The Inspired Agent Academy · St. Petersburg

Module 1 · Plan before you press record · Lesson 1 of 10 · free to read

Plan the route through the home

Most shaky, rambling walkthroughs have the same cause: the agent pressed record at the front door and started walking. The fix happens before the phone comes out. Plan the route.

Walk it without the camera

Walk the home once, slowly, and ask: where does it open up? Where does the light land? What would a visitor say "oh" about? Those moments are the beats of your video.

A route that tells a story

  1. Arrival. The front of the home or the building entry, briefly.
  2. The reveal. The first big moment: the living space opening to the water, the high ceiling, the wall of glass.
  3. The heart. Kitchen and main living areas, in the order a person would naturally move.
  4. The retreat. The primary suite, then the other bedrooms quickly.
  5. The finish. Back outside: lanai, pool, balcony or view. End on the best frame in the home.

Skip or shorten anything that doesn't add: a hall closet, a laundry nook, a third identical bedroom. The photos can cover those.

Map it

Sketch the floor plan on paper and draw an arrow through it. Mark where you'll pause and what you'll say there. Note doors to open beforehand, lights to switch on, and anywhere the path gets tight. Moving furniture six inches often saves a clumsy shuffle on camera.

Plan the time too. A west-facing home with a water view may want late-afternoon light for the finish. Same logic as a photo shoot: book the light.

Try it now

Draw the route for your current listing or your own home. Number the stops, and circle the single frame you'll end on.

Check yourself · not graded

Where should a walkthrough usually end?

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Module 1 · Plan before you press record · Lesson 2 of 10 · free to read

The five-part script template

A script doesn't make you sound stiff. Winging it does, because you fill the silence with "um" and "so, as you can see." A short script, written like you talk, gives you something to lean on.

The template

  1. The hook (the first few seconds). One line that makes someone stop scrolling. Lead with the most striking true fact about the home.
  2. The route. Tell them where you're going: "Come in with me, we'll finish on the dock."
  3. Three standout features. Only three. Name each one where the viewer can see it, and say why it matters in daily life.
  4. The neighborhood, by places. Name nearby places and distances: parks, the waterfront, a marina, downtown, a well-known restaurant row. Places, never people.
  5. The close and next step. One clear invitation: how to see it, how to get details.

Before and after

BeforeAfter
"Hi everyone, so today I'm super excited to show you this amazing home, it's really great, let's go inside.""Sunset over the bay, from your own dock. Come in with me."
"The kitchen is gorgeous, lots of updates, you'll love it.""The island seats four, and the range looks straight out to the water."
"Great area, very desirable, perfect for everyone.""You're a few blocks from the waterfront park and about ten minutes from downtown."

Notice what happened: fewer adjectives, more facts. Facts are more believable, and they're also the fair-housing habit that keeps you out of trouble.

Write it short

Aim for a script you can read aloud comfortably in the time you plan to film. Read it out loud once. Cross out every sentence that sounds like a brochure.

Try it now

Write the five parts for one home in bullet points, not full sentences. Bullets keep you sounding natural when you film.

Check yourself · not graded

How should the script describe the neighborhood?

How many standout features does the template call for?

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Module 1 · Plan before you press record · Lesson 3 of 10 · free to read

Seller permission, before a single frame

Photos feel routine to sellers. Video can feel more personal: it moves through their home, it has sound, and it lives on platforms they may use themselves. So ask plainly, and get it in writing.

What the permission should cover

  • That you'll film, when, and who will be there.
  • Where it will be posted: the listing, your website, which social platforms, email.
  • How long it stays up, and what happens after closing (removed, kept as a portfolio piece, or marked sold).
  • What will not be shown: rooms, items, or the address itself, if they prefer.
  • Whether their voices or faces appear. The default is no.

Your listing agreement or brokerage may already have language about marketing, and recording people or their conversations can raise legal issues. Check with your broker about the form your brokerage uses.

The conversation

I'm not sure if it's for you, but a short video walkthrough is one of the ways I'd like to show the home.
How would you feel about me filming on Thursday afternoon, when the light's best on the water?
Is there anything you'd rather we didn't show?

That last question often surfaces something useful: a room they're embarrassed about, a collection they'd like kept private, or a neighbor they'd rather not appear in the background.

Protect their privacy on camera

Everything from the photo hide list applies, and video adds a few more: no footage that shows when the home is empty, no filming of alarm panels or door codes, no neighbors' faces, house numbers next door or license plates. And no narration that mentions the owners' schedules or that they've already moved.

Try it now

Write a five-line permission checklist covering the items above. Ask your broker whether your brokerage has a form you should use instead.

Check yourself · not graded

Which of these should a walkthrough never reveal?

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End of the free chapter

That was chapter one. There is more waiting.

Thank you for reading. Here is what the rest of Lights, Phone, Walkthrough: Script and Film a Listing Walkthrough on Your Phone covers.

Module 2 With enrollment

Film it steady

  • Phone settings and the pre-shoot checklist
  • Steady movement, with or without a gimbal
Module 3 With enrollment

Words and captions

  • Narration that sounds like you, and what not to say
  • Captions, always
Module 4 With enrollment

Edit, post, repeat

  • Editing basics on your phone
  • Length, posting and repurposing
  • Your first walkthrough week

The rest of the course

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You have the first chapter. The remaining 3 modules and 7 lessons open with enrollment. Join the list and Cara will write to you once, when enrollment opens.

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