How much does a real estate video cost?

Ask five videographers what a listing video costs and you will get five answers, because the price depends on the home, the add-ons and the market. This guide sets out the published US price ranges we could verify, what moves a quote up or down, the costs that never appear on the invoice, and how to decide between a videographer and a listing video built from your listing photos. We make the second kind, so we have an interest here. We have tried to keep the comparison fair, and we say plainly where the evidence is thin.

Real estate video cost at a glance

The most useful neutral figures we found come from RubyHome, a US real estate brokerage that researched photography and video prices for agents and sellers. Its guide, published in May 2025 and updated in January 2026, puts a one-minute real estate video at $200 to $800 in most cases, with an average of $530. Videos can run from as low as $200 to several thousand dollars depending on the footage, editing, length, equipment, the videographer's experience and the location.

What drives videographer pricing

A videographer's quote is mostly time: time on site, time editing and time getting there. Anything that adds to one of those adds to the price.

Home size and video length

A bigger home takes longer to film and makes a longer video, and both show up in the quote. RubyHome lists the amount of footage needed and the length of the video among the main factors in what a video costs. Its price ranges are for a one-minute video, so expect a longer walkthrough to cost more.

Drone footage

Aerial footage needs extra equipment and a licensed pilot. Under the FAA's Part 107 rules, anyone flying a drone for work has to pass a knowledge test for a Remote Pilot Certificate and register the drone. Some videographers include drone shots in their price; others charge for them separately. Thumbtack puts the national average for a drone or aerial photographer at about $125 an hour, with most paying between $102 and $367 an hour.

Twilight and timing

Dusk exteriors can only be captured at dusk, which usually means a separate or longer visit, and many videographers charge extra for it. Weekend appointments and a fast turnaround can also cost more, so ask whether either applies before you book.

Editing, voice-over and revisions

Most packages include filming and a first edit. Re-edits, extra versions and heavier post-production cost more, and RubyHome counts the editing required among the main cost factors. A voice-over or a script is usually quoted separately.

Travel and licensing

Many videographers charge a travel fee outside their usual area, either per mile or as a flat amount, and some charge for licensed music unless it is included. Also check the usage rights: whether you can post the video on social media, run it in paid ads and keep using it after the listing closes.

The costs that never reach the invoice

The quote covers the videographer's time. It does not cover yours or the seller's, and those costs decide whether video happens at all on an ordinary listing.

• Scheduling. You coordinate the videographer's calendar, the seller's, and sometimes a tenant's. If you want drone or twilight shots, the weather and the hour of sunset get a say as well.
• The shoot day. The home has to be show-ready for the camera: cleaned, cleared and lit, often with the seller out of the house. If the photographer came on a different day, the seller prepares twice.
• Waiting. Editing starts after the shoot, so the video arrives after the visit and the edit, not when the listing is ready. Ask for a delivery date in writing if your launch date is fixed.
• Revisions and rebooking. A missed room, a cloudy sky or a change in the listing can mean another visit, and some of those visits are billable.

None of this makes a videographer the wrong choice. It explains why many listings never get video: the hard part is the logistics, not the line item.

When a videographer is worth it

Some listings need someone on site with a camera. Book a videographer when:

• The setting is what you are selling. Acreage, waterfront, views and the relationship to the neighborhood are best shown with drone footage.
• You want a presenter. Agent-led tours with you on camera, talking through the home, have to be filmed.
• The layout is unusual. Split levels, connected outbuildings or a floor plan that is hard to follow from photos benefit from continuous footage.
• It is a luxury listing. A longer, cinematic edit with twilight and aerial work suits the property and its price point.

In those cases, the extra cost and the shoot day buy something a photo-based video cannot provide: footage of things that were never photographed.

Where a listing video from photos fits

Most listings are not luxury, drone-led or unusual. They are well-photographed homes that get no video because booking a shoot is not worth the effort for that listing. A real estate video made from your existing listing photos covers that gap. It adds no visit and no scheduling, and the price is fixed. Thumbtack puts the national average for real estate photography at about $150 an hour. A photo-based video gets more use out of photos you have already paid for.

One thing to check before any photo-based video: your rights in the photos. Permission to use a photo in the listing does not necessarily cover turning it into a video. Confirm with your photographer that their license covers it, as our US Terms ask. Some states and MLSs also have disclosure rules for AI-created or digitally altered media, so follow yours. You can see how the service works on our US home page.

Questions to ask before you pay for any listing video

Choosing the right video for each listing

There is no single answer to what a real estate video costs. A highlight reel, a full walkthrough with drone footage and a listing video made from photos are different products, and each fits a different listing. Book a videographer when the listing needs footage only a camera on site can capture. For the rest, a photo-based video means more of your listings can have one. If you would like one for your next listing, email us and we will confirm the price and send our US Terms.