Light, weather and when to shoot
Spring and early summer bring severe-weather days; shoot exteriors on the clear days between them and keep the sky honest in aerials. Winter is bright on snow and grey otherwise. Late summer corn makes an acreage's establishing shot; shoot the lot before harvest if the fields are part of the picture.
What sells here, and what buyers want to see
West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee and Urbandale sell on new construction, the basement, the garage and the school district. Iowa City and Ames sell to faculty, staff and investors, so a home's rental potential and its walk to campus matter. Acreages sell on the shop, the barn, the well and septic, and the road frontage.
The clips to make
- Backyard reveal to a covered deck; slide down into the basement, which is also the storm shelter.
- Acreages: drone top-down for the lot and buildings; façade glide along the shop.
- College towns: the rental guide approach — a walk-in clip and one per bedroom.
Rules worth checking
Iowa requires a seller disclosure statement on most residential sales. Acreage listings should say in the caption what is included — grain bins, fencing, tillable acres — because a fly-over implies the whole view is for sale. The tornado and hail guide covers showing shelters honestly.
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 an acreage's outbuildings without a long video?
One clip each — shop, barn, bin site — as a chapter after the house, and a top-down aerial that shows them all in place. The farm and ranch guide has the order.
Should the storm shelter be in the video?
Yes; in Iowa it is a real buyer question. A short clip into the basement or the shelter answers it.
Read next
- 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.
- Farm and Ranch Listing Video: Land, Buildings and Working AssetsHow to video a farm or ranch for sale: aerial moves for the land, ground moves for the house and barns, what to show of working infrastructure, and how to organise a long video.
- Listing Video in Tornado and Hail Country: Shelters, Roofs and HonestyHow to make a listing video for a home in the Plains and the Midwest severe-weather belt: storm shelters and safe rooms, impact-rated roofing, and keeping the video honest about roof age and past hail claims.