Hat tip to GW for sending in this story about realtors using videos:

Carefully chosen words and detailed descriptions can help tell the story of a real estate listing, especially a multi-million dollar one.

But moving pictures are where it’s at for certain luxury agents who are experimenting with ways to set their properties apart from the others.

Local agent Laura Barry, of Barry Estates, is among those agents making either mini movies and music videos to promote their listings and themselves. Barry recently produced a four-minute film, complete with a story line and actors, to promote a Rancho Santa Fe estate that’s listed for $3.5 million to $3.9 million. It’s been on the market for about six months.

“…Our whole industry has come from print media to virtual tour and it needed to evolve into something movie quality,” says Laura Barry in her promotional video. “There’s no way to capture the essence of these beautiful estates unless you have real people and you get to see how they live in them and you get to feel the warmth and energy. And movie quality is the closest way that you can do that without actually being in the home with the owners.”

Barry’s movie ad, available on YouTube, follows a couple who has been separated by distance and time for unknown reasons. As the male lead makes his way back to his significant other, the camera follows the female lead through the Rancho Santa Fe home, from bedroom to kitchen to pool area.

The film ends with the couple embracing in front of the true star, the property, at 4615 Via Lechusa.

No sales have resulted from the video yet, but Barry has gotten calls from architects and others who were intrigued by the mini-film and want to know more about her company and other listings, she said.

She plans to shoot another movie for another property but has no intention of abandoning other means of marketing, from print to virtual tours. She hopes the diversity of techniques will help her reach a wide range of potential clients.

“People are like 31 flavors,” Barry said. “There are 50 percent of people who go to chocolate and vanilla. And the other 50 percent don’t know where to go.”

Other luxury agents have also gone more creative routes to market their listings and themselves.

Take Josh Altman, one of the starts of real estate reality show Million Dollar Listing. He released a self-mocking rap video named “I Sell the Dream” in August that featured these lyrics: “And have you heard/I work off commission; do the math, you nerd/Press a button: waterfalls/Tennis court: tennis balls.”

Around that same time, a property owner in Malibu went the Hollywood route, hiring movie director Graham Henman to make a short titled “The Spider and the Fly.” AOL Real estate reported that the video was sent out to would-be buyers via iPads.

Check out Barry’s video, in full:

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