Guide · 2026-10-24

How long should a real estate listing video be

Published advice does not agree on one number, because a reel and an MLS tour are different jobs. Use the place you are posting to pick the length, then cut the photos to fit.

One length does not fit every post

A buyer scrolling Instagram is not the buyer who already opened the listing. The pages that publish a recommended length say so in different ranges, and each range is that publisher's own advice, not a shared study.

• For Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, PropReel's 2026 guide says 20 to 40 seconds, with the strongest image in the first second. How long should a real estate video be
• AutoReel's own FAQ says 30 to 45 seconds for social, and 45 to 90 seconds for an MLS or website tour where the buyer is already looking at that home. How long should a property tour video be
• A Typito walkthrough of the same question puts a listing-page tour at 60 to 90 seconds, and a short tease for a brand-new listing at 15 to 20 seconds. How long should a real estate video be

Treat those as working ranges. If a page claims a precise "NAR found X percent" figure and does not link the NAR report, do not repeat the percent.

Count seconds from the rooms you will show

A simple way to hit the range: give each photo 3 to 4 seconds, including a short dissolve into the next one.

• 8 to 10 photos lands near 30 to 40 seconds. That is the social cut.
• 12 to 18 photos lands near 45 to 70 seconds. That is enough for a listing-page tour of the main rooms.
• Past about 2 minutes you are asking a stranger to watch a long tour. Save that for a luxury home where the extra rooms are the point, which is also when AutoReel says a longer cut can be worth it.

Do not show every photo you have. Pick the front of the house, the best living space, the kitchen, one bedroom, one bath, and the best outdoor view. Six strong rooms beat twenty similar ones.

Make two cuts from the same photos

Post both, because the ranges above are for different screens.

1. A vertical 9:16 cut, about 30 to 45 seconds, for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Open on the exterior or the best room. Put the price and the bed, bath and square-foot counts on screen early, because many people watch with the sound off.

2. A wide 16:9 cut for the MLS, Zillow and your own site. Keep it unbranded if your MLS requires an unbranded virtual-tour link. A practical MLS help page on adding a tour is SmartMLS's note on virtual tours. Add a virtual tour to your listing

Use the same photo order in both cuts: outside first, then the path a buyer walks, and the backyard or best view last. Write one or two sentences of voiceover, not a paragraph per room. At 3 seconds a photo, a long script gets cut off.

What to leave out

• A five-minute walk through every closet. The social ranges above are all under a minute, and the listing-page ranges top out around a minute and a half for a normal home.
• Text on the very edge of a vertical video. Platform buttons cover the right side and the bottom.
• Music so loud the price cannot be read as a caption. Put the facts on screen either way.
• Any change to the rooms. Length does not fix a video that adds furniture or hides a defect. California's AB 723, in effect since January 1, 2026, is the disclosure rule agents cite for digitally altered listing photos. What you need to know about AB 723

A checklist before you post

• Social cut is inside 20 to 45 seconds. Listing-page cut is inside 45 to 90 seconds, unless the house truly needs longer.
• The first frame is the exterior or the best room, not a logo.
• Price, beds, baths and size are readable with the sound off.
• The wide cut is unbranded if that is where the MLS link goes.
• You watched it once on a phone. If you skipped ahead, cut a room.