Length by where it is posted
- Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts: 15–30 seconds. Three to six rooms, one or two seconds of hold on each cut. Lead with the strongest room; the first second decides whether anyone stays.
- Instagram or Facebook feed, paid social: 30–60 seconds. Room for a title card and your logo at the end.
- Listing page, MLS, email to buyers: one to three minutes. Every room worth seeing, in showing order, with a slower pace.
- YouTube (long form): two to four minutes with a voice-over or captions describing the property. Only worth it for a listing that will be searched for by name.
Why short wins on social
On a vertical feed a viewer decides in the first second and leaves in the first three. A short video is watched to the end more often, and a video watched to the end is shown to more people. A ninety-second walk-through posted as a Reel is not a longer advertisement; it is one most viewers abandon at the hallway.
The walk-through still has a place — on the listing page, where the viewer has already chosen to look. Make both from the same clips rather than choosing one.
How that maps to clips
A Villenza clip is one camera move on one room and runs 5 seconds. A 20-second Reel is four clips, or six with tighter cuts. A two-minute walk-through is most of a listing's clips in showing order with a title at each room. Both are cut in the editor from the same generations, so the choice of length costs nothing extra.
Pace matters as much as length
- Cut on the movement. Let a dolly reach its last frame before cutting; a clip cut mid-move feels rushed.
- One move per room. Two moves on the same kitchen reads as padding.
- End on the exterior or the view, so the last frame is the one a buyer remembers.
- Music sets the pace on social; captions do on the listing page, where most viewers have sound off.
Questions
Is a 60-second listing video too long for Instagram?
For Reels, usually yes: completion rates fall sharply past 30 seconds. Sixty seconds is fine for a feed post or an ad where the viewer has already stopped.
How long should the MLS video be?
One to three minutes. The viewer there is already interested, so show every room worth seeing at a walking pace and finish on the exterior.
Should I post the same video everywhere?
Post the same rooms, cut to each platform's length and shape. A vertical 20-second cut and a wide two-minute cut from the same clips will each perform better than one compromise video.
Read next
- Real Estate Social Media Video: Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, Platform by PlatformHow to make and post real estate video for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts: the shape, the length, the first second, the caption and the mistakes agents make on each platform.
- How to Make a Real Estate Listing Video (Without a Videographer)A step-by-step guide to making a real estate listing video from the photos you already have: which rooms to cover, how to shoot each one, and how to cut it for the MLS and social.
- 12 Real Estate Video Ideas You Can Make From PhotosTwelve listing video ideas for agents that need only the photos you already have: room reveals, feature spotlights, before-and-after staging, neighbourhood context, open-house teasers and more.