While the core elements of real estate are still the same, the industry has been transformed in recent decades by both social and technological trends.
Buyers and renters had already been moving toward digital real estate platforms for years, and this was only accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To get people interested, you need an enticing video tour that gives viewers a real feel for the property.
You also need a voice actor who can rock your brand and make your content more memorable and distinctive.
Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about developing high-quality home tours with a professional real estate voiceover.
The Benefits of Real Estate Voice Overs
If you’ve watched many digital real estate tours, you’ve probably seen a variety of approaches to audio.
For example, some videos have light background music to set the mood, while others include the agent’s spoken descriptions as they walk through the property.
An engaging voice over will go a long way toward differentiating yourself from the competition.
Your video will appear significantly more professional with a voice over rather than audio from a real estate agent recording on their phone.
In such a competitive market, this could end up making your online listings drive significantly more revenue.
Real estate professionals can quickly add voiceovers for their video clips with contributions from writers, voiceover artists, video editors, and other professionals.
While a real estate video provides some value on its own, professional narration will give viewers more context for the property they’re looking at.
This can give them more confidence in the listing and help realtors generate more leads through their digital advertising.
Consider that websites like Zillow, Trulia, and Yahoo! Homes receive tens of millions of unique visits every month.
The global real estate software market is already worth more than $10 billion and growing at a rate of over 12% per year.
With that in mind, optimizing your online listings should be one of your top priorities.
How to Create a Real Estate Voice Over
If you’re in the habit of using background music or letting the agent record their own audio, professional voice over work may seem like an unnecessary investment.
Fortunately, you can integrate high-quality voice recordings into your real estate videos even on a limited budget.
In this section, we’ll explain how to develop real estate voice overs in six (mostly) simple steps.
1. Recording Your Video Clip
First, you’ll need video footage to match up with the audio.
This step is essentially the same regardless of whether you decide to create a voice over.
Make sure to spend enough time filming each area so that the actor can speak to any relevant details.
You can always edit out footage you don’t need, so it’s better to record extra and cut rather than not recording enough and having to return for a second take.
2. Writing a Script
Next, you need to write a script that covers the most relevant information about the property.
You should already have the basics on hand, and you can show some of these onscreen as well.
For example, you could include a quick overlay at the start of the video showing the address, square footage, price, number of rooms, and any other key details.
Your voice over should go a little deeper to tell a story about the property and get people interested at an emotional level.
Even if the actor has a great voice, viewers don’t want to listen to them narrate details like they’re reading off a list.
If you aren’t confident in your writing skills, you can always hire a professional copywriter.
This decision will depend on the size of your business, your marketing budget, and whether or not you have any strong writers in-house.
You might be especially interested in a writer that has experience in real estate and understands what your viewers are looking for.
Rather than focusing on the features themselves, talk about how they physically feel or look during an in-person video.
Try to transport viewers to the property and describe what it really feels like — and don’t forget to talk about the neighborhood as well.
You can do this by highlighting important benefits that resonate with your target audience.
For a family home in the suburbs, you could mention the school district and/or activities for children.
If you’re renting out apartments in a trendy neighborhood, you might accentuate nearby nightlife and fine dining.
Finally, remember that your script and voice over need to match the timing of the video itself.
Along with the script, finding a voice actor is one of the most important elements of a real estate voice actor.
The first thing you should look for when posting a voiceover project is clarity.
It might sound simple, but speaking clearly in a voice recording is more difficult than it seems.
Consider the difference in vocal clarity between a casual home video and a TV commercial.
The right voice actor will also speak at a consistent pace and emphasize the most important points using their tone and pauses.
You want your voice actor to convey enthusiasm about the property rather than simply describing its features.
Their style should also match the tendencies and preferences of your target audience.
A modern apartment in an urban area, for example, might be better presented by a younger voice actor with an upbeat style.
On the other hand, a beach house could be better suited to a laid-back, luxurious vibe.
In the video below, check out how the speaker underlines the home’s elegance and matches that style through his tone of voice.
4. Creating Your Audio Clip
Now it’s time to give your voice actor the script and work on a final audio recording.
Their tone should be calm and professional, but still engaging enough to keep a viewer interested.
Make sure to leave time for pauses to emphasize important points that could persuade a prospective buyer.
The recording process will become easier each time you go through it, so it’s OK if you don’t get it perfect on your first attempt.
Along with the voice over itself, you may also want to find music to fit the style of the video and complement the voice actor’s mood.
Audio Buzz is a great source of royalty-free music, with single-track licenses available for just $29.
If you’re making videos regularly, you may want to spring for unlimited downloads ($189 per year).
7 individual licenses will cost $203 at $29 each, so the subscription will pay by itself after you use just seven tracks.
5. Editing
Before adding in the voice over, edit the video recording until you’re satisfied with the result.
You can hire a video editor or use an online video editor to arrange your footage.
Once you have final video and audio recordings, you can start combining them into one cohesive product.
Some voice actors also offer editing services, so make sure to align these expectations upfront.
The first step in audio editing is to cut out breaths and any other background noises that could affect recording quality.
You’ll also need to pay close attention to particular consonants.
For example, plosives like “p” and “b” usually come out much louder than other sounds.
Other finicky sounds include sibilants such as “sh,” “ch,” and “j.”
It’s important to reduce the volume of these consonants to match the rest of the recording.
Finally, you may need to adjust timing so that the voice over aligns with the corresponding part of the video.
Once you think it’s ready, watch the entire video yourself to identify any remaining issues.
It’s easy to miss clear errors when you’re deep in the editing process.
Playing back the entire recording will help ensure that you haven’t overlooked anything.
6. Marketing
It won’t matter how good your videos are if you can’t get anyone to watch them.
Creating a real estate voice over is only half the battle — the other half is maximizing outreach and visibility.
Your listings should be posted on as many platforms as possible so that you can meet leads wherever they are.
Along with major real estate websites such as Zillow and Redfin, you should also consider targeting social channels like Facebook and YouTube.
Each of these platforms offers tools for marketers to track performance and optimize their strategies over time.
Takeaways
Developing real estate voice overs will make your videos more engaging and help you convert more prospective buyers and renters.
The first few times may seem complicated, but you’ll quickly get used to the process of writing scripts, recording voice overs, and editing down to a final product.
Over time, you’ll be shocked by how much engagement and revenue high-quality videos (and smart marketing tactics) are driving for your brand.
Did you like this article? Have any questions or suggestions? Feel free to leave a comment below.
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