Light, weather and when to shoot
Coastal light is clearest in the morning; summer afternoons bring haze and sea breeze. Fall is clean and quiet on the coast and the best time to re-shoot exteriors. Winter is grey; interiors carry it with lamps on, and the older houses' small windows need them anyway.
What sells here, and what buyers want to see
Providence's East Side sells Victorians and colonials on the block; Barrington, East Greenwich and the suburbs sell schools and lots. Newport, Jamestown and Bristol sell the harbour, the historic house and the walk to the water. South County sells beach access and summer rental potential.
The clips to make
- Staircase climb and tilt up in the older houses, then the condition clips from the older home guide.
- Coast: view push to the harbour; balcony pull-back from the water.
- Aerial pass along the shore from a licensed pilot's stills — airspace near Newport and the airport is restricted.
Rules worth checking
Rhode Island requires a seller disclosure on residential sales, and lead paint applies to most of the housing stock. Coastal properties sit under the Coastal Resources Management Council's rules for shoreline work and setbacks — keep the water line in the establishing shot and say what the frontage covers.
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
How do I show a Newport house's history without a lecture?
Slow moves on the details — the staircase, the mantel, the mouldings — and a caption line with the date. The video does the admiring; the caption does the facts.
Is South County a summer-only market?
Beach rentals and second homes sell on summer footage; year-round homes sell any time. Say when the exteriors were shot.
Read next
- Real Estate Video in Massachusetts: Boston Neighbourhoods, the Cape and Old HousesListing video for Massachusetts agents: Boston condos and triple-deckers, commuter suburbs, Cape Cod and the islands, historic housing stock, the lead-paint and Title 5 rules, and shooting through four seasons.
- Real Estate Video in Connecticut: Colonials, Commuter Towns and the SoundListing video for Connecticut agents: colonial and cape housing stock, Fairfield County commuter buyers, shoreline homes on Long Island Sound, four-season exteriors and the state's property condition report.
- Waterfront Listing Video: Showing the Water Without Overselling ItHow to make a video for a lakefront, riverfront or oceanfront home: the moves that show the water and the access, when to shoot, and how to keep the video honest about what the property actually has.