Choosing Listing Media: A Question-by-Question Guide for Realtors

Every media service has a listing it's perfect for, and plenty it adds little to. Rather than starting from a price list, start from the home. Walk through it the way a buyer scrolling on their phone would, answer the six questions below, and the right mix of RealtyShot services usually follows on its own. Package contents and prices are on the pricing page.

A useful habit before you book: write the one sentence you'd use to describe the home to a colleague, such as "three-level townhome backing onto a greenbelt" or "view condo with a huge terrace". Most media decisions come straight from that sentence.

1. Would a buyer like it from the photos alone?

This is the baseline for every listing. HDR Photos keep interiors bright and window views intact, and a floor plan lets buyers check the layout and room sizes before they book a showing. If your honest answer is "the photos and plan tell the story", the Essential package may be all you need.

Plenty of tidy condos and straightforward family homes fall into this group. More media doesn't fix price or condition; it makes sure buyers see what's already there.

2. Is the layout hard to read?

Three-level townhomes, homes with a suite, split-levels and condos with bedrooms on opposite sides all confuse a photo gallery. Buyers flick through the images and can't tell which bathroom belongs to which bedroom.

A Floor View Tour places each photo on the floor plan where it was taken, facing the way the camera faced, so buyers can see which room is where. It isn't a 3D walkthrough; it's your listing photos organized by location, which is exactly what a confused buyer needs. It's included in Standard and above. Learn more in Floor View Tour explained, and see why layout tools matter for Port Coquitlam homes with basement suites.

3. Is the setting part of the price?

Acreages, water views, big lots and a park next door are invisible from the street. Drone Aerials show them, as photos, video or both. Take the five-question drone test first. Flights in controlled airspace, such as around YVR, need an authorization requested through NAV CANADA (here's what that means in Richmond, and see our Richmond real estate photography page). Transport Canada's drone safety pages set out the rules pilots fly under. Weather matters too: a wet week can push aerials back, so don't make them the only thing launch day depends on.

4. Is the exterior the hook?

For detached homes with strong curb appeal, Twilight Photos often make the best cover image in the search feed, because a warmly lit house stands out among daytime thumbnails. See twilight for Fort Langley listings for how light and setting change the result.

If the exterior is plain, or the unit is mid-floor in a tower, twilight rarely earns its place. Put the budget into the interior story instead.

5. Does the home sell on flow or atmosphere?

Open-plan living, a dramatic entry and indoor-outdoor spaces come alive on video. RealtyShot offers three video options:

• Video Tour: a filmed walkthrough with music that shows how rooms connect
• Cinematic Video: a more produced walkthrough for homes that sell on feeling
• SpeedSell Video: a short AI-generated video built from your listing photos, with no filming

Our video comparison explains which fits which listing.

6. Will buyers shortlist from far away?

Relocating and out-of-town buyers benefit from an immersive Matterport 3D tour, which lets them move through the home at their own pace (see 3D tours for Burnaby condos). Local buyers who will view in person usually get more from a Floor View Tour, which is quicker to scan and keeps your best photos front and centre.

Extras for specific situations

• Virtual Staging for vacant rooms (label staged images; see virtual staging done right)
• Property Webpage so every post and QR code points to one place
• Brochure Design and Brochure Prints for open-house-heavy listings
• Property Report when buyers ask about room sizes and dimensions
• Rush Delivery when the listing date is tight

Starting points by property type

These aren't rules, just sensible starting points for Metro Vancouver listings:

• Condo, social-first agent: HDR Photos, floor plan, Floor View Tour and a SpeedSell Video
• Three-level townhome: HDR Photos, floor plan, Floor View Tour and a property webpage
• Family home with a suite: add a Video Tour so buyers see how the suite separates from the main home
• View or acreage home: add Drone Aerials, Twilight Photos and, where atmosphere matters, Cinematic Video
• Vacant home: add Virtual Staging to the rooms that drive the decision

Mistakes to avoid

1. Booking by habit. The same bundle on every listing wastes budget on some homes and under-serves others.
2. Adding media the home can't support. Drone over a tight lot, or twilight on a plain exterior, adds images nobody needs.
3. Leaving the layout to guesswork. If you had to explain the floor plan during your own walkthrough, buyers will need help too.
4. Forgetting how you'll use it. Decide where each asset goes (MLS, webpage, social, print) before you book. Our first 14 days on market timeline shows how the pieces get used after launch.

When a package is simpler

If your answers point to three or more services, compare the packages below. Contents and prices are read live from the booking system.

The best media plan isn't the biggest one. It's the one that answers this home's buyers' questions before they have to ask.