Guide
Open house videos: 3 videos from one Saturday
Updated
One open house gives you three videos: an invite that brings people in, clips of the empty house, and a recap that shows sellers how hard you work.
In short
- One open house gives you three videos: the invite, the clips of the empty house, and the recap you film afterwards.
- Post the invite three days before, so a Wednesday or Thursday for a Saturday open house.
- Film ten short clips of the house before the doors open, while it is staged, lit and empty.
- Never film the visitors, which means no faces, no children and no license plates. Film the empty house before they arrive, and your own setup during the day.
- These videos mostly win you future sellers, not buyers. Buyers usually come from the portals.
- Videos one open house produces
- 3
- Visitors who should ever appear on camera
- 0
- How far ahead to post the invite
- 3 days
- A month for Cutroom Lite, about 11 finished videos
- $19.99
3 videos from one open house
Most open houses do not produce the buyer, because the portals do that. What they do produce is proof of your work.
- The invite fills the room with buyers.
- The clips you film before the doors open are what every later video of this house is built from.
- The recap is the one that wins your next seller.
- All you need is a phone, about 20 minutes before the doors open, and one video of you talking afterwards.
One open house, three videos
The invite fills the room, the clips feed every later video, the recap wins the next seller.
The invite
Filmed at staging, posted 3 days ahead
Ten clips of the house
Filmed before the doors open
The recap
Filmed in the car, numbers fresh
The sends
Your seller first, then your feed
Video 1: the invite
Film the invite at the house during staging or the photo shoot. Post it on Wednesday or Thursday for a Saturday open house.
- Keep it under 30 seconds. It is an invitation, not a tour.
- Open with the price, the area and the time, then say why the house is worth someone's Saturday.
- Show one thing the photos miss, like the light at noon, the garden or how quiet the street is.
- Say in one line who the house suits.
- Tell people they can just come, with no sign-up, or message you for a private viewing if Saturday does not work.
- Send the invite directly to every inquiry, to your active buyers and to neighbors in your farm area.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Video 2: the clips you film before the doors open
The half hour before the doors open is the best filming time, because the house is staged, lit and empty.
- Film ten clips, 5 to 10 seconds each, with one slow movement per clip.
- You will use them in the recap, in the just sold video later, and in any listing video.
- Put the camera away once visitors arrive. No faces, no children, no license plates.
- If you want a shot during the event, film your own setup: the sign, the sheet on the table, the open door.
- Label the clips by room the same day, or you will never find them again.
Video 3: the recap after everyone leaves
Film yourself talking in the car after the last visitor has gone, while the numbers are still fresh.
- Keep it under 60 seconds. Say how many groups came, what they kept saying, and what happens next.
- It sounds like "Fourteen groups came through, half of them second visits, everyone asked about the garage conversion, and two viewings are booked for Tuesday."
- Send it to your seller first. Once they have seen it, post it to your feed and your Stories, and send it to homeowners in your farm area.
- If it was quiet, say so. Four groups and the same feedback on price is useful information, and sellers respect it.
Mistakes that waste an open house
Each of these is common, and each one quietly throws away the value of the day.
Common mistakes and what to do instead
| Mistake | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Filming the invite on the morning of the open house | Post it three days before |
| Filming visitors | Film the empty house and your own setup |
| Posting the recap only to your feed | Send it privately to your seller first |
| Losing the clips in your camera roll | Label them by room the same day |
| Skipping the video because it was quiet | Report the quiet day honestly. That is the video |
Mistake: Filming the invite on the morning of the open house
- Do this instead
- Post it three days before
Mistake: Filming visitors
- Do this instead
- Film the empty house and your own setup
Mistake: Posting the recap only to your feed
- Do this instead
- Send it privately to your seller first
Mistake: Losing the clips in your camera roll
- Do this instead
- Label them by room the same day
Mistake: Skipping the video because it was quiet
- Do this instead
- Report the quiet day honestly. That is the video
Editing: free or with Cutroom
Three videos per open house only lasts if the editing stays cheap. The invite and the recap are each one clip of you talking.
- The free way is to post the invite as it is, with the captions built into the app. That beats not posting.
- Cutroom does the editing for you. You upload a clip of up to 3 minutes and get a finished 9:16 MP4 in about a minute.
- It writes out your words and adds captions, and on Punch and Native it shortens the long pauses.
- Select the phrase about the garden in the transcript and your garden clip plays over exactly those words.
What editing an open house video costs
| Option | Cost |
|---|---|
| Your phone and the app's own captions | Free |
| A Cutroom edit | 100 credits |
| Export | 20 credits per minute of finished video |
| A 30-second video, all in | About 110 credits |
| Your first video | Free within 7 days: 600 credits, no card, with a Cutroom mark across the middle |
| Lite | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 of those videos, no mark |
Option: Your phone and the app's own captions
- Cost
- Free
Option: A Cutroom edit
- Cost
- 100 credits
Option: Export
- Cost
- 20 credits per minute of finished video
Option: A 30-second video, all in
- Cost
- About 110 credits
Option: Your first video
- Cost
- Free within 7 days: 600 credits, no card, with a Cutroom mark across the middle
Option: Lite
- Cost
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 of those videos, no mark
Questions people ask
- Do open house videos bring buyers or sellers?
- Mostly sellers. The buyer usually comes from the portals. The invite adds a few real visitors, and the recap shows your seller and every future seller what your effort looks like. Judge it on listing appointments over a quarter.
- Can I film visitors at an open house?
- No. People viewing a home are making a private decision, and a camera changes the visit. Film the empty house before the doors open, film your own setup, and report the numbers to camera afterwards.
- When should I post the open house invite?
- Three days before, so Wednesday or Thursday for a Saturday open house. Post it once, then send it directly to inquiries, active buyers and neighbors. The direct send does more than the post.
- What if the open house is quiet?
- Report it honestly. Four groups and the same feedback on price is real information for your seller, and saying it on camera is what gets an agent recommended.
- Do I need the seller's permission to film?
- Yes, and get it when you take the listing rather than on the morning. Film after staging, keep family photos and documents out of frame, and show the seller the recap before it goes up.
- What does editing cost?
- Nothing if you post the video as it is with the app's own captions. With Cutroom it is about 110 credits per 30-second video: 100 for the edit plus 20 per minute of export. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits.
Film 20 minutes before the doors open, and one more video in the car afterwards. Your first video is free.