What Should Real Estate Agents Film Between Listings?

Slow stretches between closings are a good time to build something a listing cannot give you: a recognizable face and voice. The goal is not to fill the feed. It is to film a handful of repeatable formats that you can reuse whenever there is no new listing to show.

Why should an agent keep filming when there is no new listing?

Your listing videos belong to the property. Personal brand videos belong to you, and they keep working after a sale closes. Instagram's own creator guidance says that "if video is your style, the most effective way to grow your followers is to consistently create engaging reels, as reels are the best way to reach new audiences." You can read it on the Instagram for Creators FAQ.

Consistency is the hard part when your calendar is empty, which is why it helps to decide the formats ahead of time. Sprout Social notes that "consumers want brands to post original, entertaining content that also humanizes them" in its piece on authenticity. Between listings, you are the brand, so humanizing content is exactly the job.

Use the first as a loose benchmark and the second as a rule for how every clip opens. Sprout Social makes that point in its guide to short-form video.

What can you film that has nothing to do with a listing?

Pick topics that stay true in any season and never depend on a price or a trend. Here are formats that work well on camera:

1. A process explainer. Walk through what happens from the first call to the day of listing photos, in plain language. The studio's own listing shoot guide lays out what happens on a shoot day.
2. A prep checklist. Film yourself in an empty room pointing out what to move before the camera arrives. Our page on how to prepare a home for listing photos covers the basics.
3. A myth and answer clip. One common question, one direct answer, delivered in a single take.
4. A behind the scenes day. Phone calls, signage, a coffee stop, the walk to the car. Short, unpolished, real.
5. A tool or habit you use. The app, the notebook, the way you prepare for a showing.
6. A talking head on your approach. How you communicate, how you prepare a seller, what you ask in a first meeting.

Keep each one tight, and put the point in the first line.

How do you film a neighborhood walk-through within fair housing rules?

A walk-through of a place can be useful content, as long as it describes the place and not the people. Federal rules on advertising are broad. The federal fair housing advertising rule covers "any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling which indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination" on protected grounds. It also lists that written notices and statements include "flyers, brochures, deeds, signs, banners, posters, billboards or any documents used with respect to the sale or rental of a" home, and video ads and posts deserve the same care. This is not legal advice, so check your brokerage's guidance for anything you are unsure about.

In practice, a compliant walk-through sticks to things you can see and verify:

• The street, the shoreline, the park entrance, the main road, the shopping strip.
• Local businesses and landmarks, named for what they are.
• Seasonal details: the harbor in October, a farm stand, a trail.
• Distances and routes you can state as fact.

And it avoids anything that describes who lives there, who would fit in, or what kind of buyer a place suits. Describe the place, then let viewers decide for themselves. If a line sounds like a judgment about people, cut it.

Local business features work the same way. Filming a cafe or a hardware store you actually use shows viewers the places you know. For more on that kind of piece, see the content for Saint James businesses page.

What does a studio session add that a phone cannot?

A phone is fine for behind the scenes clips. A planned session gives you a set of clips filmed in one sitting, with the same look and setup, so they read as a series. Plan it in advance with a list of topics, so you cover many pieces in one visit rather than one good take.

Here is how Core Media Co. handles it. A content day is usually half a day, at your location or at the studio at 523 Lake Avenue in Saint James, and the month's pieces are batched in that one visit. Finished pieces are edited, captioned, and cut for each platform, and delivered in a shared folder. Video comes back as a horizontal master with vertical cuts for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts where it applies. You own the finished work once it is paid for, with no usage restrictions.

For agents on the monthly content plans, there is a fallback for slow months. The studio's answer to "What if we have nothing to film this month?" is that on the monthly plans it converts into a studio session for your personal brand, so a month is never wasted. The listing caps are 2 on Agent Monthly, 4 on Producer Monthly, and 8 on Team Monthly. Agent Monthly is $1,095 per month, Producer Monthly is $1,995 per month, and Team Monthly is $3,595 per month, 3-month minimum. For the listing side of the work, see the real estate videographer page.

How do you plan one session so it fills a month?

The plan for a content day begins with a topic list, not a camera. For an agent between listings, a simple version looks like this:

1. List ten questions clients ask you that have nothing to do with a specific home.
2. Group them into three or four themes, such as process, preparation, local places, and behind the scenes.
3. Write the first line of each clip before you arrive. That line is your hook.
4. Film each topic in one or two takes, then change your shirt or location slightly so the clips do not all look the same day.
5. Save the neighborhood walk for a separate pass outdoors, where you can name places you can see.

When the session is done, sort the clips by theme and spread them across the weeks ahead. When a new listing arrives, you will already have a feed that carries your name. For pacing, see our post on how many short videos a business needs a month.

What should you skip?

• Anything that tells viewers who a place is for.
• Long intros. Start with the point.
• Reading a script word for word. Use bullet points and talk.
• Filming only when you are busy. The empty weeks are when you have time to batch.

If you want help planning a session, send an inquiry through the contact page and we will go from there.