This is my column for this week from the Arizona Republic (permanent link). Watch this space. There should be a lot of Flip video coming out of Unchained.
The Flip digital video camera makes illustrating real estate ideas fast, convenient and fun
I’m becoming a fan of digital video for marketing real estate.
I’ve always hated the video home tour: “This. Is. The. Living. Room. This. Is. The. Dining. Room. The. Family. Dines. In. This. Room.” The images will be small, dark and grainy. The motion will be either jerky, swooping or both. And the tour itself will do nothing that could not be done better with digital photos.
But just lately I got a Flip video camera, and I can’t seem to stop thinking of real estate uses for it.
The Flip uses solid state memory rather than tapes to store its video. It’s a tiny little thing, about the size of a digital still camera, and you can operate it with one hand. It’s really only good for certain kinds of work. It would be useless at a wedding or a basketball game. But for capturing interviews, it is the prefect video camera.
Even better, it comes with a built-in USB connection and software for emailing videos or pumping them directly into YouTube or MySpace. Shooting, storing, editing and sharing videos are all painlessly convenient.
The first real estate application I thought of for the Flip was to collect testimonials from clients. That’s kind of self-serving, but the next idea was all about selling houses. In the past we have done video interviews with sellers or neighbors, but the editing process for normal video is onerous. But with the Flip we can just shoot the interview, upload it to YouTube and then link it from the web site for that property.
If I want to make a quick video to show weather conditions or traffic around a house, it’s easily done. I had a home inspector deliver a short video summary of the repair issues on a home for out-of-town buyers.
The breakthrough for me was thinking of video in the same way I think of still photography, as another way of illustrating real estate ideas. Because it’s so small and easy to use, the Flip now rides on my hip with my digital still camera.
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Jim Kimmons says:
Greg:
I think you’ve written about the Flip before, as I believe you prompted me to buy one three days ago. I have been doing a lot of video for my Taos, NM real estate site. However, the Flip just made it so much easier, that I’ve already added five videos the first three days I’ve had it.
I’m doing the site on a WordPress platform as a community blog. The videos are of local art galleries, businesses, etc. It is great for these uses. As I work mostly with buyers, I haven’t had a chance to use it for a listing, but I should in the next week or so. Thanks for the heads up!
Jim
May 17, 2008 — 12:57 pm
Greg Swann says:
Good on ya, Jim. The world just changed, didn’t it? You went from, “I need a good reason to do video,” to, “I can’t think of any reason not to do video.” Lo-tech don’t mean no-tech.
May 17, 2008 — 1:17 pm
John Kalinowski says:
Greg – Still loving this idea. Can’t you do the same thing with most standard digital cameras? Most of them will also take video, and you can typically plug in a huge SD memory card.
We use my wife’s Canon PowerShot SD450 for all our family video now, and I think we have a 2GB SD card inside. It doesn’t give you the same quality you get from a standalone Hi8 or the newer high-end digital video cams, but you don’t really need it for keepsake-style video, and you also only have to carry one little camera (my wife keeps it in her purse). It also forces you to take shorter, easier to watch videos, instead of the typical 1-hour boring video of little Jimmy’s birthday party that no one will ever watch.
Anyway, I don’t think you need to carry a second, Flip-style video camera if you already have a decent digital still-cam that also does video. Most people can probably jump on this new idea with the digital camera they are already carrying by just upgrading to a larger memory card.
May 18, 2008 — 4:49 am
Greg Swann says:
You’re absolutely right, John. The real trick is to get in the habit of having the camera with you so you can capture video when the opportunity presents itself.
May 18, 2008 — 6:07 am
Jim Reppond says:
"The real trick is to get in the habit of having the camera with you so you can capture video when the opportunity presents itself." You got it, Greg. I don’t carry the FlipVideo on my person usually. It’s in the driver-side pocket of my car (along with breath-mint gum and other real estate essentials). The reason – not enough pockets. I groaned when you said, "Because it’s so small and easy to use, the Flip now rides on my hip with my digital still camera." I’m trying REAL HARD not to go back to the days when my belt supported a gazillion gadgets branding me techno-geek from afar. Currently my SOP for pockets/belt to carry is: Palm Treo (doubles as my Supra keybox opener and MLS database), iPhone (cause I hate my Treo), Canon Powershot SD850, USB thumb-drive of encripted passwords, velcro case of SD cards, extra camera battery, laser pointer (which doubles as an extra thumb-drive, thank you Paul Allen!), and other personal and Realtor-related stuff. I usually wear a suit. But now that it’s getting hot, I need to fit all this into my pants pockets. They key for me is knowing when I get out of the car that I might want the extra video capacity of the FlipVideo. The Canon can do just fine for short videos in many instances. I still think the FlipVideo is very sexy, though.
May 18, 2008 — 7:59 am
John Kalinowski says:
Jim – You need one of those big carpenter’s tool belts, with the pockets in the back! You must really cinch your belt up tight to keep your pants from falling down with all that stuff hangin from your midsection. 🙂
May 18, 2008 — 12:02 pm
Jim Reppond says:
John – Unfortunately I have plenty of midsection to keep my pants from falling. I’d REALLY prefer to not have anymore stuff hangin on my belt. Been there, done that.
May 18, 2008 — 12:15 pm
Justin W. says:
Hi Greg, Well looks like the Flip Video has it’s first Flip Video Killer competition, the Vado from creative. The Vado is like Flip Video but twice as powerful and a lot sleeker with only a $99 price tag. What do you think of the Vado?
May 19, 2008 — 6:05 pm
Sue says:
What do you think is the best RE camera to purchase at this point…one that does video and takes wide angle pictures??
July 26, 2008 — 7:42 pm