living room detail — fireplace, built-ins, unusual feature (5-second close)
6. Kitchen wide — from the island or entry, showing full kitchen
7. Kitchen detail — range, backsplash, sink faucet, whatever is nice
8. Primary bedroom wide — from the doorway
9. Primary bathroom — vanity + shower/tub in one shot if possible
10. Secondary space — second bedroom, office, or basement (signals size)
11. Backyard or outdoor — one wide, one detail (deck, pool, garden)
12. Closing exterior — drone, aerial, or walking-away shot for sign-off

Two takes of each shot — one locked off (tripod), one moving (gimbal or handheld push). Editing decision later.

5. Bonus shots (if time)

Beyond the 12 basics, if the home warrants it:

• Golden-hour exterior — front of house at sunset if evening shoot
• Neighborhood walk — 30 seconds of the block, cafes, parks within 5 minutes
• View shot — if the home has a notable view, capture it as its own shot
• Detail montage — 4-5 close-ups of finishes: door handles, tile patterns, cabinet hardware
• Time-lapse — set up a locked-off tripod on the backyard or window view, capture 5-10 minutes, use as B-roll

6. Right before you leave the property

• Play back 3 random clips. Confirm audio (if using) and focus are good. Reshoot if blurry.
• Verify SD card is full of files, not empty. Yes, this happens.
• Turn off lights, close blinds, lock up — leave the house as you found it.
• Thank the seller.
• Back up footage to cloud before you leave the driveway. Google Drive or Dropbox sync from your phone. Never drive home with un-backed-up video.

7. Post-production (same day)

Try to edit the day of the shoot. Memory of what mattered is freshest.

• Create four cuts from the same source footage:
  • Horizontal long (60-300s) — MLS + YouTube
  • Horizontal short (30-120s) — Facebook + ads
  • Vertical long (60-300s) — Reels + Shorts
  • Vertical short (15-60s) — TikTok + Reels feed
• Music: licensed only. Use the platform's native library or an Epidemic Sound / Artlist subscription.
• Text overlays: price, beds/baths/sqft, city, one unique feature. Match font across all four cuts.
• Watermark or logo: subtle bottom-corner is fine. Don't cover 20% of the video with branding.
• Color grade: even a simple LUT preset improves all shots by ~30%.
• Export at 1080p minimum. 4K optional, wastes space on social.

8. Distribution checklist

Once you have the four cuts.

• Upload horizontal long to YouTube. Include: full description, chapters if over 2 min, timestamp for backyard/kitchen, link to MLS listing, agent contact.
• Embed horizontal long on the MLS listing (as video URL field).
• Post vertical short to TikTok with a hook, price, city, one hashtag.
• Post vertical short to Instagram Reels with different hook (not the TikTok caption verbatim).
• Post horizontal short to Facebook feed with a longer story-style caption.
• Add horizontal short to your email newsletter if you have one.
• Text the vertical short to your sphere of active buyers who might be interested.
• Cross-post horizontal short to LinkedIn for luxury/commercial listings.
• Schedule 2-3 more posts over the next 14 days: different hooks, same footage. Coming-soon → just-listed → open-house → price-improvement (if applicable).

9. Analytics review (Day 7 + Day 30)

Track for every listing:

• Views per platform
• Completion rate per platform (this is the important one)
• Inquiries attributed to video — ask every incoming lead "how did you find this listing?"
• Time-to-first-offer
• Days on market at close

After 5-10 listings, patterns emerge. You'll know which hook style works for your market, which cut length converts, which platform sends the best inquiries.

Skip the DIY version if you don't have the time

Every step above is honest work. All in, a good agent spends 4-6 hours per listing on video production and initial distribution. If you're closing 3 listings a month, that's 15-18 hours — a full work week over the course of a month.

If that time is worth more to you than the ~$50-100 it costs to have all four cuts produced from your listing address alone, use a service. GenHomeVideo produces all four cuts from a submitted address ($20 for one, $10 each in a 10-pack) — you skip steps 3-7 and just run the distribution checklist. Whichever way you produce the video, the distribution + analytics review discipline is what most agents miss and what separates the video-forward agents from the ones who post occasionally.

Print this

Copy this checklist. Print two copies. Tape one inside every listing folder. Read the pre-shoot section as you're loading the car. Read the post-production section as you're editing. The checklist is only useful if it's in your hand when you're about to skip a step.