Light, weather and when to shoot
Grey from November through March; interiors with lamps on. Summer is the lake season and the lakes go to glare by late morning. Fall colour in Oakland County is a re-shoot worth making.
What sells here, and what buyers want to see
Birmingham, Bloomfield, Rochester and Northville sell schools, the lot and the finished basement; the Grosse Pointes sell the older house and the lake; Detroit's Indian Village, Palmer Woods and Corktown sell character and the block. Inland lake homes sell frontage and whether the lake is all-sports.
The clips to make
- Slide down into the basement; truck along the garage.
- Grosse Pointe and Indian Village houses: a staircase climb, then the basement and boiler clips from the older home guide.
- Lakes: backyard reveal to the dock; aerial pass along the frontage from summer stills.
Rules worth checking
Michigan's Seller Disclosure Act applies. Inland lake frontage should be captioned as deeded or not and the lake as all-sports or not; a dock in the clip implies the right to one. Airspace near DTW and Selfridge restricts drones over parts of the metro.
Disclosure, drone and privacy rules change and differ by MLS and municipality; confirm the current version with your broker before you rely on anything here.
Questions
Should the video say all-sports lake?
The caption should; it changes the buyer pool. The clip itself just shows the frontage and the dock.
How do I show a Detroit city house's block honestly?
A façade glide from across the street, with the neighbours in frame. Buyers want to see the block as it is, and the good blocks sell themselves.
Read next
- Real Estate Video in Michigan: Lakes, Detroit Suburbs and Up NorthListing video for Michigan agents: Detroit's suburbs and neighbourhoods, Grand Rapids growth, inland lake homes, Lake Michigan and Up North cottages, snow and summer seasons, and the Seller Disclosure Act.
- Real Estate Video in the Midwest: Value, Space and Four SeasonsListing video for Midwest agents: showing space and value, finished basements and garages, four-season exteriors, and buyers who compare listings carefully on a budget.
- Listing Video for an Older Home: Character, Condition and Not Hiding EitherHow to video a historic or older home: showing original features with the right moves, being straightforward about condition, the systems buyers ask about, and where inspection facts belong.